Authority. Most of us bristle at the thought of someone telling us what to do. Add to that the culture’s attitude toward our perceived rights and feminism’s influence on marriage and you have a cocktail of silent, when not outward, rebellion.

While it’s true that authority has been abused, rejected, and reversed, God is a God of order and He has ordained authority as part of that order. No matter what we think, we are not living obediently before God if we aren’t fully submitted to the authority He has placed in our lives. But human authority is not unlimited.

So, what does submission to authority look like? And what are the limits on authority?

Also, true worship is more than a time of music and singing. True worship involves how we live our lives. Whether we obey God (including our submission to authority) or harden our hearts to His commands are both a demonstration of who we worship … ourselves and our autonomy or God.

Today’s Readings:

Job 19 & 20
Psalm 95.6-11
Proverbs 23.4-5
Romans 13.1-14

How Should Christians View Those in Authority?

Romans 13.1-14:

All Authority Comes from a Faithful God

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves (vv. 1-2).

All authority is ordained by God and even unbelievers are used by God as instruments of His righteousness and judgment (Ps. 75.7; Prov. 21.1).

God expects us to respect and obey those who are in authority. The only exception is if that person asks us to break God’s laws, then we must humbly and respectfully refuse to obey.

As parents, we should teach our children to respect the authority God has placed them under at school and other places. Sadly, today many parents are too quick to run to their children’s defense instead of teaching them to respond biblically. Disrespect for authority has cost our children more than we might think and will continue to take a huge toll on our nation. You can read more about that cost in my post from a few weeks ago, “The Eternal Cost of Anger & Disrespect.”

It Starts with Us

But respect for authority begins with us and, sadly, we are often more concerned about what we perceive as our “rights” than about pleasing God! We can’t expect our children to respect authority, including ours if we are disrespectful to our spouses, police officers, or bosses!

For example, how do you respond when you get stopped for speeding or some other violation? Are you concerned about justifying your behavior, denying your guilt, and escaping the consequences? Or are you more concerned about pleasing God and trusting in His sovereignty?

How do you respond when passed over for a promotion or criticized at work? Are you more concerned about whether it’s fair or are you concerned about giving your co-workers the right opinion about God?

And wives, how do you respond to your husband’s leadership in your home and family? Despite what the world seems to believe, marriage was not man’s creation. Marriage was created by God in the Garden of Eden. It pictures His relationship with His people and the relationship between the members of the Trinity (Eph. 5.22-33).

Abuse of Authority

Sadly, because of sin, authority has been abused, rejected, and even reversed. That has been true in every conceivable kind of relationship and institution.

The abuse of authority is always wrong but should be dealt with in biblical ways. Those ways include prayer (Phil. 4.6), overcoming evil with good (Rom. 12.17-21), confronting one another in love (Gal. 6.1-2), the church discipline process (Matt. 18.15-17), and reporting illegal acts to the civil authorities (Rom. 13.1-4).

I understand that sometimes our civil authorities fail in their responsibilities. But if we believe in the sovereignty of God, we are called to pray, respond righteously, and trust Him with the results.

The things we have seen happen in cities across this country over the last couple of years are wrong. I’m not referring to peaceful protests. But looting, violence, and the destruction of property are all sinful responses no matter what the wrong. Those things are ungodly, unbiblical, and illegal.

In the First Century & Today

That was true in the first century and it’s true today. This is what Peter told persecuted believers in his day. It’s a long passage but important for us to understand.

⁸ Finally, all of you, have unity of mind, sympathy, brotherly love, a tender heart, and a humble mind. ⁹ Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing. ¹⁰ For

“Whoever desires to love life
    and see good days,
let him keep his tongue from evil
    and his lips from speaking deceit;
¹¹ let him turn away from evil and do good;
    let him seek peace and pursue it.
¹² For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
    and his ears are open to their prayer.
But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

¹³ Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? ¹⁴ But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, ¹⁵ but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect, ¹⁶ having a good conscience, so that, when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. ¹⁷ For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God’s will, than for doing evil (1 Pet. 3 ESV).

Not popular truths today.

Today’s Other Readings:

Job 19 & 20:

My Redeemer Lives

In spite of all his miseries, Job could still say, “For I know that my Redeemer lives …” That should put most of us to shame! He went on to say, “… I shall see God.” So no matter what, he was sure of his eternal destiny.

If you would like to read more about Job, his suffering, and his struggles to understand, you can check out some of the last few posts (beginning on August 5) where I have talked about it in more depth. Here is the first one to get you started:

“How to Strengthen Ourselves for Our Spiritual Battles”

Proverbs 23.4-5:

Be Faithful

Many times in Scripture we are warned not to seek to be rich. Instead, we are to be faithful in the work God has given us and trust Him for the results.

Psalm 95.6-11:

For He Is Our God

True worship is more than merely showing up at church to sing and raise our hands. It is submitting our hearts and lives to God in obedience and realizing that “He is God.” It’s then that we “will hear His voice.”

No matter how often we attend church or what kind of outward religious activity we perform, if we’re not submitted to God in our hearts, which is demonstrated by our obedience, we are no different from those who hardened their hearts, rebelled, and tested God.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about how to know whether to admonish a sinning brother or sister, whether spanking is outdated, 7 ways to avoid a roller coaster of emotions, habits that rob us of God’s blessings, and ask the question, “If you died tonight, do you know for sure where you would spend eternity?”

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.

If this post spoke to you, I would love it if you would share it on your favorite social media platform.

And if you don’t already have a copy, you might want to purchase a copy of my eBook, 10 Benefits of Keeping a Spiritual Journal. It’s available on Kindle or in paperback (the paperback has 31 days of blank journaling pages with prompts to help you get started).

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.