To Encourage You

Romans 13:1 “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.”

While the verse above is specifically addressed to the authority of secular government, the idea can be extended to each and every authority that exists in any capacity whatsoever.  As to any person in authority, whether it be the authority of a parent, a supervisor in the workplace, or a police officer, that authority has been given by God – and it matters little if the one in authority believes that or not. 

Listen as Jesus, the King of kings, answers Pilate when Pilate asserted that he had authority to crucify Him  : “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above” (John 19:11). Think of it. Here Jesus tells Pilate, who was about to pronounce a sentence of crucifixion on God the Son, that his authority to do so was given to him by God the Father, the very One who had earlier said “This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 17:5). However, with that authority, it should be noted, comes great responsibility.  Ultimately, since all authority comes from God, it is to God that anyone to whom any authority of any kind whatsoever has been given, will answer.  One example of this is in this admonition to “masters” (supervisors in our way of thinking), “Masters . . .  stop your threatening, knowing that both their master and yours is in heaven, and that there is no partiality with Him” (Ephesians 6:9).” 

Pilate was given authority – for a time – over the very Son of God, but he had to one day face God to answer for what he did with that authority.  It’s a sobering thought.  But what about you and me?  To each one of us who has been given authority, we must answer for how we managed that authority, for God has given everyone with any authority responsibilities that He fully expects us to fulfill. To parents He has said that we are to bring up our children “in the nurture and admonition of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4).  Adding gravity to this command is the fact that each and every one of our children are first and foremost His children, and we will answer to Him for how we’ve fulfilled His commands regarding “the least of these.” Supervisors will answer to God for how they’ve treated those who were under their authority.  These people were all equal to the supervisor, in God’s eyes, and He expects supervisors to treat them that way. 

But then, viewed from the perspective of the one under authority, there are great responsibilities as well. Children are to obey their parents (Ephesians 6:1-2).  Servants (employees) are to serve their masters (supervisors) as if they were serving Christ (Ephesians 6:6-8), and each one of us has been commanded by God to obey those in government who have authority over us with the authority God Himself has given. 

Authority: like everything else that matters in this life, it’s God’s perspective that we need, for it’s ultimately His perspective that is true and that will matter more than anything else in the end. 

So, what’s your attitude about authority? Is it the attitude of this world that can be characterized by the commonly heard sayings of “Resist!” and “Question authority!” or is it the attitude of a person who will one day stand before Jesus, the One who has told us that “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”? For you see, it is as we’ve responded to that authority, either as one under authority or one to whom authority has been delegated for a time, that we’ve responded to Him.