Introduction
This is the word of the Lord,
1 Peter 5:1–5 ESV
1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
5 Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Let us pray.
We are well into the series on the ‘intentional’ church – trying to understand what the biblical foundations are for the structure and workings of the healthy church. We began with the need to be ‘intentional’ and how that is a Christian virtue. The ‘new creation’ that we become when we are saved in Jesus Christ, is a new self that is now able to intentionally follow Christ, and not a new self that automatically is Christ-like in everything we do.
Romans 8:7 ESV
7 For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God’s law; indeed, it cannot.
But the mind that is set on the Spirit is able to submit to God’s law. Our inability has been taken away and Christ has given to us now the heart of flesh that yearns for God. But this submission is not automatic. It’s intentional. And last week, we looked at how genuine Christians were, in their conversion, are covenant members of God’s universal household, and that is visibly identified by covenant membership in the local church. So, we looked at who a covenant member is. And today, we will look at who an elder or a deacon is, in the life of the church. As I told you at the beginning of this series, my desire is not to take what has become the traditional approach to the nine marks of a healthy church, although I believe in all of those marks. However, my aim is to get at all of that practically by first looking at the congregation itself – at what makes up the local church – the people, roles and relationships. So, who is an Elder or a Deacon? Before we answer that question, we have to confront a deeper problem, something beneath the surface, something that makes this entire conversation difficult before we even begin.
Our Modern Problem with Submission
Now, I’m going to try and define this problem as clearly as I can, and I’m going to do it in two parts. In the first part, I’m going to talk about a circumstantial problem, and in the second part, I’m going to talk about a problem of human nature.
We live in a world where the mere mention of words like submission, obedience, and loyalty makes people shift uncomfortably in their seats. Not because we don’t understand them, but because we do. These are words that demand something from us, and we have been catechized by our culture to resist them. And this uncomfortable shifting in our seats is so subtle because we agree with these words theologically but we just don’t want to see them through to the end practically. We agree with these words theologically but immediately and almost instinctively, we reach for the fine print. Where are the footnotes? What about the exception clauses? What are the legal limitations? How far does this authority really go? We don’t reject the doctrine outright. That would be too brash, too obvious. Instead, we domesticate it. We take biblical authority and immediately begin the negotiation process. We want leadership, but on our terms.
This is how modern evangelicals function. We talk about authority in broad, glowing theological terms, but when it comes time to actually live under it—well, that’s when the backpedalling begins. We want to know exactly where the limits are so we can live right up against the edge of them, and, if possible, find a loophole or two. But this is not how the Bible speaks of authority. The Bible assumes authority. It commands submission. It speaks of headship, obedience, loyalty, and rule—not as negotiable aspects of the Christian life but as essential. So, before we start amending the contract, we should stop and ask—What is it in us that makes us want to soften the edges of what God has established? Why do we agree in principle, only to hesitate in practice?
For some, this resistance to authority is a reaction to real abuses of authority. There have been men who have wielded their authority like a club—tyrants in pulpits, manipulators in leadership, men who lorded their position over others rather than laying down their lives in service. It is one thing to find wolves in sheep’s clothing, and yet another to find wolves in shepherd’s clothing. The damage of the latter can comparatively be incalculable.
• A father is meant to be the head of his household, a protector, a provider, a man who sacrifices for his family. Yet how many fathers rule their home like dictators demanding less of true respect and more of fear? His wife does not submit to him joyfully—she walks on eggshells, dreading his next outburst. He mistakes the silence of his household for peace, not realizing that he has crushed the very people he was called to lead with gentleness. And then there is the passive father, who abdicates leadership entirely. He avoids conflict, refuses to discipline his children, and lets his wife carry the entire burden of decision-making. He thinks he is being “gracious,” but in reality, he is abandoning his post.
• Governments are instituted by God to uphold justice, punish evil, and protect the innocent (Romans 13:1-7). But when rulers see power not as a trust to steward, but as a weapon to wield, the results are devastating.
• The unrighteous manager who rules with favoritism—rewarding those who flatter him and crushing those who question him.
• The manipulative teacher who seeks their own good over those of their students.
• Or Pastors who use their pulpits as thrones rather than a place to serve. Shepherds that care less about shepherding and more about controlling. And this can come in many shapes and sizes. A reason why James warns
James 3:1 ESV
1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness.
Are all these, and more, not causes for concern? Isn’t our modern skepticism for authority well founded? Yes, these are real problems, and any thinking Christian should take them seriously. But the great mistake of our age is to assume that the cure for bad authority is no authority at all—as though the way to deal reckless driving is to ban cars entirely. Bad cooking isn’t fixed by banning ovens—it’s fixed by learning how to cook. A chef who is reckless with seasoning can ruin a meal, but the solution is not to never season your food again. A meal without salt is just as ruined, only in the opposite direction. In the wake of these abuses—whether in the home, in the church, in the workplace, or in the government—it is no surprise that people resist authority. People have been lied to. They have been manipulated. They have been used. There is very little trust to begin with.
And going back again to what Ashok accurately described – In order to have appropriate affections in the heart, one must have appropriate doctrines in the head. In other words, if we don’t have a robust biblical view of authority, then we cannot expect to have a biblical practice of submission. And we have a tendency to arrive at simplistic solutions instead of biblical solutions. When authority is abused, the knee-jerk reaction is to limit or restrict authority itself, assuming that less power means less potential for harm. But in doing so, we don’t just curb abuse – we redact authority. But the biblical response is not to diminish authority but to cultivate godly authority, to nurture it, ensuring that it is exercised with righteousness, wisdom, and accountability.
• When Saul abused his authority, God did not abolish kingship in Israel. Instead, He raised up David, a man after His own heart (1 Samuel 13:14). The simplistic solution would have been to reject monarchy altogether, but the biblical solution was to establish righteous rule under God’s law.
• Eli’s failure as a father led to corrupt priesthood (1 Samuel 2:12-17), but Abraham was called to command his household in righteousness (Genesis 18:19). The simplistic response to parental failures today is to minimize or remove parental authority (like state intervention & child autonomy movements). The biblical response is to call fathers to lead well and discipline in the Lord (Ephesians 6:4)
• The Pharisees misused religious authority (Matthew 23:4), but Christ did not abolish leadership in the church. Instead, He appointed the Apostles (Matthew 20:25-28). The simplistic reaction would be to reject church authority altogether. The biblical model is to install godly elders and hold them to high standards (1 Timothy 3:1-7).
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That was the circumstantial problem, and guess what – it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There is a deeper and more natural problem that makes the situation far worse. The heart of the problem is that we don’t like to be ruled. We don’t mind the idea of leaders, as long as they remain advisors than rulers. We don’t mind the concept of submission, as long as it is optional. We are happy to follow—until the moment we are asked to follow somewhere we don’t want to go. And this is nothing new.
Rebellion is not a modern phenomenon. It’s as old as the dirt Adam was made from. It began in the garden when Adam and Eve reduced God’s command to an optional advice and seized what was not theirs. It happened again when Israel demanded a king on their own terms. They didn’t just want a king—they wanted a king like the nations (1 Samuel 8:5). They weren’t rejecting the idea of rule; they were rejecting God’s rule. They wanted leadership, but they wanted to be the ones to define it, regulate it, and control it. It happened when the Pharisees rejected Christ—not because He lacked authority, but because His authority wasn’t the kind they wanted. They weren’t opposed to a Messiah—they were opposed to this Messiah. They were happy to follow a king, so long as He played by their rules, fit their categories, and gave them the power they craved. But when the true King came, they crucified Him instead.
And now? The rebellion continues, compounding our circumstantial excuse, and the issue at the end of the day, isn’t that we don’t recognise authority. It’s that we recognise it all too well—and we don’t like it.
What is Authority?
And maybe, the issue for us as Christians is that though we recognise authority, we may not have a robust understanding of what that is. We’ve played far too long with dictionary definitions that we don’t know what we’re talking about anymore. So before we can talk about who should have authority—before we can argue about elders, deacons, fathers, and magistrates—we need to go back to the beginning. We need to understand what authority actually is, where it comes from, and why God established it in the first place.
So, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to give a biblical definition of authority, and try and defend it biblically, and while I do that, I’m going to give you 5 characteristics or principles of authority.
What that’s going to do is give you a reasonably precise overview of what authority is, and while doing that, I’m going to look at how this authority works its way out in the roles of the Elders and Deacons in the life of the local church.
Also, this overview of authority is going to be applied in the upcoming sermons to how it works in the family and in marriage. In a sense, I’m going backward by starting with elders and deacons, because in reality authority must be first recognised and understood in the home before it is recognised or understood anywhere else. But, we’ll work our way backwards into the home and into marriage, although I’ll allude to some of it as we go through it today.
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So, what is authority? Here’s my definition.
Authority is the God-given right and responsibility to rule, govern, or exercise power within an ordained domain, under God’s ultimate sovereignty.
Now, that definition, I believe, captures well the essence of authority and how it is described throughout the Bible.So, let’s look at 1 Peter 5 and see if this definition holds up in the case of church leadership, and compare with some other instances.
1 Peter 5:1 ESV
1 So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
Peter was written to encourage suffering Christians to stand firm in faith and endure suffering with joy. Here, Peter’s encouragement focuses on the elders among them. The term “presbuteros”, in the context of the early Christian church, is commonly translated as “elder” and refers to leaders who are responsible for teaching, governance, and spiritual oversight. And his encouragement is founded upon three pillars
a. He is one of them, a fellow elder
b. He is a firsthand witness of Christ’s suffering
c. He is a partaker of the eschatological hope
1 Peter 5:2–4 ESV
2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
I. Authority is God-given
Notice in this passage how these elders are exhorted to shepherd a flock that is not their own – this is ‘the flock of God’. Therefore, this right or authority to shepherd has to be given by God who owns the flock. They are to shepherd God’s flock, as God would have them. This authority then, is not given by Peter or the apostles, or by the congregation, but by God himself. This is of great importance. When Jesus stood before Pilate, he told him, John 19:11
John 19:11 ESV
11 Jesus answered him, “You would have no authority over me at all unless it had been given you from above. Therefore he who delivered me over to you has the greater sin.”
Of Kings and Governments, the Bible teaches us that,
Daniel 2:21 ESV
21 He changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;
Romans 13:3–4 ESV
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
And then you have this statement by Paul in Romans 13:1
Romans 13:1 ESV
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
there is no authority except from God. I take it to mean that all authority is God-given and any authority that is not God-given is no authority at all.
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You might say, “Well sure Pastor Mike, I can get behind that definition.” But do you then see the implications of this truth? Let me lay it out for you. If authority is God-given, then we don’t get to hand it out ourselves based on how we feel about it, nor do we get to revoke it when it becomes inconvenient. Authority is not a democracy; it is a divine assignment. Our role is not to negotiate its terms but to submit to its reality. The question is not, ‘how much authority must I give this person over me?’; rather it is, ‘how much authority has God given this person over me’. This is why submission is not about one person “giving” authority to another. Rather, submission is the recognition of an authority that already exists.
Ephesians 5:22–24 ESV
22 Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
• Notice how the wives submission does not ‘give’ her husband authority, rather she is to submit to him because he ‘is’ the head of the wife. A wife’s submission does not create his authority—it recognises it. And if she refuses to submit, she is not nullifying his authority, she is refusing the recognise it. A woman cannot get into a marital agreement with a man where she defines the terms of his authority over her. That authority is never hers to give. It is instituted by God at the time of their covenant marriage.
• This is also why a man does not gain headship over a woman simply because he has successfully taken her to dinner. A man does not become a woman’s head through emotional attachment; he becomes her head through covenant. Therefore, a girlfriend who “submits” to her boyfriend as if he were a husband is fabricating an authority that does not exist.
• For the same reason a homosexual couple cannot confer on each other an authority that God never designed. A government may print a certificate. A court may issue a ruling. But God does not recognise authority where He has not given it
• In a fatherless home, the efforts of a mother, no matter how great, cannot replace the authority of the father. It will not be the mother’s assumed authority that shapes the child, but the absence of the father that shapes him.
Authority is not a DIY project!
II. Authority is legal ‘right’
Authority is a matter of jurisdiction. Shepherd the flock of God that is among you – here, elders have the legal right to a specific flock. This language suggests to us that God’s flock is large and plentiful but the jurisdiction of an elder is only over that part of the flock that is among them. Scripture makes it clear that authority always has boundaries.
• Elders rule the church, not the state. (1 Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:17)
• Husbands lead their wives, not other men’s wives. (Ephesians 5:23-24)
• Parents govern their children, not someone else’s children. (Ephesians 6:1-4)
• The government has the sword, but not control over worship. (Romans 13:1-4, Acts 5:29)
And here the jurisdiction is not all that is set, but the elders are exhorted to shepherd the flock. There is a legitimate right of oversight given to these men.
Authority is granted, limited, and defined by God Himself. Authority then is the rightful exercise of power over a particular domain. And the biblical language shows us that it is the power to oversee, to govern, or to rule. And within that domain of rule, the Bible defines the extent or manner of that rule. We will look more into those distinctions in the fourth point where we will look at spheres of authority. But for now, I want us to get the concept of legal ‘right’.
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This is why a boyfriend has no authority over his girlfriend—there is no covenantal jurisdiction. A single mother cannot replace the father’s authority—because authority is not interchangeable. A homosexual couple cannot establish biblical headship—because God does not grant it. Authority is not given by cultural consensus, thought it may be recognised by cultural consensus. Authority is given by God. And when it is given, it has the right of rule and governance. If so, in what must a wife submit to her husband? Ephesians 5:24
Ephesians 5:24 ESV
24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands.
In everything? We saw earlier how submission is the recognition of authority (the right to rule) and therefore if the wife has to submit in everything, then it must follow that the husband has rule over her in everything. Now follow with me here and don’t jump in that instinct you might feel, to want to quickly find a disclaimer. Surely everything must have qualifications. Yes, but not here in this verse. Here, Paul makes an unqualified statement and I intend to do the same. So, this means that, in God’s design, the husband is given real, practical, day-to-day responsibility for the direction of the household. This includes everything from finances, to parenting, to spiritual leadership, to the family’s mission and priorities.
• If a wife wants to send their children to a secular school, but the husband believes they should be homeschooled or attend a Christian school, whose decision should be final?
• If a wife disagrees with her husband on moving to a new city, she should express her concerns, give her counsel, and then trust God through her husband’s decision.
• Who decides where the family goes for dinner tonight?
• Who decides which side of the family (his or her’s) they’re going to visit for the holidays this year?
• Or, the wife wants to avoid spanking while disciplining the child but the husband requires the use of the stick as instructed in the Proverbs.
He is head over you in marriage. There is no other covenantal qualification that he must meet before you allow him to exercise that authority over you in this area or that. He is head and you are to submit in everything. But I digress, this sermon isn’t about marriage. We’ll get into more of these in the upcoming sermons.
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So, when we turn our eyes to the leaders of the Church, the question follows: in what must the members submit to their elders? What is the right of the elders?
Hebrews 13:17 ESV
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.
Elders are not church administrators making sure the service sheet is printed and has no errors. They are guardians of the soul. They are shepherds. And that should make you think. The imagery here is that of a shepherd who does not sleep because wolves prowl at night. It is the picture of spiritual sleeplessness, a leader whose burden is not simply to preach on Sundays but to remain ever alert to the dangers that threaten the flock. Their oversight includes teaching, correcting, guiding, and protecting.
• If an elder warns a church member about the dangers of false teaching, that member should not shrug it off as a mere suggestion—it is the shepherd keeping watch over the flock.
• If an elder counsels a struggling marriage and exhorts a husband to lead his family in godliness, that counsel carries weight.
These are exercises of authority. Elders determine what is taught from the pulpit, they establish doctrinal boundaries, they oversee church membership and discipline, they give final direction on ministry and mission, and they ensure that the congregation is shepherded and cared for. This means they may have to confront laziness in men who are failing to lead their homes, rebuke gossiping women who tear down the church, or correct a member who insists on divisive, unbiblical ideas. Biblically, they govern individual souls, families, congregations, and the functions of congregating. This includes all matters of discipleship – teaching, correcting, counseling, comforting, caring and so on.
III. Authority is legal ‘responsibility’
Now, before I jump into spheres of authority, we must see that authority is not only the ‘right’ of rule but also the ‘responsibility’ of rule.
1 Peter 5:2–4 ESV
2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
3 not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock.
4 And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.
See here, how the shepherds are themselves under authority of the chief Shepherd. Responsibility then is the other side of that coin with legal ‘right’ on the other. Authority without responsibility is tyranny, and responsibility without authority is powerlessness. Doug Wilson defines authority as the glad assumption of human responsibility. Or in other words, authority flows to those who take responsibility.
Hebrews 13:17 ESV
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.
These leaders are responsible to give an account for your soul. Authority that is all ‘right’ and no ‘responsibility’ is abusive. A pastor who delights in wielding power but neglects the souls under his care is a tyrant in the pulpit. A father who demands obedience from his children but refuses to nurture them in the faith is a despot in his own home. A government that demands loyalty from its people but does not protect them is an oppressor. This is why elders are exhorted in 1 Peter 5:3 not to be domineering, but examples.
Ephesians 5:25 ESV
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,
You see, ‘right’ and ‘responsibility’ are inseparable pillars of true biblical authority. And so, when we in our human mindedness want to reduce the right of authority, inevitable also reduce the responsibility of authority. When people resent authority, they rarely acknowledge that they are also rejecting the responsibility that authority carries. Too many wives strips their husbands of their right, and then complain that they are not responsible. Take a wife who slowly, subtly, begins to erode her husband’s authority in the home. Maybe it starts with small things—she makes financial decisions without consulting him, she undermines his discipline of the children, she gently mocks his leadership in front of others. And over time, she effectively reduces his right to lead.
But here’s what she doesn’t realize: by diminishing his right, she is also diminishing his responsibility. If she will not let him lead, why should he feel responsible for the outcome? A husband who is constantly second-guessed and resisted will eventually stop trying to lead. Some men check out completely, retreating into hobbies, work, or passive indifference. Others abdicate responsibility entirely, letting their wives bear the full weight of decisions and leadership.
And what is the result? The wife who resented authority now finds herself burdened with responsibilities that were never meant to be hers alone. She must now carry the full weight of parenting, finances, and spiritual leadership. She resents her husband’s passivity, but fails to see how she helped create it. She feels overwhelmed, but does not see how she is reaping what she has sown. And worst of all, her children grow up without a strong example of biblical headship, perpetuating the cycle.
Now, I know what wives might be prone to say at this point, “I restricted his right because he was not responsible. Not the other way around.” That may be true, but doing that hasn’t made things better, its made things worse. When this plays out in real life—whether in marriage, the church, or society—it leads to real suffering.
A church suspicious of authority—often due to past abuses—slowly strips its elders of the right to lead. They demand more votes, oversight, and committees, ensuring their pastors have no real authority. They speak of “shared leadership” but in reality, they are neutralizing biblical shepherding. Yet, you cannot remove authority without also removing responsibility. When elders are prevented from leading, they stop correcting sin, the pulpit weakens, and direction is lost. The sheep wander, sin festers, and sermons become lifeless. And when the church finally crumbles—divided, dry, and ineffective—those who resisted leadership cry out, “Where are our elders?” But the answer is simple: you never let them lead.
2 Timothy 4:3–4 ESV
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions,
4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
And that bring me now to the fourth principle.
IV. Authority is Hierarchical & Has God-Ordained Spheres
No human authority is absolute, and we are all under authority. There is no human being on the planet that is not under some authority. Authority is structured by domains—God-ordained institutions that serve distinct roles in His created order. These domains are the individual, the family, the church, and the state. Within each domain, authority operates within defined spheres, meaning there are boundaries and areas of legitimate overlap. No domain exists in isolation, and no human authority is without limits.
• The individual is the first level of governance. A man who cannot govern himself will not govern his home, his church, or his nation well.
Self-government is commanded in Scripture—we are responsible for our own actions Galatians 6:5
Galatians 6:5 ESV
5 For each will have to bear his own load.
Authority over one’s body—we are to honor God with our bodies 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 ESV
19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
A man must rule himself before he can rule others—self-discipline is a requirement for leadership 1 Timothy 3:2-5
1 Timothy 3:2–5 ESV
2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money.
4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
5 for if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?
You see a progression here, from self to family to church.
Now, while the individual is the first level of governance, he does not exist apart from the other domains. He is accountable to his family, his church, and his civil authorities.
• God established the family as the fundamental building block of society. It is the first governing institution, and within it, He assigns clear roles.
So, the self-governing individual is initially under the authority of his parents.
Though a child is responsible for his own actions, his parents are also responsible for his actions.
And the higher authority exists to keep the lower accountable.
This is God’s divine structure for society.
• A child is accountable to his parents—he does not have the right to do as he pleases (Ephesians 6:1-3).
• A church member is accountable to the elders—he cannot live in unrepentant sin without discipline (Matthew 18:15-17).
• A citizen is accountable to the government—he cannot break the law without consequence (Romans 13:1-4).
And as a child grows up and comes into their own, they are coming out from under their parents authority, though not entirely until they’re married.
And when this happens, the parent’s ‘right’ and ‘responsibility’ reduce, because their authority decreases.
• And in marriage – Genesis 2:24
Genesis 2:24 ESV
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
This is a man coming into authority of his own over his family. And a wife moving from under the authority of her father, to that of her husband.
• A husband is the head of his wife, and a father is the head of his children, but the elders have to give an account for all of them.
If a husband or a father abuses his role, the church has the authority to rebuke and discipline him.
If he continues in unrepentant sin, he may even be excommunicated (1 Corinthians 5:1-5).
So, you see authority structures are meant to nurture it and safeguard against abuse.
Now, don’t get me wrong. This does not mean that the church has the authority to override the rule of the husband or the father.
Though the husband and the church exercise authority over the same domain – the family, the nature of their authority is different, and this difference is determined by Scripture.
So, case in point, in this hierarchy of authorities, God and his word is the highest authority. Matthew 28:18
Matthew 28:18 ESV
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
That means, wives, your husband has authority over you in everything, and so does Jesus, and he is the highest authority.
Your husband has full ‘right’ and ‘responsibility’ over you, and you don’t have to diminish it because of a fear of abuse.
Rather, when your husband requires of you something that would deny submission to Christ’s authority, you may rightfully disobey him, not because rejecting authority altogether but because you’re submitting to a higher authority.
[Be wise about how you discern this because God is not fooled for it is he who gave your husband authority]
Don’t use the ‘I don’t feel led to do this’ argument because God is not fooled. In many areas of your marital life, you are not the one who needs leading, he is.
And this is why church is so important because you can ask for the intervention of soul guardians to help think through conflict, and O how so many people strip themselves of this privilege.
And none of this is 500 page manual on conflict management. The proper functioning of this authority structures require biblical knowledge, wisdom and godly discussion.
Overreach of authority is an easy sin to fall into just as abdication of authority is.
And we need to be able to go back to the Bible to understand the definition and limits of authority.
V. Authority glorifies God
Human authority, whether in the home, church, or civil society, is derived from Him and must reflect His character. When authority aligns with God’s will, it manifests His justice, mercy, and wisdom, bringing Him glory.
Just as a well-ordered kingdom reflects the wisdom of its king, so too does proper authority reflect the glory of the King of kings.
When human authority mirrors Christ’s sacrificial leadership, it points to Him and glorifies God.
God is glorified not only in how authority is exercised but also in how it is received. Submission to rightful authority whether in the home, church, or state is ultimately an act of faith in God’s sovereign rule.
Biblical submission is not blind obedience to tyranny but a willing, trust-filled acknowledgment that God works through His appointed structures.
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Authority is the God-given right and responsibility to rule, govern, or exercise power within an ordained domain, under God’s ultimate sovereignty.
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Conclusion
We have spent this sermon laying the biblical foundation of authority—where it comes from, how it functions, and why it matters.
We have traced it from God’s sovereign rule, down through the domains of authority He has established, seeing how it shapes the family, the church, and the state.
The church is a household, an organized body, a covenant community with Christ as its head, and under Him, elders to lead, deacons to serve, and members to submit and participate.
1 Peter 5:1-4 gives us a clear, compelling, and convicting picture of the role of an elder. Elders are not corporate executives, not church bureaucrats, not task managers—they are shepherds entrusted with real, spiritual authority over the flock.
The imagery of shepherding is deliberate. What does a shepherd do?
He leads – “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters” (Psalm 23:2).
• Elders lead the church in doctrine, worship, and mission.
• They the theological boundaries of the congregation.
• They determine what is taught from the pulpit and guard against error (Titus 1:9).
• They provide vision for the church and ensure that discipleship is happening.
He protects – “Your rod and your staff, they comfort me” (Psalm 23:4).
• Elders guard the church against false teachers (Acts 20:28-30).
• They exercise church discipline when members stray into sin (Matthew 18:15-17).
• They confront wolves in sheep’s clothing, refusing to let false doctrine take root.
He feeds – “Feed my sheep” (John 21:17).
• Elders preach the Word faithfully (2 Timothy 4:2).
• They equip the saints for the work of ministry (Ephesians 4:11-12).
• They nurture the congregation with sound doctrine, ensuring that the people of God are spiritually well-fed.
He cares for the weak – “He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms” (Isaiah 40:11).
• Elders counsel the broken, visit the sick, and strengthen the weary.
• They weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15).
• They pray over the flock, interceding for their people (James 5:14).
They are under-shepherds to the great Shepherd. In that sense, they are his subordinates who carry out his purpose for the flock.
This means that if you are part of a local church, you are called to submit to your elders, similar to how a wife submits to her husband, not because they are infallible men, but because God has placed them in this role for your good.
This is why elders must not only be given authority—they must be allowed to exercise it.
If elders lead and shepherd, deacons serve.
Though they do not govern the church— they enable the church to function effectively by taking responsibility for many of the practical needs.
The prototype for deacons is found in Acts 6:1-7, where the apostles, overwhelmed with the growing responsibilities of the church, appointed seven men to serve tables so that the elders could focus on “prayer and the ministry of the Word” (Acts 6:4).
The primary role of deacons is to handle the theological, practical and logistical needs of the church so that elders can shepherd without distraction.
• They care for the poor (Acts 6:1-3).
• They ensure the church’s resources are stewarded well.
• They oversee practical ministries—finances, facilities, and mercy ministries.
• They serve as shock absorbers, solving problems before they become crises.
A church without elders is a rudderless ship. A church without deacons is a disorganised mess.
Both are essential offices for a healthy, biblical church.
Brothers and sisters, as we conclude, let me bring this home:
The reason we resist authority is because we have failed to see it as a blessing.
And all of it—all of it—is for the glory of God and the good of His people.
So I charge you today:
1. Honor the leaders God has given you. Pray for them. Follow them. Encourage them.
2. Resist the cultural impulse to flatten leadership. The church is not a democracy—it is a kingdom under the rule of Christ.
3. If you are a leader, lead well. If you are an elder, shepherd the flock of God faithfully and sacrificially. If you are a deacon, serve with joy and excellence.
4. Submit with joy. Your elders keep watch over your souls. Submit to them not as to men, but as to Christ (Hebrews 13:17).
5. See authority as a gift, not a burden. A home without a father is a tragedy. A church without elders is a disaster. A society without rulers is anarchy.
In the end, submission to godly authority is submission to God. Rebellion against godly authority is rebellion against God.
And so, may we, as the body of Christ, embrace what God has established, submit where He has called us to submit, and lead where He has called us to lead—for His glory, for our good, and for the health of the Church.
Amen.
