Authority

Authority is a word that a lot of people don’t like. When these people think of authority, the words oppression, dictatorial and abuse often come to mind. Unfortunately, these are all results, not of authority itself but of the abuse of authority. True and non-abusive authority brings peace and stability.
When I received my commission in the military, I was rather uncomfortable. There I was, a twenty-one year old full lieutenant. The men who knew, trained and verbally abused me as a wet-behind-the ears officer cadet were now calling me "Ma’am", and saluting me.

These were men who had sweated through ten or twenty years of hard work to obtain experience in their trade and the respect of their co-workers and they became accountable to me. Me, an inexperienced know-little who by the power of a piece of paper with BSC on it plus three summers of classroom work was made their boss; men who had more military knowledge in their little finger than I had in my whole body.

I authorized their work and took responsibility for it. I was in charge, at least within the confines of my section and I was granted my position of authority by those who were in authority above me.

I was in authority because I was under authority. Unless I obeyed my superior officers and did what was expected, I would have had no authority. I was also responsible to those under me; to protect them and to assist them complete their assignments. A good officer takes care of his men first and then himself.
Nearly two thousand years ago, a military officer approached Jesus and asked Him to heal his servant. The officer was a Roman centurion, a man who commanded 100 other men. He could tell his men to jump and they would ask "how high?". He was a man who knew discipline and expected obedience. He was a man in authority.

When Jesus agreed to come and heal the servant, the centurion stopped Him and told Him it would be unnecessary for Him to come to the house, all He had to do was to say the word and the servant would be healed. The centurion went on to say that he recognized the authority in Jesus to do this because he, the centurion, was also a man under authority. Note, he did not say IN authority, he said UNDER authority.

He knew he only had authority because he was under authority, just like Jesus had authority because He was under the ultimate authority of God the Father. Being under authority did not make Jesus less than His Father, it meant He was in submission to His Father.

Our problem today is that we are too quick to view authority from a hierarchical position, a worldly position, where those with more authority are somehow considered superior to those with less. Biblical submission and authority does not imply either inferiority or superiority.

Having authority means being brave enough to delegate the authority and taking responsibility for the results. Authority used properly, should be a co-operative venture, where different people assume different roles, all roles being equally important to the project at hand and recognized as such. Yes, some one person is designated to make decisions, but if all are truly working for the Lord, then there should be no resentment from those who do not make those decisions.
Being under authority doesn’t mean giving up your opinion and identity. Rather, it brings fulfilment of your potential as you co-operate and do your part towards completion of a goal. Being under authority can also bring greater authority and responsibility. As our Lord said, 'show yourselves to be faithful in small things and you will be given charge over many'.

Authority provides structure and structure provides stability in all areas of our lives. Without authority, without voluntary submission, without accountability and responsibility we build a self-centred world without laws, without conscience and without compassion.

In short, we build a world without God, the source of all authority. This is a world where we look out for number one, where ‘if it feels good, do it’, where there are no absolute truths and where chaos reigns.

Jesus said, "He that would be greatest among you must be the servant of all."
Many want authority, but only those who submit to being under authority will have true authority, the authority that God gives.