Christian Worldview, pt4
Leadership in Context with Keith Tucci
Episode 143
CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW PILLAR #1: God is an absolute and specific creator.
CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW PILLAR #2: God is the only just and authoritative law maker.
CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW PILLAR #3: Man is evil and cannot save himself.
CHRISTIAN WORLDVIEW PILLAR #4: All authority is delegated authority.
Anyone who claims authority in the world—police officer, pastor, husband, military personnel, elected official—gets their authority from someone, and that someone is God. No one has carte blanche authority just because they have a title or office, or have been appointed by God.
Romans 13:1
Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
This is about the principle of authority. This is not about the personality of authority. This is not about a certain person. This is about the concept, the understanding, that everyone is under authority because God has all authority. Anyone who has authority has that authority from God.
Romans 13:2
Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
This is about the person who resists authority, not the person who resists an unjust law. This is about the person who has a chip on their shoulder and is not under anyone’s authority, someone who has an anti-authority spirit. Whereas, someone who has a good heart towards God, is submitted to their boss and pastor, knows how to work with people, that person will understand there is authority in life, and when they have a situation where they push back, they will be viewed with a lot more credibility because they are not without the law, they are not being a law unto themselves.
Romans 12 talks about body life. Romans 13 doesn’t change the subject, but refers to deferring one to another.
Romans 13:3-4a
For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same. For it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid…
Only God defines what is good and what is evil. No one can use their title and authority to make up new commandments. Authority is only valid if it supports what God says is good. Authority is invalid when it says something is good that is evil.
We all have to learn to come under authority, to come into submission to it, to learn that authority is good and in place to protect us.
2 Corinthians 10:8
For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame.
Paul says that the purpose of his God-given authority was for building them up, not to destroy them. That is what godly and delegated authority looks like.
Ephesians 5:22-26
Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body. But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word.
This is not a teaching about marriage. This is a teaching about the Church, and He uses marriage as an illustration. Husbands do not have carte blanche authority. As Christ loved the Church and gave Himself for the Church, that is the authority that husbands have.
1 Timothy 2:1-2
First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.
This is saying to pray for kings and everyone in authority, but there is a condition—“So that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life.” Our goal for government is that they leave us alone, let us do what God has called us to do, without interfering with our mission; that the government keeps its nose out from under the Church tent and out from under our life.
1 Timothy 2:3-5
This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.
All authority is delegated authority. Anyone with a title, a throne, a dominion, a badge—they are all subject to the authority of God. When they command us to do evil, we do not have to obey those unjust commands. When they want us to participate in evil, then the Church has no responsibility to comply. According to Romans 13, they are only allowed to help us do good and not to do evil. The other side of this is that we should be people who look for a way to cooperate with authority. That should be our posture—how can we cooperate without violating the ordinance of God, His law, and His heart?
Join us next week as Keith Tucci continues to put leadership truth in the context of the local church. And as always, please like, share, rate/review, and invite others to listen. See you next week!
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