In a world in which cultural influencers are labeling ICE the enemy, the current administration is demonized as being “fascist” and “authoritarian,” and Al Sharpton is saying that Virginians who don’t vote for Abigail Spanberger for governor are misogynistic, patriarchal oppressors, how does the just use of authority differ from authoritarianism? After all, wise Christians know that radical depravity has infected all human hearts. Power corrupts. Absolute power may corrupt absolutely. We should be on edge about ICE invading immigrant communities. Like all members of law enforcement, they must be held to the highest possible standards. Furthermore, in my view, Christians’ love for the alien requires us to be concerned about those who once crossed into our border illegally, but currently are law-abiding, responsible members of our community. Before being forcibly deported, are they being urged to take advantage of the opportunity of the Department of Homeland Security's Project Homecoming, which offers financial and travel assistance for those who voluntarily self-deport? And has anyone in the Trump administration considered another form of justice for those coming into the country with their families illegally—a stiff fine that when paid changes their status to being here legally. Many Christian ministries engaged in ministry to immigrant communities favor this form of justice.
The strains of egalitarianism and cultural Marxism which identify biblical authority structures as themselves, “evil,” are infecting our loved ones, causing them to resist the rule of law. They need a biblical understanding of God-established authority in civil society, the church, and the home despite the flaws of those filling those God-designed roles.
The Purpose of God-ordained structures of authority is LOVE. That is the case for all three spheres of life, civil society, the church, and the home. Authority is never to be used selfishly but always for the benefit those under one’s care as a leader. Jesus said, You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt 2):25-28). Let’s consider how authority is appointed by God in all three spheres, for the benefit of those under their care and then consider how sin corrupts the use of the structure, not the structure itself.
CIVIL AUTHOPRITY
Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God (1 Peter 2:13-15)
Notice that the purpose of civil authority is to punish EVIL and promote what is GOOD. Civil authority is a common grace means of holding back sin which would otherwise destroy both humans themselves and human society.
A. Civil authority’s purpose is LOVE. Punishing evil is the most loving step the government can take FOR THE EVIL DOER. Compassionate Christians sometimes equate love with helping one avoid pain, but that is wrong. Painful consequences for wrong actions keep offenders from spiraling down into deeper evil, further destroying their lives:
- Whoever ignores instruction despises himself, but he who listens to reproof gains intelligence (Prov 15:31-32).
- Cease listening, my son, to discipline, And you will stray from the words of knowledge (Prov 19:27).
- Stripes that wound scour away evil and strokes reach the inmost parts (Prv 20:30)
- Discipline your son while there is hope and do not desire his death (Prv 19:18).
- My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord or loathe His reproof, For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights (Prov 3:11-12).
Punishing evil is also the most loving step the government can take FOR SOCIETY.
Jesus summarized the last six of the ten commandments (you shall not murder steal, lie, or commit adultery, etc) as loving your neighbor as yourself. Consistent punishment for breaking these laws motivates society towards keeping these laws. The concept of “the fear of the Lord” refers to knowing that sin will be punished.
- By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil (Prov 16:6).
- When the scoffer is punished the naïve become wise (Prove 21:11).
- For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid. (Rom 13:3-4).
B. Sin corrupts God’s design of civil uuthority. Because the Bible teaches total depravity, Christians cannot mindlessly support the unjust use of authority. Those wielding authority can pervert justice since all humans are infected by sin,
- That is what caused many southern churches to be silent about the horrific treatment of black human beings as slaves and during Jim Crow.
- That is what caused the liberal churches in Germany to justify their complacency regarding the evils of Hitler and the Third Reich.
- Sinful love of comfort can cause middle class Christians to simply favor “law and order” politicians without concern for the administration of law and order becoming “authoritarianism.” Such complacency led to the rise of Hitler.
All Christians must recognize that sin makes us inherently resistant to authority and prone to bitterness toward authority figures who harm others. But we must never support politicians who promote lawlessness.
- Both Romans 13 and I Peter 2 call us unequivocally to a submissive attitude towards civil authority. They were written at the very time Nero was using Christians as candles to light his garden. Christians must never associate with those fomenting disobedience to civil authority, despite their heinous acts.
- Martin Luther King Jr. showed us that in the face of extreme injustice, there may be a place for controlled civil disobedience. King, who vehemently opposed violence, was jailed in Birmingham in 1963, for leading a nonviolent protest against segregation. This is not the same as fomenting violence in the streets.
- The ideologies of critical theory (aka cultural Marxism) and egalitarian call to anarchy may be slipping into many Christians’ thinking who care deeply, as we should, about the way authority has been misused. But the widespread release of criminals and opposition to justly enforcing laws cannot be justified biblically
CHURCH AUTHORITY
A. Church authority’s purpose is LOVE. The purpose of Paul’s letter to Timothy was to cause him to recognize illegitimate leadership in the church. So, Paul writes I Timothy to help Timothy recognize false teaching and to understand that true Christianity results in godly character. In fact, the purpose of church leader authority is love. Paul explains: As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love (1 Tim 1:3-5a). Hebrews urges church members to submit to their leaders, because those leaders are accountable to God for providing tender care of God’s flock. Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account (Heb 13:17a). Church leaders are given authority so they love their flock.
B. Sin corrupts God’s design of church authority. God assigns the leadership in God’s household, the church, to men. Although this teaching must be balanced with the truth that women are full members of Christ’s Body whose gifts are essential, this teaching is clear.
- I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet (1 Tim 2:14). Paul is not just addressing a specific situation of cultural feminine rebellion, making this command culturally normative. He bases it on the universal experience of creation and the fall.
- The assignment of leadership in the church is clear when we examine the qualifications to be elder/overseer. I Tim 3:2 An overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife… The text does not say, “the marital partner of one spouse.” The text does not say “the husband of one wife, or the wife of one husband.
- In this same letter, I Timothy 3:15, Paul calls the church the household of God. Since the NT assigns the leadership of covenant households to men, it follows logically that God’s household would follow the same structure.
- If women can be elders, is the elder wife under her husband’s authority as her husband or is he under her authority as the elder? “Mutual authority” is a nonsense answer since the question has to do with the final say. The impossibility of answering this conflict says it all. There is no answer to this dilemma because it is imaginary. Men are to lead the household of God.
Sin, by definition, causes rebellion to authority. We demand to be our own boss, submissive to no one. Egalitarianism began in the heart of Satan who said, “I will ascend to the mountain of the Lord, I will be God.” Rebellion against God’s created gender role structure and the structure of church authority by calling it oppressive patriarchy should surprise no one. Yet church after church in America has bent to the God of egalitarianism leading them to deny the authority of Scripture. Here are words from the Jesus Without Baggage website, entitled, “How Christian Patriarchy is a Misguided and Harmful Belief that Does Tremendous Damage.”
Christian Patriarchy oppresses and denigrates women and girls. They are expected to submit meekly to whatever the husband demands. This is wrong, oppressive. The idea is that men are directed by God and have the responsibility to direct their wives. But Women can follow the voice and direction of God just as easily as men can. Christian Patriarchy develops an environment for physical, emotional, and sexual abuse against women and misrepresents biblical passages. (The author then cites 5 biblical texts that teach that men are to lead their homes and churches, commenting:) These passages are used as if they are the very word of God—eternal propositional truth. But these opinions were written by people (not God) to address issues in particular congregations and based on the culture that existed at the time. They are not the eternal word of God.
HOME AUTHOPRITY
A. The purpose of a husband and father’s authority is LOVE. Husbands love your wife as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her (Eph 5:25). Adam was placed in the garden to cultivate it, bringing out the potential of all that was in the garden including his wife and kids. Similarly Christian husbands are to follow Christ who gave his life so his bride might be radiantly beautiful on the inside—sanctified—that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
In the NT, fathers are assigned the responsibility for raising up kids in the discipline and instruction of the Lord (Eph 6:4). Adam, the first man, was place in the garden to prune its inhabitants so they reach their full potential. Thus, fathers use discipline to shape their kids’ character reach their full potential. Foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline will remove it far from him (Prv 22:15). As the Lord disciples the one he loves, so do fathers.
B. Sin corrupts God’s design of the husband and father’s authority. After Eve sins, God explains to her that sin will cause problems over her husband’s leadership role in the family. Your desire shall be for your husband and he shall rule over you.
Notably, God’s first words to Adam after he sinfully ate the fruit are NOT, “You ate the fruit I told you not to eat,” but “Because you have listened to your wife and have eaten of the tree,” The ESV Study Notes observe,
The ongoing result of Adam and Eve’s original sin of rebellion against God will have disastrous consequences in their relationship. (1) Eve will have the sinful “desire” to oppose Adam and assert leadership over him, reversing God’s plan for leadership in marriage. (2) Adam will also abandon his God-given pre-fall role of leading, guarding, and caring for his wife, replacing it with his own distorted role to “rule over” Eve.
Sin also corrupts the responsibility to punish children for doing wrong. Punishment can become cruel, harsh, abusive, and controlling. Similarly, sinful neglect and laziness can cause them to let their children go their own way. The rod and a rebuke give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother (Prov 29:15). Laziness can cause us to fail to give a child small painful consequences for small disobedience, depriving him of learning self-control. That only sets him up for God sending him large pain later for larger violations. Perhaps that is why God warns, He who withholds his rod hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him diligently.
THE LOVE THAT LEADERS NEED TO GIVE ARISES FROM THREE WELLSPRINGS.
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith (I Tim 1:5). Every Christian man I know wants to love well his wife and kids. But we often don’t. How can we increase our capacity to love? Paul tells us that the very AGAPE, self-sacrificing love we need arises from 3 sources.
1. A pure heart. The word heart (KARDIA) refers metaphorically to the inner place where our motives, desires, and loves reside. A pure heart channels the wellspring of our desires into righteous channels. All my sexual desires are directed towards my wife. All my desire for respect is directed towards hearing “well-done” from the lips of the master. A pure heart is governed by pure MOTIVES--where concern for the loved one TAKES PRIORITY over love for oneself. Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his friend. A pure heart is selflessness combined with an understanding of, and commitment to another’s needs. God so loved the world that he gave up what was most precious to him—his Son—to meet our great need for salvation. Self-love is normal and instinctive. We ought to be concerned about our own needs, take responsibility for meeting them ourselves, as adults should, and take those we can’t meet to God. But a pure heart prioritizes the other’s needs over our own. Tim Keller illustrates:
“Courage is loving your neighbor’s well-being more than your own safety. Honesty is loving your neighbor’s interests more than your own, even when the truth will put you at a disadvantage. Look at injustice. You may say that you believe in social equality and justice and think that you do, but if you make business decisions that exploit others, it is because at the heart level, you love your own prosperity more than your neighbor’s.” (Making Sense of God, Tim Keller).
A pure heart is one not motivated by self-concern which has been pushed aside. It is becoming, through Jesus, entirely motivated to pursue another’s welfare.
2. A good conscience. The Greek word for conscience (SUNEIDESIS) comes from the word knowing and with. Thus, we carry with us an all-seeing part of us called our conscience. Here are three reasons why a good, or clear conscience is a wellspring for genuine love: 1) True love never disregards the voice of conscience. Love does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. (1 Cor 13:6). Agreeing to have sex before marriage because your fiancée wants to is NOT genuine love. It is never worth violating your conscience to obtain a benefit for another. 2) True love does not violate what our conscience tells us is untrue or morally wrong out of sympathy for another. Empathy is not the highest manifestation of love. If you see a person drowning, you can empathize with the drowning victim all day; but love pulls the victim out of the water. Similarly, when your daughter comes home from college claiming that she is a male in a woman’s body, the LGBTQ+ propaganda says your highest moral virtue is empathy, trying to understand how she feels and not making her FEEL WORSE. But love recognizes the truth: something is terribly wrong with your daughter. 3) True love grows by dealing with conflicts in the relationship not ignoring them. If my conscience tells me I have offended or been offended, it is my responsibility to clear up the matter.
3. A sincere faith. A hypocritical faith is one that feigns faith to enjoy the benefits of the faith community. In contrast, Paul says real faith is a wellspring from which AGAPE love flows. Real faith is trusting God. It is taking God at his Word, knowing his promises can be 100% trusted. Why are sincere faith and selfless love so closely interconnected? Because I will not be free to fully focus on devoting myself to another’s needs when I am concerned about my own. When I trust God’s promise, My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus (Phil 4:19) I can give generously to alleviate a need or display my love for another. I can find freedom from needing to impress others when I am confident of 1 Pet 5:6. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you. When facing complex decisions that can preoccupy me, I can relax and focus on the needs of others when I am certain of James 1:5. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. When I am consumed with anxiety, I can keep from overburdening my loved ones when I know God’s promise, You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon him, for you are his personal concern (I Pet 5:7).
Profound wisdom from God about the three springs from which agape love flows.
For Further Prayerful Thought:
- How would you defend the statement, “Though sometimes authority structures are filled by corrupt individuals, undermining God’s ordained authority structures in civil society, the church, and the home is evil, because those structure’s purpose is LOVE?”
- In your own words, why does sacrificial love issue from a pure heart?
- In your own words, why does sacrificial love issue from a clean conscience?
- In your own words, why does sacrificial love issue from a sincere faith?
