Submitting to Imperfect Authority

All genuine believers experience the reality of living in a world filled with sin, selfishness, and corruption. For this reason, we are called to pick up our cross, die to ourselves, and follow Jesus daily so that we may escape from the corruption of this world. Many of us pray earnestly, as scripture commands, to keep ourselves unstained from the sin of this world and many of us have experienced personal victories in these areas. However, one of the most difficult situations that virtually all believers find themselves in is having to submit to authorities and leaders who are, at best, imperfect, and, at worst, carnal and hostile towards God. However, scripture is quite clear on the matter

Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore, he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. Romans 13:1

This scripture refers mainly to submission to civil government, but in regards to any work of service, whether we are in the position of servant or employee, Paul states our attitude towards earthly authorities quite clearly:

Urge bond servants to be submissive to their masters, to be pleasing and give satisfaction in every way. Warn them not to be argumentative or contradict, nor to steal by taking things of small value, but to prove themselves truly loyal and entirely reliable and faithful throughout, so that in everything they may be an ornament and do credit to the teaching which is from and about God our Savior. Titus 2:9

Servants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. Ephesians 6:5-8 (also cf. Colossians 3:22-24)

and finally

Servants, be submissive to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and gentle, but also to those who are unreasonable. For this finds favor, if for the sake of conscience toward God a man bears up under sorrows when suffered unjustly. For what credit is there if, when you sin and are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. 1 Peter 2:18-20

For most of us, the reality and testimony of the Christian life is not experienced as we spend time around fellow believers, but it is spent in our secular profession. After all, if we spend 40+ hours per week at a job, then our witness will be seen mainly by our fellow co-workers, and our greatest chance for evangelism and ministry comes in the simplicity of our daily work. This is not a coincidence, but it is God's specific plan that as believers, we become the light of the world (cf. Matthew 5:14). In a very practical way, the “world” that we engage in daily is our jobs and we are meant to be light there. For this reason, our character and behavior around earthly authorities reveals the true depth of our Christian walk and ultimately, the effectiveness of our witness to the world.

In my personal experience, no trial or tribulation that I have encountered in my life reveals more of my need for Christ and His Spirit than my interactions with the authorities that I've been called to submit under. As I've had to submit under earthly authority, I've realized that I lack two major elements in my Christian walk: a deep, unconditional love for others and a full repentance from dead works. John states that any person who does not love abides in death (cf. 1 John 3:14). This verse is usually applied to loving the brotherhood, but we, as believers, are called to love even our enemies. Therefore, this verse applies not only to brotherhood, but it applies to all who we come in contact with... even those who are unreasonable. If we say that we love God and lack in this area, then we are as those who walk in darkness and have no spiritual life in us. Secondly, I realized that repentance from dead works doesn't just apply to our devotion to God, but it applies to all areas of service to Him. This also includes the attitude of service towards our earthly authorities. If we merely pay lip service to those who are have authority over us or work in a half-hearted way just to appease our conscience, we are performing dead works to God, since our service to God-ordained authorities is really a service towards God. It is easy to state one's devotion and wholeheartedness to God in words, but it is a completely different matter to prove it through submission to imperfect authority. God does not desire for us to simply yield, acquiesce, and tolerate leaders in an apathetic way, but the challenge offered by Paul and Peter is to serve our earthly authorities earnestly, sincerely, and in a way that honors God. This attitude was exemplified by Jesus, who was under submission to the imperfect and godless Roman authorities. The words of the Sermon on the Mount illustrate this:

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone wants to sue you, and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. And whoever shall force you to go one mile, go with him two. Matthew 5:38-41

This passage does not encourage believers to be gullible and naïve, but it teaches us not to pursue personal retaliation against those who have acted unreasonably against us. This applies equally as well to earthly authorities who place irrational and unreasonable burdens over our lives. The response of the world is either to retaliate against them or to harbor bitterness toward them; however, Jesus emphasized that we should love and pray for them, knowing that our service to them is service towards Our Father. In the world around us, we see many of our co-workers exercising many of the characteristics that Jesus and the apostles urged us not to do. In our work places, we see hypocrisy, where co-workers smile in their employer's face and curse them behind their back. We see acts of rebellion, half-hearted work, gossiping, jealousy, self-promoting, divisiveness, and all other matters of wickedness among our co-workers. Usually, most of the cursing and criticism towards the leaders are very well-justified, but the real question is- will you conform to the world's standards or will you conform to Christ's standards? Will you patiently endure while being treated harshly or will you respond to the temptations of your flesh and retaliate against such treatment in your heart? Will you honor God with your service to imperfect authority or will you dishonor God by your rebellion to this authority?

A reasonable question that can be asked is what is God trying to produce in us through our submission to earthly authority. Peter sums this up nicely in the context of submission to elders

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God that He may exult you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5-7

Ultimately, through our submission to these authorities, God continuously produces humility and endurance in our lives, and as this humility is produced in our lives, He gives us grace to continue to serve our earthly leaders with a sincere heart. This humility enables the marvelous grace of God to cover our weaknesses and sin; however, when we are prideful and rebellious, we expose ourselves and bring shame to ourselves and to God. Notice here that our anxiety is placed upon Christ after our initial submission to authorities. This means that the anxiety that we are casting on Christ is the anxiety and worry associated with humbling ourselves to these authorities. Our example is Christ who “while being reviled, He did not revile in return and while suffering, He uttered no threats, but kept entrusting Himself to Him who judges righteously.” When we humble ourselves to these authorities, we are entrusting Our Father to keep, guide, and protect us, while not attempting to preserve ourselves. The grace needed to be a witness in this area is more than abundant for us so that we may walk as Christ walks. I pray that we are convicted by this because there are few things in our lives that are as great of a witness as the privilege and opportunity demonstrating the love and power of God through submission to our earthly authorities. When our co-workers observe us consistently obeying the commands of the scripture by serving our employers or other authorities with joy and sincerity, our lifestyle serves as a dramatic distinction and witness to those around them and verifies to a dying world the reality and truth of the God that we serve.

Grace Greater than Our Sin

Recently, a hymn has been on my mind:


Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,
Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!
Yonder on Calvary’s mount outpoured,
There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled.

Refrain:
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!

Sin and despair, like the sea waves cold,
Threaten the soul with infinite loss;
Grace that is greater, yes, grace untold,
Points to the refuge, the mighty cross.

Dark is the stain that we cannot hide;
What can we do to wash it away?
Look! There is flowing a crimson tide,
Brighter than snow you may be today.

Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,
Freely bestowed on all who believe!
You that are longing to see His face,
Will you this moment His grace receive?


As with many concepts of the New Testament, grace is an often used and often misinterpreted word. Most people understand grace in much of the same way that Old Testament individuals understood it- simply God's favor. Most people interpret it as God's forbearance of sin and use it as a reason to overlook various sins. Other Christians look at grace as a vague notion of forgiveness. However, scripture is quite clear: grace and truth only came through Christ Jesus. Look at the distinction that John made

For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. John 1:17

As much as the Law was introduced by Moses, grace was introduced by Jesus. Therefore, this grace is understood primarily through the New Covenant introduced by Jesus. It is generally understood by many believers that the Law introduced by Moses is good because it reveals God's holiness and as a result, it produces the knowledge of sin in a believer, demonstrating their need for repentance. However, what many do not understand is that without the Law, this grace from Jesus is not understood. Paul explains this the connection:

And the Law came in that transgression might increase, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 5:20-21

The reality of the Christian life is that without a deep revelation of the power and nature of sin, there will not be a true understanding of the power and abundance of grace. Without understanding the nature of sin, a believer will live their life, declaring that God's grace is cheap and weak. However, the closer one comes to understanding the holiness of God and the more they see their own sinfulness, the more they will understand that the grace of God is costly and expensive. I do not believe that it is a coincidence that Paul considered himself "the chief of all sinners" (cf. 1 Tim. 1:15), yet understood the meaning of grace (cf. 1 Tim. 1:12-14). Personally, I struggled to truly grasp the concept of grace until God gripped me with Romans 5. It was in this passage that I understood the nature and power of sin.

Therefore, just as through one man, sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned- Romans 5:12

This is a passage worth re-reading slowly. How powerful must sin be if it has such a strong residual effect! One act of disobedience by Adam so fundamentally changed his nature that he hid from God and one of his children became a murderer after his transgression. This sin is so powerful that it caused mankind, who was created in His image, to become so fundamentally corrupt that God repented in His heart for making man (cf. Genesis 6:6). One initial act of disobedience by Adam changed the nature of man to the point where "every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually". Sin affected mankind to the point where Jeremiah claimed that the human heart is "deceitful wicked" (cf. Jeremiah 17:9). Because of sin, David said that mankind lacks understanding and has no desire to seek God (cf. Psalm 14:2). All of this is the result of one act of disobedience. It's amazing to fully understand that sin has produced such effects.

In many ways, sin is the most deadly virus that has infected mankind and the Law introduced by Moses only excited the virus further. This virus destroyed everyone in its path; no virus in history has claimed as many lives as sin claimed, whether it was the Black Death of the 14th century that killed over 100 million or the current AIDS epidemic. This virus, sin, has destroyed everyone and death reigned over all of man. In reality, because of sin, every person on earth was born with a death sentence on their life because of its destructive effects. In current times, those who have contracted the AIDS virus understand that death is near and out of desperation, they desperately seek doctors who would offer them a glimpse of hope for a cure. However, sin is infinitely more damaging than AIDS, yet so few believers understand its seriousness and seek God for the cure with true earnestness. There was no cure for sin until Christ came and introduced this grace to us.

But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ abound to many. And the gift is no like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand, the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. Romans 5:15-16

Despite the great power of our sin, look at what the grace of God has done through Christ! If sin is powerful enough to destroy mankind, how much more will the grace that comes through Christ produce? In our personal lives, we have seen how sin has ravaged our lives, past and present, but the grace of God not only cancels out sin... grace overwhelmingly conquers sin! The above passage states that while the power of one transgression produced death, the power of grace conquers a multitude of sins. So what is a practical definition of this grace? The following verse explains:

For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17

Grace is the power of God to overwhelming conquer the power of sin and death in our lives. We receive our introduction into this grace by faith in Christ(cf. Romans 5:2). So grace is not simply an act of God's forbearance or forgiveness- it is His power produced by the great sacrifice given by Christ. As much as sin produced death and ruled in our lives, grace produces life. Because grace overwhelmingly conquers the power of sin in our lives, sin does not have to be a master over our lives (cf. Romans 6:14). As mentioned in the above verse, because of Christ's sacrifice, this grace is abundant to all believers who will put their trust in Christ. So let us follow the exhortation in Hebrews 12:1; let us fix our eyes on Jesus and receive this grace so that we can lay aside every sin entangles us and causes us to stumble.

I ask the reader a simple question: have you received a deep understanding of God's holiness and sin in your life? Have you sought God to reveal this to you? If you haven't, then it is probably true that you haven't understood the meaning of God's grace and its abundance. When you read through the scripture about the holiness of God, I would ask for you to read it slowly that your eyes may be open to the seriousness of sin. Then, as you seek God for the cure for sin, the words of the popular hymn will ring true to you:

Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that will pardon and cleanse within;
Grace, grace, God’s grace,
Grace that is greater than all our sin!