RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY FIGURES Romans 13: 1-7 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. …………. Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you. Titus 3:1 Remind them to be submissive to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work. God places a high value on authority because He is the one who created it. The Bible says that all authority comes from and originates with God. He is the absolute source of authority in the universe, and has delegated His principle of authority to mankind to maintain order in the world. (Rom. 13:1-2) According to the word of God, followers of Christ should be obedient to secular laws and government, because secular authority is intended to be a “minister of God for our good” (Rom. 13:4), and serves His purpose of keeping law and order on the earth (1 Pet. 2:14-15). Authority must be understood by every Christian since it is the entire basis of our relationship with Christ. When we accept Jesus Christ as our “Lord,” this means that He is supposed to become our “boss” or “authority” over our whole life (Luke 6:46). In addition, the Bible becomes the source of authoritative instruction for our Christian Life (2 Tim. 3:16). It is important we understand that all authority is a God-given institution, and all types of authority are related. The Lordship of Christ is the highest source of authority that we must answer to (Matt. 28:18). God has also ordained other categories of subordinate authority in the world that we must also submit to: (1) The Family - Children are to obey their parents (Eph. 6:10). The wife is to cooperate with her husband, which is the head of the family (Eph. 5:22-24, 1 Tim. 2:12), and the husband is to submit to Christ and love his wife (Eph. 5:23, 25). Greater is the authority of a father over his children. This is the most basic of all authority relationships. It is an extension of the eternal relationship of Father to son within the Godhead. (2) The State - We are to cooperate with those authority figures and obey the local and federal laws of the land, within the boundaries of God’s laws (1 Pet. 2:13-14). (3) The Church - Christians are to submit to the headship of Christ which is exercised through His Spirit (Rom. 8:14), His Word (2 Tim. 3:16), and Church leadership (Matt. 18:17-20, Heb. 13:17). Considering how our attitude toward all authority relates to our submission to the “Lordship” of Christ, we should especially be sensitive to the authority of the Church and spiritual leaders, who have specifically been assigned as representatives of Christ. The Bible says, “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Heb. 13:17). Even more important than secular authorities, Christians must be cooperative with their spiritual leaders, who are charged with the responsibility to “watch for their souls. It is outright from the scriptures that all Christians are supposed to be under the authority of a spiritual leader. God has established these authorities as the “delegated” extensions of His authority. If we resist cooperation, we are in effect, resisting God’s own authority and Lordship. Rebellion Disrespects all Authority Just as all authority is related to other authority, all rebellion is also interrelated. It does not regard any class of authority. Our attitude toward Christ as our Lord, is directly associated with our attitude toward other authority. Jesus Christ cannot be fully “Lord” over the person who harbors rebellion toward authority figures. (Rom. 13:2). Just as God is the source of all authority, Satan is author of all rebellion. Rebellion is the very spirit of Satan’s attitude (Eph. 2:2), and if we permit it to dominate us it will infect and taint our attitude toward all authority, including God and His Word. The prophet Samuel said, “...rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry” (1 Sam. 15:23).
Posted on: Wed, 23 Oct 2013 05:29:47 +0000
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