Yesterday we started on a new passage of scripture in 1 Peter 2. We covered what it means to be subject. Well, in truth, we mostly tried to tackle the confusing nature of this concept when applied to representative government. After all, if you are raised to office by a vote of the people, and if your job description is “serve the will of the people,” then are the people supposed to be subject to you? Anyway, today I would like to explore the topic further, discussing to whom we ought to be subject.
13 Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust. 19 For this is a gracious thing, when, mindful of God, one endures sorrows while suffering unjustly. 20 For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God.
1 Peter 2:13-20
You’re going to submit, but to whom?
I am not a radical libertarian. At least, I don’t think I am. I do believe in real God-appointed authority. Let’s start with the primary authority and work our way outward. Let us begin with Christ. Christ is, after all, our captain and our king. Therefore, to whom he was subject, we must surely also be subject. Christ subjected himself constantly to the will of the Father. We see this over and over, but perhaps most obviously during his prayer in the garden (Matthew 26:39, Mark 14:36, Luke 22:42). This was submission to God’s will, even unto an ignominious death. But, Jesus not only died in submission to the will of God, but lived under the same.
44 And Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. 45 And whoever sees me sees him who sent me. 46 I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.”
John 12:44-50
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. 8 Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered.
Hebrews 5:7-8
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
Philippians 2:5-7
To whom will the whole of Creation submit?
Can we then agree that Christ lived and died under the authority of God? I believe we can. Therefore, the ultimate as well as the primary authority is God. I am certain no one can use the Bible to find an alternative or higher authority than God the Father. Fine, then. What about authority under God? First, we have Christ. Let’s do a fancy maneuver here, and fill out that quote from Philippians above. What does the rest of it say?
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Philippians 2:5-11
To whom will the whole of creation submit? To Christ, and thereby to the glory of God the Father. Why? Because, God has highly exalted him and bestowed upon him the name above every name. Is this like some kind of honorary doctorate, received from the hometown university due to popularity? No sir. Christ has a name above every name. First because God ordained it, second because Christ earned it, and third because God granted the name to him.
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:16-20
Chains of authority and submission
We see in Christ’s example clearly that it is the Father’s design that there be a chain of authority. This chain of authority works from God down to Christ to whom God granted all authority in creation. In the same way, there is a chain of submission. Creation must (and will) submit to Christ, and it is God to whom Christ submitted. These chains of submission and authority are captured pretty well in a single passage written by Paul.
22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.” But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. 28 When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:22-28
From whom came authority to author scripture?
But, from where did Paul get his authority to author scripture? For that matter, where did Peter, James, John, the author of Hebrews, etc.? Well, we know that Christ departed, promising the Helper.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:15-17, John 14:25-26
Scripture and the Holy Spirit
If you have studied your Bible, you will know that the Holy Spirit is present from from the first page. It is He who has guided the hearts of great men and women in obedience to God throughout the Old and New Testaments. He is the third part of the Trinity who inspired and guided the writing of the prophets and the apostles.
12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
John 16:12–13
We believe that the Holy Spirit still speaks to us through scripture. Christ himself said that the Spirit would declare to the apostles the things Christ himself did not have time to impart. Also, Christ said that the Holy Spirit would bring the word of God to them, whatever he hears he will speak. And, this would not be on the Holy Spirit’s own authority, but would be what he was directed to tell them by Christ and God. This is the source of scripture.
20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” 22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”
John 20:20-23
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
So, we can expand the chain of those to whom we must submit to include scripture, i.e., the words of the Holy Spirit. Now we have the Holy Spirit, by way of scripture, Christ, and God.
To whom does the Church submit?
Now, specifically as Christians, we are members of Christ’s Church. I mean here the Church as it stands from beginning to end, the body of Christ. We know that like Creation itself, the Church is under the authority of Christ. Paul captures again the chains of authority and submission in Colossians.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.
Colossians 1:15-20
So, we have a chain of authority from God to Christ, and from Christ to the Church. In the opposite direction, we have a chain of submission, the Church led by Christ in submission to God.
The messy part, church leadership
The next part gets a little tricky, and definitely sticky. Do we next go to Church leadership? I think we should, but it is important to remember that church leadership, while ordained by God, is and has always been practiced by humans. I believe we can look back across time from the apostles to now and see the will and hand of God shepherding the Church and its leadership. That would be the macro view. But, we also know on the micro level that many individual church leaders and factions of church leaders have misused and abused their authority over those to whom they were meant to serve. Likewise, the Christian public has many times participated in atrocious behaviors in obedience to the church leaders to whom they submitted.
In other words, there are chains of authority and submission in this institution which are righteous and God ordained. But, in practice they are often flawed. I don’t have time today to defend the institution. Likewise, there is no time to go through the heavy requirements for church leadership, which if strictly followed would mean far fewer instances of misuse and abuse of authority. We’ll get to that, Lord willing, in a future study. Let’s just cite the basis for the positions, and for the required submission.
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; 3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
1 Peter 5:1-4
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.
Hebrews 13:17
12 We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace among yourselves.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-13
Cults, charlatans, and ne’er-do-wells run amok
Here we see church leaders guiding and guarding the church. They are under the authority of Christ and scripture through the Holy Spirit. As Christians, our church leadership are those to whom we submit. Should we submit our lives entirely to the will of church leaders? This is an odd question to me. But, since we have cults, charlatans, and ne’er-do-wells run amok in every corner of the globe, we really have to ask this question.
Sometimes, we must not submit
Clearly, we must never submit to church leadership if we are requested or required to believe, practice, participate in, or partake of anything which goes against Christ or scripture, or which denies the sovereignty of God. It is a low-down dirty shame that this caveat is required, but nevertheless, there it is.
This brings me to a point at which I must stop for today, but also to an excellent question. In our own lives, in our own homes, where does authority and submission lay? And, if there is a chain of authority which follows this pattern: God -> Jesus -> Holy Spirit -> Scripture -> Church leadership -> Christian layman, then how can a Christian layman decide that something is wrong, and refuse submission to those to whom they are technically under authority? We will try to cover that tomorrow.
