christian conduct
1 Peter 2:13-17
13Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, 14or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. 15For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. 16Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. 17Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
Titus 3:1-8
1Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. 3At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4But when the kindness and love of God our Saviour appeared, 5he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Saviour, 7so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Romans 12:17 to 13:14
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do
what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is
possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with
everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but
leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to
avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20On the
contrary: "If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty,
give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning
coals on his head." 21Do not be overcome by evil,
but overcome evil with good.
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing
authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has
established. The authorities that exist have been established by
God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the
authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those
who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For
rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do
wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority?
Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For
he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid,
for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an
agent of wrath to bring punishment on the
wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to
the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also
because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay
taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full
time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him:
If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect,
then respect; if honour, then honour.
8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing
debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has
fulfilled the law. 9The commandments, "Do not
commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet,"
and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this
one rule: "Love your neighbour as yourself." 10Love
does no harm to its neighbour. Therefore love is the fulfilment of
the law. 11And do this, understanding the present
time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber,
because our salvation is nearer now than when we first
believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is
almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on
the armour of light. 13Let us behave decently, as
in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual
immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and
jealousy. 14Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord
Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of
the sinful nature.
Matthew 22:15-22
15Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. 16They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. 17Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" 18But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? 19Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, 20and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" 21"Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." 22When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.