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Hebrews 13:17
“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
When God commanded us to honor our fathers and mothers (Ex. 20:12), He had more in mind than just honoring our earthly parents. The family, as the foundational building block of human society, is the first place that we learn the basic structures of corporate human life, and our submission to our mothers and fathers has ramifications for our obedience to other authorities. As we have noted, the family is one of the three main institutions that the Lord has established for the good of humanity, with the second being the government or civil magistrate, which has been tasked with punishing criminals and maintaining civil order for the sake of the common good (Rom. 13:1–7). The last, but certainly not least, of the institutions our Creator established for the well-being of humanity is the church, the household of the living God (1 Tim. 3:15).
Today’s passage is one of the most important texts on the church’s authority. The author of Hebrews exhorts us to obey and submit to the leaders in our churches—namely, the deacons, elders, and pastors (Heb. 13:17). One necessary implication of this passage is that the church is not merely a voluntary society whose advice and direction we can heed or not heed at a whim. True, God has not given the sword to the new covenant church, so no ecclesiastical authority can force us to join it. In joining a church, however, we are pledging to submit to its doctrine and discipline and placing ourselves under the authority of others. We are committing to obeying our church leaders when they give directions in accordance with God’s Word that are proper to their sphere of divinely instituted authority. Moreover, we do this for our own benefit, for the leaders of the church, especially pastors and elders, have been tasked with preserving and advancing the good of our souls. When we submit to godly church authorities, they are able to do their jobs with joy, and this is a great advantage for us.
Like other human authorities, church leaders are imperfect. They make mistakes, but the fact that they err does not invalidate their authority. There is a difference between an honest, unintentional error and deliberate, impenitent abuse of authority on the part of church leaders. We should bear patiently with the former, giving much grace, while also not putting up with the latter. It can take a great deal of wisdom to navigate such matters, but one way that we can help all our churches is by striving to be humble servants of Christ who do not act contrary to the peace and purity of the church.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Some Christians have had bad experiences in the past with church leaders that lead them to view all ecclesiastical authorities with suspicion. This should not be. While we should be wise, we should also be willing to give our pastors and elders the benefit of the doubt and to not judge them by the poor behavior of other officeholders.
For Further Study
- Exodus 18
- Ezekiel 34
- Hebrews 13:7
- 1 Peter 5:1–5