“Honor” is one of those intangible aspects of life, and many of us seek it in various ways. Proverbs 26:1 says, “Like snow in summer or rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool” (ESV).

Or, as my brother Roger would say, “It just ain’t right!”

The honorable and the foolish are portrayed as opposites in Scripture. So, who exactly is the fool? Scripture gives us this explanation: “The fool says in his heart, there is no God” (Psalm 14:1).

Paul, in his letter to the believers in Rome, said this:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. (Romans 8:18-22)

If you don’t think that hits the mark, you only need to look at where the world bestows honor.

Some years ago, ESPN gave an award for courage to a former male Olympic athlete who now “identifies” as a woman. We have this innate desire to be honored by others, and we go to great lengths to obtain it.

We all have our stories.

I joined the Marines when I was 17, doing everything I could to get to Vietnam. I extended my first tour, returned for a second tour, and extended that tour, all because I wanted to be considered a hero. With every promotion, with every award, with every recognition I received, I had this hope that my life would somehow change. That was so not happening! The best the world has to offer is 15 minutes of fleeting fame.

There are primarily two Greek words in the New Testament used for honor. The first is doxa, from which we get our word “doxology”; it is defined as glory and is mostly used in reference to Christ. In John 5:41, Jesus told the crowd, “I do not receive glory [doxa] from people.” He later said this: “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me” (8:54).

Jesus would not accept honor from men. He only received the glory and honor the Father gave Him. We would do well to follow His example.

The second word used in the New Testament for honor is timios. In the Greek, it is defined as weight/honor. Or, as a child of the ‘60s would say, “Dude — that’s heavy!”

This same Greek word is used to describe the honor given to church leadership. Paul, writing to his son in the faith, Timothy, gave this instruction to him: “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching” (I Timothy 5:17).

Now, if the elders and teachers are worthy of double honor, it goes without saying that other believers are honored as well.

Paul describes this honor:

On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it. (I Corinthians 12:22-24)

Just like a physical body, each of us in the church is placed to fulfill a useful, indeed necessary, part of the body’s functioning. When we are serving in that capacity, God gives the greatest honor to the part of the church body serving humbly and without fanfare. The ground is level at the foot of the cross, and the janitor is as valued as the pastor.

Each servant finds joy when he hears God’s still small voice say to us, “You did good!” So, when we say “strength and honor” to one another, we are breathing a prayer of encouragement to say, Be all you can be in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Strength and honor, my brother!

What say ye, Man of Valor?
Semper Fidelis!