In this universe only God is the supreme authority, and all other authorities are delegated authorities, deputy authorities, authorities appointed by God; when we submit to and obey the deputy authority, we obey and submit to God.
God is the supreme authority; He has all authority, and He gives authority to particular persons in a delegated way – in His time and in His way.
We may say that we obey only God, and only God is our Head and King, but if we don’t obey the deputy authority that He has set over us, we disobey God.
All over the earth there’s a prevailing spirit and attitude of rebellion against God and against the deputy authority that He has ordained.
Just as in the case of Moses, when Miriam reviled him because he married a Cushite woman, she was not wrong, but God had no problem with it, and her rebellion was against God, not just against Moses.
Similarly, we may not agree with our current president or prime minister, and we may think that his personality doesn’t match the moral and ethical standard that we think it should, so we rebel against him or her; however, by doing this, we rebel against God.
It is quite surprising to see that, when the Lord Jesus was on earth, even though He came to bring in the kingdom of God by living a God-man life, dying an all-inclusive and all-terminating death, and imparting His life into His believers in His resurrection, He never led an insurrection against the Romans who were ruling over the Jews.
The Lord never told His followers to stand against the injustice in society or to reject their leaders if they are bad people.
Similarly, when Paul was writing his epistles, the current Caesar was Nero; however, Paul never led an insurrection against such a demented and deranged person but rather, he recognised authority there – as temporary as it may be – and he realised this was arranged by God.
The believers did not agree with or obey the emperor in burning incense to idols or to the king, but their inward attitude was that of obedience to authorities, for they recognized the deputy authority that God has placed over them.
In a very real sense, we obey God and submit to God whenever we obey and submit to the deputy authority, the delegated authority of God, that He has placed over us; we may not agree with or like their character or moral standard, but we obey them in the Lord and submit to them.
Realising we are Members in the Body and Submitting to the Delegated Authority
No believer dares to say that he would not submit to the Lord’s authority, but many believers may not want to submit to the authority of their fellow members in the Body when they represent God’s delegated authority.
We need to realise that only God is the direct authority to man – all other authorities are indirect authorities, delegated authorities, deputy authorities appointed by God (Dan. 4:32, 34-37).
When we defy the human authority that God placed over us, we defy God as the source. Only when we meet God’s authority can we submit to the delegated authority whom God appointed (see Matt. 28:18; Heb. 13:17; 1 Pet. 5:5).
Many have difficulty in the church or in other kind of situations with the delegated authority because they do not know God with His authority.
Sooner or later, in everyone and in anyone, the spirit of rebellion, the heart of rebellion, and the principle of rebellion that is in the fallen nature of every human being on earth will eventually emerge and be exposed.
We need to be helped in our Christian life and experience so that we may be preserved and spared from ever allowing the principle of rebellion to take hold of us and ruin us.
In our human body, for example, the whole body takes the seeing of the eyes as its own seeing because when the eyes see, the whole body sees; this is the delegated authority of the eyes, which is the authority of the head in the Body.
If any other member of our body thinks it can see for itself, it is in rebellion against the head. In the Body of Christ the Lord may use one member directly, but many other times, He uses a member to supply another member.
It is foolish to think we are almighty and all-inclusive, thinking we can survive and live on our own, and saying that we obey only the Head and not receive the function of the members of the Body.
We need to realise that we are members in the Body, so we should receive the function of the other members; when we submit to others and accept their function, we actually submit to the Head and receive the supply from the Head through the members.
Each one of us has a particular function and portion in the Body of Christ, and each one has to obey and submit to a delegated authority so that he may enjoy the supply from the Head.
It is easy to say that we receive God’s direct authority, but it is not so easy to submit to one another and accept the delegated authority so that we may receive the spiritual supply.
Other than God Himself, everyone – including the Lord Jesus – has to submit to authority on earth.
However, some never realize who their authority is, and they think they submit to God Himself but actually they don’t really submit to God because they do not submit to the delegated authority that God has appointed.
If we know who we need to submit to in society, at home, and in the church life, we will spontaneously know what our position is, and we will stand in our proper position; this will cause us to receive the proper supply to live the Christian life and the church life.
If we know who to submit to in the Body, we will stand in our position in the Body, we will submit to God’s delegated authority, and we will realise that, as members, we submit to Christ the Head by submitting to the deputy authority God has set over us.
Lord Jesus, cause us to realise that we are members in the Body of Christ, and we depend both on the Head and on the other members for supply and function. Amen, Lord, may we know our position in the Body and may we stand in our position, being under the delegated authority that You have appointed over us to receive the supply from the Head. Save us, Lord, from the principle of rebellion. Save us from being ruined by rebelling against God’s deputy authority. May we meet God’s authority so that we can submit to the delegated authority whom God appoints.
Realising that we Submit to God’s Authority when we Submit to the Delegated Authority He set over us
Other than God Himself, there is no other supreme authority in the universe; God is the only direct authority to man, and God has appointed deputy authority over man.
The parents represent God as the children’s authority, the husbands represent God as the wives authority, the civil officers represent God as the citizens’ authority, and so do the teachers in the schools, the managers in the offices, and the policemen on the street.
In the church God has placed the elders to be His delegated authority; the leading ones watch over our souls as those who will render an account, so we need to submit to them and obey them (Heb. 13:17).
Similarly, the younger ones need to be subject to elders, and we all need to gird ourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Pet. 5:5).
Almost all the authorities that we submit to are delegated authorities; there are not many cases where God acts directly as authority – most times and in almost all circumstances, God’s authority is delegated.
It may be easy for us today to say that we submit to God’s authority, but it may not be easy to submit to the delegated authority that He has appointed.
We may think that the delegated authority are not as good or as strong as we are, and they even be younger than us.
In the local church we may have been in the church life for a longer time than the elders have been, we may be more educated than them, and we may be more capable than them (at least in our view); however, the Lord set them to watch over us, and by submitting to them we submit to God’s authority.
Wherever we are, need to accept the delegated authority that He has set over us, and we need to submit to it. God requires that we submit not only to Him but to all delegated authorities (Rom. 13:1-7; 2 Cor. 10:8; 13:10; Heb. 13:17).
Those who don’t submit to God’s indirect authority cannot submit to God’s direct authority.
This is why the parents train the children and discipline them in a positive way to obey authorities and learn to honor their father and their mother, for to honor them is to honor God, and to rebel against them is to rebel against God.
God wants us to submit to indirect authority – His delegated authorities – so that we may receive spiritual supply. Therefore, we all must meet authority, be restricted by God, and be led by His delegated authority (Isa. 37:16; Phil. 2:12).
When we meet God’s authority and realise that He is the supreme authority and He has appointed many to be delegated authorities on earth, we will submit to God’s authority by submitting to the delegated authority that He has set over us.
Yes, there’s the principle of rebellion in us, and our natural being is by default rebellious, so we need to bring this before the Lord again and again for Him to deal with any rebellion in us.
We may even tell the Lord in all honesty,
Lord, am I under Your authority? Do I know You as the One with all authority? If I don’t, please supply me, enlighten me, and equip me to submit to You and to the delegated authority You set over me. Lord, I choose You and not Satan! I stand with You and not with Your enemy. I stand against any rebellion in my being and I choose to submit to You and to the deputy authority that You have set over me. Amen, Lord, bring us all into such an experience of meeting the authority of God, being restricted by God, and being led by His delegated authority!
This article can also be read in the Romanian language / Citiți acest articol în limba română vizitând următorul link, Ne supunem autorității lui Dumnezeu atunci când ne supunem autorității delegate numită de El peste noi.
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my enjoyment in the ministry, the message by bro. Ron Kangas for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1960, vol. 2, ”The Elders’ Management of the Church,” chs. 5-6, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Numbers (2), week 8, Authority, Rebellion, the Vindication of Delegated Authority, and a Proper Representative of God.
- Hymns on this topic:
# Tis by His reign within our hearts / That life to us He e’er supplies; / When taking Him as Lord and King, / His wealth our being satisfies. (Hymns #942)
# Submitted to God’s ruling, / All virtue thus will win; / Rebellion to His Headship / Is but the root of sin. / The evil aim of Satan – / God’s throne to overthrow; / Our aim and goal is ever / His rule to fully know. (Hymns #941)
# In my knowledge and experience / I would not exalted be, / But submitting and accepting / Let the Body balance me; / Holding fast the Head, and growing / With His increase, in His way, / By the joints and bands supplying, / Knit together day by day. (Hymns #840)
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