Soulfood

Jonathan Leeman

Authority is not a popular topic and hasn’t been since…Genesis 3. Especially in the last decades all authority has come into question. We can’t trust Big Eva, the CDC, the government, parents, etc.

We can’t live without authority though. The solution to bad authority is not no authority but good authority. When someone has lived under bad authority they need good authority to rescue them.

Samuel 2 23:3ff “When one rules justly over men, ruling in the fear of God, he dawns on them like the morning light, like the sun shining forth on a cloudless morning, like rain that makes grass to sprout from the earth.”

1. Authority is a good and dangerous gift. A good coach has high expectations and makes his players work hard but he knows their limitations and works with them. A bad coach mocks and belittles, pits his players against each other, and drives them as a taskmaster. Authority used for redemption is good, but bad authority does great harm. We need to keep an eye on both. A good authority asks how to protect those under his care from his authority. Misused authority is a heinous sin because it lies about God.
2. Good authority doesn’t steal life but creates it. Bad authority destroys, breaks, damages, shrinks, steals. Good authority gives. Bad authority takes. Authority is not a necessary evil. It is not a result of sin and the fall. It can be sinful in fallen humans but it is not inherently evil. Good authority teaches. It gives of itself. It creates and enriches life in others. It entrusts those under authority with responsibilities and allows those under it to fail, to learn, to grow. Good authority rejoices in being surpassed by those it has mentored and taught. Good authority is generous, including in its affirmation and encouragement.
3. Good authority is not unaccountable but submits to a higher authority. Good authority is exercised by those who have learned submission. A good authority knows that no human authority is absolute but is always subject to Another. A good authority doesn’t have to win every point and argument. Being able to lose is freedom not to take oneself so seriously. Losing means trusting God.
4. Good authority is not untraceable but seeks wisdom. Compare the two Pharaohs of Joseph and Moses. The Pharaoh of Joseph listened to the counsel of an imprisoned slave. The Pharaoh of Moses rejected the counsel of a prince. Good authority knows its limits and seeks counsel from others. It asks “Is there anything else I need to know?” It doesn’t miss the counsel of the small and insignificant. Godly authority learns through all of life.
5. Good authority is neither permissive nor authoritarian but is directive and administers discipline. The elders who direct the affairs of the church are worthy of double honor. Good direction guides well and forms group purpose. It also disciplines, prunes. It plays good cop and bad cop. It has uncomfortable conversations when they are needed. People-pleasing hinders good ministry and drifts into worldliness and liberalism. It abdicates authority which leads to destructiveness. (Example of David.) Abdication is just as bad as abuse and probably more common. But abusive leaders are also destructive. They misshape people.
6. Good authority is not self-protective but bears the cost. The temptation of authority is to push the costs downward. Good authority absorbs as much of the cost as it is capable of. It draws costs upwards to relieve burdens from those under its care. It especially bears the costs of the failures of those under its care. It lightens loads.
7. Not all authority is exercised in the same way. Not all authority is that of a king. There are spheres and realms. There is command and counsel. Commands can be enforced. Counsel still has authority but doesn’t have an enforcement mechanism. Commanding examples – power of the rod (parents), power of the sword (civil magistrate), power of the keys (church discipline). On the other hand, husbandly authority is consular. So is that of elders/pastors. So consular authority requires patience. And it requires honor towards those being counseled. It does not override the agency of the one being directed. It is collegial and requires consent and collaboration. And it requires presence. It has a God-given strength and confidence that He will accomplish what He has ordained in the authority that has been given.
8. Rules 1-7 don’t matter if you’re the Pharisee and not the tax collector. You can’t point the finger outward but must be self-reflective, asking yourself honestly where you fall short. A good authority knows its neediness and sinfulness. It knows that by its fallen nature it will misuse its authority. And so it continually falls at the foot of the cross repenting. It seeks forgiveness from God and reconciliation with those it has harmed. Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner!