Reaction to Action – Reaction to Authority
Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you. –Hebrews 13: 17, NIV
Those who have been placed over us- parents, bosses, government officials, teachers, church leaders- have been put in place to keep order. Without authority the world would be quite chaotic. It can be hard to sit under someone’s authority, especially when we don’t agree with them, but Scripture is clear that authority must be honored and that we must submit it. Why? Because "good" human authority mirrors God’s authority. When we can respectfully sit under human authority, we can honor and respect God’s authority. The two go hand-in-hand, and God is looking at how we respect humans over us.
What is your reaction when you don’t agree with the authority that you are under? How do you react even when that authority is clearly in the wrong?
Authority Gone Wrong
We see around us everyday governments who have been instituted to care for the welfare of its citizens, doing quite the opposite and repressing them instead, sometimes even on the tax payers’ dime. Bosses who mistreat their employees, husbands who abuse their wives, and even religions bodies who oppress their parishioners. If these things are being done to you, how do you react? How did Christ react when He saw authority being abused by individuals or the Roman government? Well, he called them out on it. He respectfully reasoned with them by asking those in authority questions that convicted their hearts.
Even when authority goes wrong, God is looking at your reaction to that action; He’s looking to see if your reactions to any action- whether good or bad- mirrors His Son.
I do believe that when God sees those in authority abusing their power, He dislikes it, because everything about Him is righteous, and He may allow it to be exposed. But even if they leave this world without their wrongdoing being exposed, they will stand before God and give an account. But, we under authority shouldn’t be consumed with what God is going to do with that person(s). We need to look at our own hearts before God, before trying to point a finger.
“Whatever you have said in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have whispered behind closed doors will be shouted from the housetops for all to hear! -Luke 12:3, NLT
But, if God will allow a person’s wrongdoing to be exposed on this side of heaven, He could do it in many forms. One being by putting someone in the wrong doers path to challenge them, like when the Catholic Church was held accountable for little boys being sexually abused by priests. That was a scandal where the Catholic Church had to address some things about itself.
Another being, the wrong doers power could be short lived and they will be overthrown by a stronger authority, like Adolf Hitler. But, whatever God allows to happen, God is interested in those under authority’s reaction to the action being done to them.
Looking at Joyce Meyer, a well-known pastor, speaker, evangelist, and author, she came from brokenness. She was sexually abused by her father for most of her childhood, and was raped by him over 100 times in her early life. Her father was the head of her home, the authority that she was born under. But, he abused his rights as a father and clearly violated her body and the role God had given him to protect her. She often speaks about her early adulthood and how she was effected mentally and emotionally, but she found healing and redemption from her abuse. Later God led her to forgive her father and take care of him in his old age.
Because she was able to follow God’s authority when she felt Him lead her to forgive her father, it showed her obedience to God. And she honored her earthly father by caring for him in his last years. Because of this God could take her further in life, blessing her with a ministry that is and has touched millions all over the world.
Authority Gone Right
In institutions- whether that be a company, a church, an organization or whatever, it’s easy to find someone who is angry and upset with authority just because.
What is your reaction when you are upset with authority just because and you want to challenge them anyway? I’d say the first thing is that an internal searching of self is needed. Perhaps the finger points back to you and you must determine the root of why you don’t like said authority. In these moments we must allow the Holy Spirit to work on our hearts to expose if we’re in the wrong. God will also hold those responsible for challenging authority for unjust reasons.
“For the Lord’s sake, submit to all human authority—whether the king as head of state, or the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish those who do wrong and to honor those who do right.” -1 Peter 2: 13-14
Let us try to remember that those over us have been placed there. And if they took that position without being legally placed there or if they abuse it then God will deal accordingly. But, it all boils down to how we, under their authority react to their actions. May we remember our place, except, if there's a Hitler-type, causing terrible human destruction then something has to be done about that.
Happy Friday! xx