What the Bible says about Submitting to godly shepherds
(From Forerunner Commentary)
Sometimes, circumstances conspire to scatter Christians into small groups or even from all contact with other believers and from the ministry Jesus Christ gives to the church to equip them and encourage their growth—in the biblical metaphor, leaving the sheep without a shepherd. However, if sheep should choose to become "without a shepherd," they are rejecting one of the Chief Shepherd's major gifts to His flock, willfully taking themselves outside of His established order.
Sheep may choose to do this, reasoning that Christ is their Shepherd, which is certainly true. It is likewise true that our relationship with God is individual, without a man in the middle. Nevertheless, none of this nullifies the fact that Christ has gifted human shepherds to aid in bringing all the sheep "to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ" (Ephesians 4:13). By implication, the only time a sheep of His pasture does not need an under-shepherd is when he has grown completely into the image of the Lamb of God.
Our Savior oversees the under-shepherds, holding them accountable for failures in their responsibilities, which there will be simply because they are human. However, to purposefully become a "sheep without a shepherd" is to put oneself in serious danger, for the Christian is then likely to turn to his own way, develop bad spiritual habits, become stuck in a rut, make himself a prey for Satan, and ultimately become malnourished and spiritually diseased. He may not even realize his life is in danger—until it is too late.
Christ clearly establishes that, rather than wandering away from God's shepherds, the sheep have the responsibility to submit to the godly shepherds, not considering them infallible, by any means, but comparing their instruction with what God has already established in His Word. As I Corinthians 11:1 teaches, sheep are to follow a shepherd's faith only as it complements and corresponds with the teachings of Jesus. As Acts 5:29 points out, "[W]e ought to obey God rather than men," whenever the two are not in alignment.
David C. Grabbe
The Shepherd's Guidance (Part Three)Related Topics: Human Shepherds | Jesus Christ as Shepherd | Obeying God rather than men | Submitting to Elders | The Shepherd's Guidance | Under-Shepherd
Hebrews 13 is an uncomfortable chapter for religious anarchists because it refers in three different verses (verses 7, 17, 24) to "those who rule [hêgeomai; lead or command] over you." It refers not to civil authorities but to church leaders. The strongest admonition appears in verse 17:
Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.
That some have "rule" over us is not the same as the "exercising [of] lordship" that Jesus Christ warns against (Matthew 20:25; Mark 10:42; Luke 22:25). Yet, the fact remains that God has given authority and rule to some of His servants for the benefit of all involved. Where carnality is in the mix, things are going to break down, but the problem is the carnality and not the structure.
A few more examples of the different levels of church authority should suffice for those who believe the Word of God. In Paul's epistles, he frequently speaks of the authority God had given to him (I Corinthians 9:18; II Corinthians 10:8, 14; 13:10; II Thessalonians 3:9; Titus 2:15). He calls the elders "overseers" (Acts 20:17, 28), indicating that they are to be watching over the spiritual state of the flock. The pastoral epistles are written by a servant of God to another of lesser authority, instructing the young pastors in how they should oversee their congregations, including other elders who were "under" them (I Timothy 3:5; 5:17). He points out that an overseer's function is akin to a man ruling over his house (I Timothy 3:1-5).
In I Peter 5:2-3, Peter likewise instructs the elders to
shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.
On the other hand, the apostates in II Peter 2:10 and Jude 8 are those who "reject" or "despise" authority—the overriding principle of anarchism!
Today, we find ourselves in an environment that encourages us to think that those in authority are the cause of all our problems. A person's approach to authority tends to be consistent: If he despises it in the civil realm, he is also likely to do so in the religious realm and vice versa.
For the sake of our spiritual lives, it is advisable to look inside to see if we are encouraging seeds of anarchy to grow. The real issue in all this is whether we have faith in the sovereign God to work out His will, regardless of whom He has granted authority in the nation or in the church. Obviously, this does not mean following leaders into sin. But where our faith is weak, we often seek our own solutions. Yet everywhere anarchy appears in the Bible, whether in a nation or in a family, it is a pitiable condition and often a curse. While God may cause it on occasion, it is not the solution we should willingly seek—if we put stock in the whole counsel of God.
David C. Grabbe
Anarchy in God's Church? (Part Three)