Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the outcome of their way of life, imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes and forever. Hebrews 13:7, 8.
Obey your leaders and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17.
These verses are difficult to understand because they are dealing with authority and submission, and there are aspects of this subject which have not been understood in the past. For example, consider the following problem. Suppose that you follow literally and exactly this Scripture concerning submission. Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. Ephesians 5:22. Are there any other qualifying principles that might be involved? Is it possible that an unregenerated, devil-possessed husband could tell his wife what to do, and she would have to do it? This is an important question for a wife to consider. Should she obey? Is she to be submissive? Her husband could say, in effect, “I am going to lead you to hell, and you are going to obey me.” Is she to follow him to hell? We must understand what her responsibility is at this point, and what his responsibility is.
The abuse of authority is a serious problem. Some people say that if another person has authority over you, then you must do what they say. There is much truth in this. However, another person’s authority that has been commissioned to them by the Lord also puts the same responsibility on them. In many cases, believers have been led to commit certain offenses through the error of an authority over them. In such a case, if the believer is trying to be submissive, even without realizing the principles that are involved, the Lord will see their submission and place the guilt of the offense upon the one who has authority.
Authority involves responsibility. A father will direct a little child who does not know what to do. If the child is told to do wrong, he is not held responsible. The father is responsible. Thus, the father’s need is double. God commissions authority, and if that ministry of authority goes astray, God will hold that ministry responsible. Not only that, when He rejects that ministry, in many cases the submissive one is immediately elevated to the same position of authority. You must realize the seriousness of this subject, for it concerns the divine order that God is bringing forth and the protections and the safeguards that are for those who love the Lord.
What does submission to apostolic authority mean to you? Does it throw you into jeopardy, or does it protect you? If God has told you to be submissive to an authority and he leads you astray, God will remove that ministry and still provide a leader for you, because your submission to divine order leads you into what God has for you. We read, Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. (Notice their responsibility: they will give an account, and you are to obey them.) Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. Hebrews 13:17. It is not of much profit to you if your leaders do not succeed. They have to bear their responsibility with joy and not with the grief of having failed or disobeyed. If they grieve, it could be for only two reasons: either you did not obey them, or they led you astray in your obedience.
When a man has been called to be an apostle, a prophet, or an elder, the people become submissive to him.
However, suppose that instead of seeking God in a problem, he listens to his wife and obeys what she says he should do. Whenever someone in authority listens to someone without authority or wisdom, the authority goes astray.
We submit to authority that is submissive to the Lord. We are taught by the Lord by those who are teachable. We are led by those who are led. We submit to those who are submissive to the Lord. We kneel in reverence before the humble. When arrogance enters into the picture, it has a way of distorting the truth. Sometimes those in authority make an issue of submission. Suppose that you receive a word of direction from someone in authority, but you think that it is based upon a wrong spirit. There is only one true test. Weigh this one thought concerning that person in authority: “I will be submissive, not to flesh, but to the spirit of that man whom God has blessed. I will be submissive to the commission.” Then if you find an arrogance in his use of authority, you had better look to the Lord and go to other authorities, saying, “I am not going to be unsubmissive, but I would like to have this word checked out and confirmed that this is what I am supposed to do.” This is especially important for the women, who at times become conditioned to being submissive. In extreme cases, the authority of an elder or leader over a woman has led to wrongdoing. But in each case a word had come from the Lord which this authority was not submissive to himself, and so the purity of his commission was broken. God wants perfection in those who walk with Him. God wants divine order to come forth in the Body of Christ exactly right, the way He has always wanted it to be done among His people; and now He is going to insist that it be done.
This same principle applies to a believing wife who is so taught to be submissive that she finally submits herself to the indecent acts of her unsaved husband. In her submission, she submits herself to that part of him which is the depravity of a degenerate and demon-possessed nature. Actually, God is saying that the wife is to be submissive to her husband in everything (Ephesians 5:22). But that submission is based on a principle of divine authority that can be proved in the Word of God.
Certain teaching has been published to condition people to be submissive regardless of the circumstances. Such publications actually instruct a wife to be obedient even if her husband tells her to go to a bar, get drunk, and do whatever else he wants. Godly women have even submitted to mate swapping because unsaved husbands insisted that they do it. This has sometimes resulted in mental breakdowns. Yet all the while they thought that they were being submissive.
Your protection in submission is found in being submissive to an authority who is submissive to God. If the authority over you is submissive to God, then you are to be submissive to him with your very life. But when he is not submissive to the Lord, it is then time that you begin to bypass that authority and look to someone who is over that authority to bring the whole situation into the proper focus and to take care of it. This is not to say that you can ignore the authority over you or be rebellious; if you are, you will have the same problem of disobedience that he has. But say to him, “You told me to be submissive to you on this matter that seems wrong to me. If you can show me a Scripture which will back it up, or submit your counsel to my pastor or to the other ministries who are over me, then I will be submissive. But let us establish that this is a word from God; let us see if you have the right to demand this. Is that fair enough? And is it right in your sight that this should be done?”
Submit to authority when he submits to authority, even if he is wrong or misguided but really is trying to do right. You may find yourself doing something that is not even the will of God at all, but God will not hold you accountable if he is making an effort to be submissive. However, if he is rebellious and not submissive, then there should be some way for you to get into the picture of seeing what is to be done.
The following Scripture from I Kings 12 will show you how these principles work. Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. Now it came about when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon while he was living in Egypt, they sent and called him), that Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, “Your father made our yoke hard; therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.” (Jeroboam, a personable man, was like a labor leader; and he had been responsible to lead the people under the building enterprises of Solomon. Therefore he was brought into this negotiation.) Then he said to them, “Depart for three days, then return to me.” So the people departed.
And King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, “How do you counsel me to answer this people?” Then they spoke to him, saying, “If you will be a servant to this people today, will serve them, grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever.” But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him. So he said to them, “What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke which your father put on us’?” And the young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, “Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, ‘Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!’ But you shall speak to them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s loins! Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.‘ ”
Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had directed, saying, “Return to me on the third day.” And the king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him, and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.” So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the Lord, that He might establish His word, which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion do we have in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, O Israel! Now look after your own house, David!’ ” So Israel departed to their tents. But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day. I Kings 12:1–9. Do you understand what happened? This is a picture of unsubmissive authority. If a man in authority is not submissive and open to the authority that God has created, even his own authority can be taken away from him.
When someone in charge of a project is rebellious against the authority that is over him, the entire project falls apart and rebellion and criticism rise up in those who are under him. Suppose an apostolic authority appoints a brother to be in authority over a church, and it is confirmed to be the will of God. If the people are not submissive to him, neither are they submissive to the apostolic authority. And if that brother is not submissive to the apostolic authority who commissioned him, then his entire commission will ultimately be set aside. God has a divine order. To explain this further, suppose a pastor or an elder is set in office by the laying on of hands as a part of the divine order under apostolic authority. You might disagree with him and not want to be submissive to him, especially if he is inexperienced and has much to learn. Nevertheless, if God has placed him over you, you are responsible to help him and to be submissive to him. If you are not submissive to him, neither are you submissive to the apostolic authority over him or to the Lord.
Suppose you are submissive to an apostle who then becomes unsubmissive to the Lord. How might that affect you? If he is not submissive to the Lord, then he will be thrown into a position where God will deal with him; God will remove you from his area of authority and responsibility, and you will be free to be set under an authority who will lead you. This is good to know. There have been many examples of people who opened their hearts to authority and were still submissive when the authority went astray. In this hour, God will quickly remove unsubmissive authority from the people who are walking with God in divine order. James wrote, “Be not many teachers, knowing that you shall come under the heavier judgment” (James 3:1). James gave warning that if you move into a place of authority and abuse that authority, God will deal with you sooner than with anyone else.
What if someone has this attitude: “I am in this church, and I will not be submissive to anyone; that way I will not get into any trouble.” He is out of the running; for if he is not submissive to the way that God sets up authority in His divine order, then he is dead anyway. Walking with God is based on submission to divine authority. Our relationship to God is based on the fact that Jesus Christ was submissive to the Father, and so the Father put all authority in heaven and earth on Him. Other men become submissive to the Lord Jesus Christ, and He then delegates authority to them. When others become submissive to those to whom Christ has given authority, authority is also delegated to them.
Let us face the fact that we submit to the authority that is submissive. We are taught by those who are teachable. We serve those who are servants of the Lord. We are led by those who are completely open to be led by the Spirit of the Lord. We kneel before those who are humble. We give to those whom we see are sacrificial in their own lives. This is the way that God does it.
God grant that we see no breaking of this pattern. God grant that we see an unbroken chain of examples and that we are able to say, like Paul, “Be followers of me, even as I also am a follower of Christ” (I Corinthians 11:1). What a responsibility to be an example for others, so they will serve as they see you serve! Yet you must do this. God says that you had better not take leadership unless you are willing to be led. You had better not accept submission from anyone if you are not submissive yourself. You had better not do the will of God in fulfilling a ministry of authority over people unless you humble yourself before them.
We must be concerned with many aspects of the abuse of authority and the rebellion against authority. For instance, we must be concerned about the danger of evasion. Some people declare that they are submissive, but in reality they are evasive. We must be concerned when any strong leader or pastor demands implicit obedience from his people—a level of jumping when he snaps his fingers which he would not give to those in authority over him. Sooner or later such a man loses his place. Why? God will eliminate anyone who tends to build a kingdom.
Anarchy comes when there is authority that is not submissive. It is rebellion, not divine order, when leaders demand implicit obedience and they do not give it. Elders who say to the people, and husbands who say to their families, “Here, do this,” are rebellious if they are not in submission to the divine authority over them. Anyone who says, “I am moving in authority,” but does not move in submission, is a rebel in the Kingdom of God.
Do not use an appearance of submission to those in authority for positioning yourself or applying leverage towards having your own way. This is an aspect of the misuse of submission. Suppose someone pretends to be submissive, but he begins to maneuver an elder or a pastor in order to present a certain facet or picture of what he wants. Maybe he even deceives an elder who does not know what is actually happening. Sometimes an elder has so much to do that a few things slip by him. But nothing slips by God.
Submission is really submission, or it is not submission at all. Some people declare their submission and also intercede for those who are over them with violent zeal. Nevertheless, violent intercession and proclamations do not take the place of true submission. You nullify everything that you are doing if you are not submissive to the Lord. If you are not submissive to the divine authority of the apostles, pastors, and elders over you, then your strong proclamations will not do any good; they will only heap problems upon your own head. Let God deal with your heart. Violent zeal does not take the place of submission, of humility, of worship, of waiting on God, or of divine order.
Violence is a broad term which can also mean a harsh exercise of authority. When the Lord causes this problem to surface, the brother may say, “I am sorry for what I have done; I really failed.”
“Why did you fail? What did you do? Why did you do it? Didn’t you have a tight reign on those whom God put under you?” Then we begin to see why.
“Oh, yes, a real tight reign over them. I didn’t hesitate to put the pressure on and to tell them, ‘This is the way it is going to be!’ ”
“Fine. Only one thing—what about your own position? Do you have a walk with God? Are you walking in humility and submission? Are you a real worshiper? Do you submit to the divine order for your life?” This is the sore place that causes the problem. In the divine order of the Kingdom that God is bringing now, no one will be able to move in any position of authority very long without a submission to the Lord in his own walk with God. If he does not walk in submission to the Lord, he will not be able to exercise his authority very long, because God will move him out of it.
One truth we must believe in is the Lordship of Jesus Christ over our walk with Him. He is really the Lord over us. If we submit ourselves to Him, worshiping and waiting on Him, then behind every word we speak will be that careful walk with the Lord. Behind it will be that careful submission to the Lord.
God grant that there be no abuses of authority or evasions of submission as we walk before the Lord together. Let us not allow our old human nature to work around what we know is right. Let us always say, “Yes, Lord, this is the way; and I will walk in it with all my heart.” Every man who is set in authority over the people must understand these truths and walk in them. The lambs must not be led astray by the abuses of the authority that God sets over them. Those in authority must walk correctly before God.
Do not give only a token submission to those who are over you in the Lord. Learn to walk in submission with all your heart, and God will bless you. A great responsibility will be released from you and placed on those over you, because they are going to give an account, according to Hebrews 13.
A coin has two faces, and both of them are very important. So also those who are set in authority ought to pray, “Lord, let me walk very carefully in the authority You have given to me.” And those who are to be in submission should say, “Lord, You have set me in this Body. Let me walk in a careful submission.” God is no respecter of persons.