Faith and authority. Do we have to submit?
Faith & Authority, do we have to submit? If yes, to whom?
And if yes, to whom exactly?
1. Order is not compulsion, but protection
The Bible teaches: authority is not there for control, but as a structure of safety and blessing.
"For God is not a God of disorder but of peace." 1 Corinthians 14:33
Order is built into God's creation:
- Day and night
- Man and woman
- Parents and children
- Shepherds and flock
- Christ and the church
Without order, chaos reigns, but false order produces oppression.
So the central question is:
What is God-willed authority, and what is abuse of power?
2. Submission begins with Christ
"Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."
, Ephesians 5:21
Submission is no one-way street, but a spiritual act, voluntary, in love.
The highest authority is always Jesus Christ; all others are
derived. Therefore Peter says plainly: "We must obey God rather than men."
, Acts 5:29
3. Authority in the church, not hierarchical, but serving
Jesus makes it clear:
"The rulers of the world oppress. But it shall not be so among you.
The greatest among you shall be your servant."
, Matthew 20:25-26
True spiritual authority is not position but anointing for service. No person stands "above" another in worth, but God calls certain people to responsibility. Example:
- Elders/shepherds should tend the flock,
not rule (1 Peter 5:2-3). Teachers, prophets, evangelists are gifts,
not commanders (Ephesians 4:11)
4. What does "submit" mean concretely?
Submission in the biblical sense means: I recognize God's structure. I serve not out of fear, but out of trust. I remain free in conscience, but bound in spirit. Paul calls it:
"Serve in love, esteem one another higher, live in the obedience of faith." But: when an authority acts against God's Word, contradiction is required.
5. Family and state authority, with discernment!
a) Marriage & family:
"Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord ...
And husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church."
, Ephesians 5:22, 25
No oppression!
Rather: devotion & responsibility on both sides. b) Children:
"Children, obey your parents, in the Lord."
, Ephesians 6:1
➡️ Not blindly, but in the Lord. A father living in sin is no spiritual model. c) State:
"Let every person be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God ..."
, Romans 13:1
Pre-cross context, this is decisive!
Paul wrote this letter to believers under Roman occupation. That was strategic survival advice in a situation where open resistance meant death, not a blanket legitimation of state authority over children of God.
No earthly system created by humans has legitimate authority over a child of the living God. "Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20).
The Creator always stands above his creation. People made states, not the other way around. A creature can never claim authority over its Creator. As the potter has authority over the clay, not the clay over the potter (Romans 9:21).
But here too:
When the state acts against God's orders (e.g. Daniel, Peter, Stephen): do not submit, but faithfully resist.
6. The highest authority: the Word of God
"For the word of God is living and active,
discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
, Hebrews 4:12
All human authority must be examined by the Word.
If a pastor, pope, teacher or politician says something that contradicts the Word, then it is not submission that is asked, but obedience to Christ.
7. Conclusion:
- Yes, God has set order,
but not for control, rather for protection.
- No, not every "authority" is automatically legitimate,
it must stand in spirit and truth. Whoever lives under Jesus can freely and strongly submit, but will never allow lies and abuse of power to have the last word.
Main question answered:
Do I have to submit? Yes, if it is God's order, in love, in spirit, in truth. No, if it is a system that binds people instead of leading them to Jesus. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." 2 Corinthians 3:17