From the book, “What People Ask About The Church,” by Dale A. Robbins — 54 — Because the Bible requires it. Even more important than secular
authorities, Christians must be obedient and submissive toward their spiritual leaders who
are charged with the responsibility to "watch for their souls." The scripture
says, "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your
souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for
that would be unprofitable for you" (Heb. 13:17). Not only are Christians to be accountable to the authority of a
spiritual leader, but this passage also shows that believers should be a part of a local
church — where such pastors and elders can be found (Heb. 10:25). One cannot really
be accountable to spiritual supervision without a commitment to a church. Nor can a person
be accountable if they merely drift from one church to another, week after week —
making themselves inaccessible from the supervision, teaching or correction of a pastor
who knows something about their personal life. Despite what some people like to think, God
has no lone rangers! Accountability to a continuity of ministry and leadership is vital to
God's plan of providing the necessary "checks and balances" to produce solid
spiritual growth. One common reason that some Christians "hop" from church
to church, or abandon church participation, is that they foster an "independent
spirit" which resists authority. They do not wish to be corrected or to confront
truths they would prefer to avoid. Without accountability to authority, a believer
develops "itching ears" (2 Tim. 4:3). They look for teachings that agree with
their own opinions, instead of "objective" instruction — the whole counsel
of God's Word — that will force them to face their areas of immaturity and grow up. Some believers with an independent attitude will contend that they
don't need the church or spiritual leaders — that they have God's Spirit to teach
them. Indeed, every believer has the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit to guide them
(1 John 2:27), but this does not discharge them from the Biblical counsel and ministry of
the church (Heb. 13:7,17, Prov. 11:14-15, 2 Cor. 13:1). The church is Christ's plan for
His followers. He is the head (Eph. 5:23), and commissioned His church to represent Him
and His authority in the world (2 Cor. 5:20, Matt. 18:17-20, John 14:12). He has ordained
elders, deacons, and pastors, to supervise and manage His flock (Acts 14:23, 1 Tim.
3:10-13), and additional ministries to teach, train, and spiritually equip the saints for
service (Eph. 4:11-16). Ministers are not lone rangers either. They too are accountable to
the authority of overseers, who may offer counsel, reproof, or discipline when necessary
(Acts 21:18-24). All believers should be committed to a Bible believing,
Christ-centered church. They should be accountable to a Pastor and spiritual leaders, on
the condition that leadership meets basic qualifications of (1) a moral and Godly
lifestyle (Matt. 7:15-16, Gal. 5:19-25, 1 Tim. 3:1-7), and (2) that they proclaim the
uncompromised Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16, Rom. 1:16). Cooperate with the man of God whose
life exhibits these biblical qualities. Don't rebel or give him a hard time. The Bible
warns that contempt toward God's obedient servant is equal to contempt toward God (Exodus
16:2,8, Josh. 22:19). Not only does Paul teach that all believers are to have someone over
them in the Lord, he also directs that they should know their leaders (1 Thes. 5:12). So
often, the people in the church want their pastor to know all about them — however
Paul says that believers should get to know their leaders. That is, know their lifestyle,
their sincerity, their integrity. Knowing your pastors and leaders provides a tangible
example to follow, and also enables you to have trust and respect in their ministry. Sometimes people will balk at the authority of some pastors because
they think they're too young, inexperienced, or not sufficiently spiritual. However, the
Bible says we are to submit — not to those we deem qualified — but to those whom
God has seen fit to give the rule. I'll never forget the rugged, old Army sergeant that
lectured new recruits about the chain of authority. "As far you may see, the second
lieutenant may be younger than you, inexperienced, and green behind the ears. You may not
figure how in the world he got to the rank he is, but when he gives an order, you look at
the bars on his uniform and say 'Yes sir!' When you obey his orders, you're obeying the
one at the highest level who, for whatever reason, saw fit to grant him that
authority." God requires us to respect the authority He has placed over us, even
if that authority isn't perfect. Spiritual leaders are human and will make mistakes, but
the Lord still demands our respect and restraint toward them. They are His servants and He
reserves the right to correct or reprove them (Psa. 105:15). We recall that even after King Saul had become disobedient to God
and corrupt, he remained as the anointed King over Israel for quite some time. Saul
eventually became jealous of the heir to his throne, David, and began a relentless manhunt
to kill him. At one point, David and his men stumbled across Saul encamped in a cave and
had the opportunity to kill their sleeping pursuer. But instead, David chose to quietly
cut off a portion of Saul's robe as evidence to show his unwillingness to slay Saul when
he had opportunity. However, later the Lord convicted David's heart that not only was it
wrong to slay God's anointed, it was wrong to even cut his robe or lift a finger against
him in any way. "Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he
had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, The LORD forbid that I should do this thing
to my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the
anointed of the LORD" (1 Sam. 24:5-6). Respect toward authority is not limited to our actions, but even
relates to how we speak of them. The Bible warns against lifting our tongue against the
Lord's servants, even though they might be worthy of criticism. When the Apostle Paul was
unjustly punished for preaching the Gospel, he spoke defiantly until he realized that he
was addressing Ananias, the High Priest. He apologized and said, "I did not know,
brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, You shall not speak evil of the
ruler of your people" (Acts 23:5). Just imagine. Even though this High Priest was an
enemy to the Gospel, and was wrong to have Paul slapped on the mouth, yet he was still a
spiritual authority whom Paul was obligated to respect. If Paul was not permitted to speak
against Ananias, then you certainly don't have any right to badmouth Godly, spiritual
leaders. It is an act of rebellion, for which you will answer to God. Certainly, leaders and pastors must be held accountable for their behavior, and may even need to be corrected or disciplined. But God has ordained for this to be done in an honorable way, through an appropriate chain of authority by other spiritual overseers. This article is copyrighted © by Dale A. Robbins, 1995, and is a publication of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Unless otherwise stated, all scripture references were taken from The New King James Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.You may download for personal use as long as you retain credit to the author. Obtain permission before reproducing copies for any reason, by filling out our simple permission form. For media reproduction rights, or to obtain published quantities of this title, email us. |
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