Authority is an important concept for Christians to rightly understand.
Authority is a good thing. Authorities are instituted by God (Romans 13:1).
We live in an age when authority is often questioned, criticized, and rejected. But authority is important, and God has ordained the concept of authority.
Within the Trinity, there is authority. The Father is the head of the Son (1 Corinthians 11:3).
Within marriage, there is authority: the husband is the head over the wife (1 Corinthians 11:3; Ephesians 5:22-23).
In families, parents are authorities over their children (Ephesians 6:1-3).
Within the church, Christ is the ultimate authority (Colossians 1:18). God has also put some people in places of authority within the church (Hebrews 13:7, 17, 24; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13). (It is important to discern who God-ordained authorities are in the church so we don’t obey the wrong authorities.)
There are many misconceptions about authority today, because we live in a culture that generally doesn’t like authority. It’s important for us to recognize and reject these lies.
Here are 9 common misconceptions about authority.
1. “Authority is bad. I should not be under authority. I should try to be free and independent. If I am ever under authority I should resist that authority.”
False. Authority is a divine concept, and like everything God made it is good. God has instituted authority, and therefore if we are under authority we will be blessed. Whenever there is rightful authority over us, our initial reaction should be to obey it.
2. “Authorities are only a result of the Fall. In a perfect world there would be no authority.”
False. In the Garden of Eden before the Fall, there was authority. The man was the head of the woman, and together they were authority over the creation. The Father was the head of Christ from eternity past, and the Father will be the head of Christ through eternity to the future (1 Corinthians 15:28). And in the eternal age, some believers will have more authority than others (Luke 19:17).
3. “I don’t need to submit to human authority, I just need to submit to God.”
False. The Bible commands us to submit to human authorities. If we refuse to do so, we rebel against God.
4. “Being under authority is bad, painful, and hard. It’s easier to be out from authority and do whatever I want.”
False. The Bible tells us that it is good to be under authority. This is God’s design and it leads to blessing and peace. Those who are out from under authority will face problems.
5. “Authority defines worth. Those who have authority are more valuable than those who don’t have authority. Therefore my fight against authority is a fight for my self worth. When I have an authority over me I am devalued. Therefore I must struggle to gain authority to prove that I have value.”
False. The Father and the Son are equally valuable, for they are both equally God. Yet the Father is authority over the Son. This shows the Father and Son have differing roles, not that one is more valuable than the other.
People are of equal value, but they have differing roles in families and societies. Some roles have more authority than others, but those who have more authority are not more valuable than others.
Sometimes the people with the most authority have the worst character (like the Emperor Nero). Many political leaders are evil, but God says we must submit to them anyway – as long as their commands don’t contradict God’s clear word (Romans 13:1-2; Titus 3:1).
6. “If I submit to authority it means I am weak. I must resist authority to prove that I am a strong person who can think for myself.”
False. The Bible tells us that strength actually comes from being under authority.
Once a soldier told Jesus that he was under authority and therefore he had soldiers under him who he could give orders to (Matthew 8:8-9). The soldier recognized that Jesus was under authority like he was, and that’s why Jesus had power to command sick people to be healed. The soldier had faith in Jesus because he understood the concept of authority. He knew that being under authority actually increases one’s power. Strength comes from being under authority. This is why Jesus is strong. Rebellion leads to weakness and loss of power, which is why Satan is weak.
7. “Rebellion against authority is the best way to get more authority.”
False. The Bible says that before honor is humility (Proverbs 18:12). Receiving authority usually doesn’t mean getting out from under your authority. It means getting more authority from your authority.
8. “A good authority will not tell people what to do. The best authorities never give direct commands. Instead, they build consensus.”
False. Jesus is the best authority who ever walked the earth, and he often gave direct commands and instructions. He rarely, if ever, built a consensus or asked people what to do.
On the other hand, there are several examples in the Bible of leaders building a consensus of agreement with everyone, but this leadership was ungodly and led to disaster. Aaron was in consensus with the people to build a golden cow (Exodus 32:22-24). Saul was in consensus with the people to keep the spoil from victory rather than sacrifice it to God (1 Samuel 15:24). Pilate was in consensus with the people to crucify Jesus.
9. “It’s cool to rebel against authority. It’s dumb and uncool to do whatever you’re told.”
False. What’s ‘cool’ is being full of the abundant life of God. This comes from obeying his word. The Bible never says that we can obey God too much. Jesus obeyed God all the time, and he is our model. The more we submit to rightful authorities, the more blessed, chill, cool, relaxed, and happy (in our spirits) our lives will be.
The image of the cool rebellious kid is ingrained in our culture by Satan to lead people astray and destroy them. Satan makes people think it’s cool to criticize those who submit to authority. The student who obeys his teacher is mocked as the “teacher’s pet.” The child who always obeys his parents is called a “goody two-shoes.” The wife who obeys her husband is called a “doormat.” Satan makes people think obedience is dumb and rebellion is cool because he is a rebel who wants people to follow him to destruction. His destiny is the lake of fire. Let’s reject his lies.
It is important to get deliverance from misconceptions regarding authority so our lives go well.
Resisting authority will lead to chaos, confusion, and problems.
God will enforce his authority supernaturally. Evil angels will be sent against rebels to persecute them (Proverbs 17:11).
It is important to note that God’s commands are not hard or heavy (1 John 5:3). When God tells us to submit to an authority, it is for our own blessing and peace.
God’s commands are for today. They did not pass away with the first century, but they are binding upon all people, cultures, and time periods. We need to honor authorities today just as the early church did in the first century.
Finally, God is our ultimate authority. If we have an authority that tells us to do something contrary to the word of God, then we must obey God instead.
Submission to God sometimes looks like rebellion against the world. Today, that may look like submitting to authority.
Lincoln House Churches 