Biblical Headship: Making Sense of Submission to Authority

Copyright © 2013 John Polis.

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ISBN: 978-1-4908-1735-4 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1736-1 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4908-1734-7 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013921498

WestBow Press rev. date: 12/11/2013

Contents

Chapter 1 The Purpose Of Headship

Chapter 2 Why Delegation Works

Chapter 3 The Restoration Of God’s Rule

Chapter 4 Implementing God’s Will On The Earth

Chapter 5 Headship In The Church

Chapter 6 Getting The Elder Thing Right

Chapter 7 God’s Rule Of Peace

Chapter 8 What Would Jesus Do?

Chapter 9 The Nature Of God’s Government

Chapter 10 The Qualities That Strengthen Peace

Chapter 1

THE PURPOSE OF HEADSHIP

For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God, therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 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 for it does not bear the sword for nothing, for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath but also for conscience sake, for because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor. (Romans 13:1–7 NASB)

What governs your life? More particularly, who governs your life? As Americans, we like to think of ourselves as independent people. We do what we want, say what we want, choose where we go, and make our own decisions. Admitting that we do not control our own destinies is hard to do. But the Bible points out that every person is to live in subjection to the governing authorities.

Writing to the Roman Christians, the apostle Paul made this abundantly clear. In this passage of Scripture, he was addressing circumstances in which people submitted to civil authority, specifically to the Roman government. That was difficult because the Roman regime was not sympathetic to the Christian community. In fact, the government did not sympathize with the Jewish community either.

The Jews believed they were God’s chosen people. They had the Law of God. They were the people to whom God had given the Law. They believed they should not really be subject to anybody.

Furthermore, the Jews had a tendency toward rebelliousness. The history of Israel is a repeating story of the people’s rebellion against God. Even in the period between the Old and New Testaments, between Malachi and Matthew, Israel revolted against the government. The Maccabean revolution was an attempt to throw off the yoke of Rome. Psalm 2 points this out as a characteristic of rebellion, trying to throw off the yoke. But then there were the Christians.

Unfortunately, Christians, Jewish and Gentile alike, tended to believe they were members of a select group. Although the predominant culture rejected and persecuted them, they were convinced that the gospel provided them a different, more acceptable standing with God. As a result, they believed they lived under God’s authority and did not need to take orders from anybody—not all that different from today. The apostle Paul had to set the record straight.

Speaking to these rebellious, carnal Christians, Paul’s voice almost comes to life in our ears. We can imagine him saying, Now wait a minute! That’s not the way we live; we are to accept government in our lives. Why would Paul have said this? Because Scripture informs us that God has instituted government. He has ordained it as the way to preserve order within any social system, institution, or organization. This arrangement maintains order by sustaining what is good and penalizing what is bad.

Consider how life would turn out in a society where no government existed. No one would enjoy living there; anarchy would reign. Lawlessness would be rampant, and the most lawless people would run roughshod over everyone else. Interestingly, the Bible records a time when that very thing was happening. In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 17:6 NKJV).

When everyone chooses to decide for himself or herself what is right or wrong, with no consideration of others, anything can happen. Everyone lives in fear. There can be no certainty, no assurance of safety, no fair treatment, and no justice. There is no safe place—speaking emotionally, spiritually, and physically—for people to live. There is no healthy social or economic environment, so chaos and confusion rule.

People must have a standard of law and order. They need a cohesive structure of leadership that protects the interests of everyone. There simply has to be government if an environment of decency and social order is to exist. So God ordained government on the earth. He established it, and He preserves it. Even when governing structures are ruthless, brutal, and contemptible, we realize that God upholds the underlying principle of government, which we will see.

As we look into Scripture, we find three God-ordained institutions of governmental authority: civil, familial, and spiritual. The first we will look at is civil authority.

Headship in Civil Authority

Civil government administrates the order of society. In the United States, the establishment of administration is primarily accomplished through elections. Our form of civil government is called a representative democracy; this means that individuals are elected by the populace to represent its interests within the government. In a representative democracy, authority flows up and is derived from the people. The role of this form of government in a society is to guarantee that the will of the people is accomplished. Thus, the establishment of authority is of the people, by the people, for the people.

Not all governments, however, are derived from the people. Some are established as leader-driven dictatorships, monarchies, or elite governing bodies. Still, in some manner, they determine social order and law. In such governments, the will of a single individual or an unelected elite, rather than the will of the majority of people, is imposed on the society.

Realistically, all government should provide the most good for the majority of people. Not all do. Even so, democratic governmental order may be the best possible way to achieve that end within a nation. The rule of the people, with authority flowing up and being delegated through elections, allows a free people to speak to the ordering of their society.

Some would argue in favor of a theocracy, where God governs directly. But God does not govern directly; He governs instead through delegated authorities. When there are unredeemed people within the society, not everyone is responsive to the will of God. In a democracy, the influence of the godly has the ability to sway social administration in a godly direction—if they will. We have that ability in our society. It is God-ordained. We should flow with our government in society and empower it in the direction of God’s will.

Headship in Familial Order

The second order of authority we recognize is the family. This is another institution in which God has ordained government. Unfortunately, the biblical perspective regarding family is rapidly eroding in our society. Social activists are imposing non-reproductive, biblically errant models, called same-sex unions, in addition to the traditional family model—father, mother, and children. But the biblical model is clear, leaving no room for ambiguity in the arrangement. God intended for the family to be an ordered social unit.

The changing face of society fails to take into account the biblical perspective. Huge segments of society are rejecting the traditionally held biblical values of marriage and family. But social change does not alter biblical truth. Thus, the governing order within a family is best achieved when that biblical order is established and maintained.

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord (Ephesians 5:22 NASB). When two people get married, an institution is formed: the institution of marriage. The same type of subjection or submission we show to the Lord should become the order of the family. 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 (Ephesians 5:23–25 NASB).

The idea of subjection or submission has become a stumbling block for many women. Subjection carries a negative connotation—one of helplessness, hopelessness, and weakness. These notions are far removed from the biblical idea of submission. Submission in marriage implies consensual deference and calculated consent. Husbands are not to subject their wives to hopelessness. Rather, they are to give deference in accordance with God’s ordinance and are liable for breakdowns in family administration.

Therefore the husband’s role should exemplify servant-leadership, not overbearing dictatorship. His role is to be a compassionate, loving, and strengthening one. Scripture plainly teaches this role as headship, a concept that comes into perspective both in the family and in the church. In the family, it relates to government in the home. The word headship implies that the head occupies the position that is highest or uppermost in authority. Thus, the husband is the principal authority in the marriage relationship, just as Christ is the principal or highest authority in the church.

We understand that within other administrative systems, men are not necessarily in positions of authority over women. This is especially so within the social order. Indeed, women have pointed that out quite clearly, not only with words but with actions as well. Such action has been necessary. Men were not created to rule over women. That is not what Scripture teaches. Men and women are to be co-laborers and co-heirs. We were created by God to have dominion together. He created both male and female and gave them dominion. So men and women are to share dominion.

A woman never loses her right to exercise the authority she carries in creation. Even after marriage, dominion means the right to rule. God never takes it back. Every human being has a right to exercise a measure of dominion. By yielding that responsibility to her husband, a woman chooses to be obedient to God, preserving divine order within the home.

When a woman carries a position of authority in the workplace, she doesn’t need her husband’s permission to accomplish her work. In instances of ministry, such as taking authority over demonic spirits, or moving in the gifts of the Spirit, she does not require a husband’s seal of approval. Women have the full weight of their divinely imparted authority in every instance. God never changes that.

In marriage, however, God has established an order. Two become one. They are joined for a purpose—several purposes, actually—and in order to accomplish those purposes, there has to be order. This is