Biblical Business Radical: Godliness vs Hunches and Experience

As much as we’d like business to get back to normal, we have the challenge of Peter’s writings to obey the authorities. Peter’s letters are presumably penned from Rome on the eve of Nero’s persecution and blaming Christians of setting fire to Rome. If there was a time to hunker down and social distance, it was this. And it’s believed the persecution was so bad it’s when the fish symbol came into prominence: one person would draw one arc of the fish symbol and the other party, to show they were safe and a brother/sister, would draw the symmetrical arc forming the fish.

Peter in his 2nd epistle talked about godliness, added to perseverance, self-control, etc. and leading to brotherly affection  and agape love. Godliness is considering God in all efforts; it is worshipping well (literally). Ungodliness is thinking God has no place in our decisions, our actions and that He’s apathetic about us.

Peter in the 1st epistle encourages us with a proclamation that we are a royal priesthood and a holy nation...but...we are to abstain from the desires that wage war against our soul (perhaps those hunches/experiences that we know what’s better for us no matter what others say)...and keep our behavior excellent so non-believers will glorify God...and submit to every human institution—king and governor—for the Lord’s sake, not for our sake, their sake or goodness’ sake...act as free men: Honoring all people, loving the family of God, fearing God and honoring the ‘king’.

So how do we consider God in all our efforts today during COVID-19? For the Lord’s sake and so others will glorify God, keep our behavior excellent (1 Peter 2). Resonance is a phenomena that what we do affects others. If we operate as individuals, we are not being godly.