All authority comes from God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and we are commanded to submit to Him (James 4:7). The apostle Paul outlines a chain of authority in 1 Corinthians 11:3–12, reminding that woman was made from man and man was made by God. The full order of authority is God — Christ — Man — Woman. Again in Romans 11:36, we are told that all things are from God, through God, and to God, so He is the highest authority.
Jesus Himself recognized God’s authority and was submissive to it. In John 4:34, Jesus said His purpose was “to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work,” and in John 5:30, “I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” Jesus’ entire life was one of submission to the Father, culminating with His great prayer of submission just before His death, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). If we will be disciples of Christ, we must submit to Christ’s authority, just as He submitted to the Father’s (Luke 6:46; 14:27).
This brings us to the more common question: to whom are we to submit, when, and why? The “why” is easy to answer—because God commands it, and He is the highest authority. First Peter 2:13–14 gives the general concept: “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.” Since all authority comes from God, we are to submit to anyone who is placed in authority over us. In so doing, we submit to God. Likewise, to rebel against those in authority is tantamount to rebelling against God. That is one reason why Christians through the ages have allowed themselves to be martyred rather than take up arms against the State.
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