Submission and Authority

I have a fantastic relationship with my pastors. Two of them I know well, two others I talk to and have taken classes from and the fifth I don't see often but he's so darn nice and I want to know him better. Like I said, two of these pastors I'm really close to. It's crazy because our church is so big but the reason I think we are close is because I reach out. I don't leave it all up to them. I e-mail them questions sometimes during the week and they respond at lightning speed. Well, this is what happens when a quote a pastor has posted really strikes you and you e-mail them a question about it. I don't know who this friend is of Noel's but wow, buddy, I think the friend got the question answered and then some. See, I don't struggle with submission the way I used to. When I stopped giving it a negative connotation, it felt better. There were also other areas about submission I've needed cleared up. All of this, and a really long entry from Job, made it crystal. I know this might upset some of you out there. Take a chance and comment your thoughts. I miss comments.

Thanks


Submission and Authority
//MOOD: Authoritative //ITUNES: King Of Birds from the album "Document" by R.E.M.

After my previous "Quote of the Day" post, I got an email from a friend with a great question that I felt deserved a full post as a response.
Here was the quote, for the record:
"There is no such thing as submission until you disagree." -Mark Driscoll

Now here's the email I got from my friend:
Is Mark saying that first I had to disagree with an idea before I submitted to it? Otherwise, I wouldn't really be giving myself over to authority? I would just be in agreement with authority? I’m not sure why I’m not getting it but for some reason, I want to…really bad. There are many areas I agree with God but there are many more I disagree. My humanness doesn't want to believe it is the way God says it is in the Bible. However, I have learned to submit to God and die to my opinion rights. I also believe that just because I feel a certain way doesn't make it so. What makes it so is that God said it was and my faith in His righteousness causes me to submit to the ideas I might disagree with. Father knows best. Is that what Mark is saying? Or am I way off the…..Mark?

Great thought / question. Let me tackle your specific thoughts, and then I will add a few of my own.

Is Mark saying that first I had to disagree with an idea before I submitted to it?
I don't believe that is what he is saying. Rather, he is saying that submission occurs when you have a difference of opinion and you choose to submit to someone else and go with their decision.
Here's an example from my life. At Riverview, we have a plurality of elders (pastors) leading the church. What that means is that none of us is the "Senior Pastor," rather we all share the authority, burden, etc. of leading the church. Each of us must submit to the others, and in that sense the other elders are an authority in my life.

This week, we were having an email dialog about something operational at the church. It wasn't a big deal, but we had some disagreement over the right course of action. I was the lone voice for one position, the other guys represented the polar-opposite position. After hearing their opinions, I submitted to them and said, "OK, we'll do it your way."
Do I think they were right?
Nope. I still think I am right on this one.
Will I back their decision?
Yup.
Will I tell you what the issue was?
Nope.
Why not?
Because submission occurs when I rank my will below the will of another. In this case, my co-pastors.
Will I gloat when I end up being right?
Probably, but that will be a sin and I will need to repent. (ha ha...that made me laugh, Noel)

There are many areas I agree with God but there are many more I disagree. My humaness doesn't want to believe it is the way God says it is in the Bible. However, I have learned to submit to God and die to my opinion rights.
Precisely. If you agreed with God in everything He said, you would be God, too. There are times when I encounter something in the Bible that I don't like. And beyond that, there are times I encounter something in the Bible that I intellectually disagree with.
What am I to do then?
Submit.
I love it when God says to Job (It's in Job 38-40 and this is a long passage, but well worth the read):
Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone as the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? (I had to cut this down but click here to read the full account.) Then the LORD said to Job, “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?”
Even better is Job's response:
Then Job replied to the LORD, “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers? I will put my hand over my mouth in silence. I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say.”

In other words:
God = Freakin' Huge and All Knowing
Me = Piss Ant and Ignorant

So with God, more than anyone, I must submit. If I truly believe He is God and the Bible is His word, I will submit to it even when I disagree with it. Even when it makes me uncomfortable. Even when it violates my "emotional well-being."

Wow...is anyone still with me? This might be my longest post ever...and it's about to get longer...(Post a comment if you have read this far...I'm just curious if anyone is still with me...)
I also believe that just because I feel a certain way doesn't make it so. What makes it so is that God said it was and my faith in His righteousness causes me to submit to the ideas I might disagree with. Father knows best. Is that what Mark is saying? Or am I way off the…..Mark?
You nailed it. Perfect.
But now I take it to the next level: authority.
We live in a culture that denies authority. We mock authority. And we like to say "Question Authority" when what we really mean is "Usurp Authority."
But the Bible talks a lot about authority. We are all under authority. Even Jesus is under authority. And we realize what we are made of when we disagree with that authority and we are faced with the choice to submit or not to submit to it. Here are some areas of authority and submission.

God Has Authority Over Everything
Romans 9:20 No, don’t say that. Who are you, a mere human being, to criticize God? Should the thing that was created say to the one who made it, “Why have you made me like this?” 21 When a potter makedoesn'ts out of clay, doesn’t he have a right to use the same lump of clay to make one jar for decoration and another to throw garbage into? 22 God has every right to exercise his judgment and his power, but he also has the right to be very patient with those who are the objects of his judgment and are fit only for destruction. 23 He also has the right to pour out the riches of his glory upon those he prepared to be the objects of his mercy.

Jesus (who is equal to God) Submits to God's Authority
Matthew 11:27 “My Father has given me authority over everything. No one really knows the Son except the Father, and no one really knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
John 4:34 Then Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.

We are to Submit to our Spiritual Leaders
Hebrews 13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they know they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this joyfully and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.

Wives are to Submit to their Husbands
Ephesians 5:22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.

Children are to Submit to their Parents
Ephesians 6:1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do.

We are all to Submit to our Government
Romans 13:1 Obey the government, for God is the one who put it there. All governments have been placed in power by God.

We are all to Submit to all Authorities in our Lives
1Peter 2:13-14 For the Lord’s sake, accept all authority—the king as head of state, and the officials he has appointed. For the king has sent them to punish all who do wrong and to honor those who do right.

Now, with all of this, we must recognize God as the ultimate authority; the ultimate trump card. Like Peter said,
Acts 5:29 “We must obey God rather than human authority."
But we have to be careful where we throw that one around. We better make sure we are standing on one of God's absolutes if we pull it out.

Well...I think I have rambled enough. My friend's email made me think of all this stuff and I just decided to throw it out there.
Peace out, Homeys.
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Posted by Noel at 04:43 PM