It's good to be cynical regarding political leaders, but not towards faithful leaders in the Church.
Hebrews 13:17 - (NIV)
17 Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you.
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 30: The Government of the Church
We believe that this true church
ought to be governed according to the spiritual order
that our Lord has taught us in his Word.
There should be ministers or pastors
to preach the Word of God
and administer the sacraments.
There should also be elders and deacons,
along with the pastors,
to make up the council of the church.
By this means
true religion is preserved;
true doctrine is able to take its course;
and evil men are corrected spiritually and held in check,
so that also the poor
and all the afflicted
may be helped and comforted
according to their need.
By this means
everything will be done well
and in good order
in the church,
when such persons are elected
who are faithful
and are chosen according to the rule
that Paul gave to Timothy.
Summary
I often encourage people to use multiple different translations while reading the Bible, and today's passage is a great example as to why. The NIV begins the verse with an command for you to have confidence in your leaders. Yet most of the other English translations use the words obey your leaders. Yet, as is often the case when translations pick totally different words, both renderings are valid.
Whereas cults and authoritarian styled organizations demand blind allegiance and obedience to their leaders, you here are called to obey your leaders not just because they said so, but because you have confidence in the Biblical truth they convey. The Greek word literally means to be persuaded by them. Remember, one of the first callings of a Christian is to be a good thinker, and to always carefully evaluate what your leaders say. Obedience is only required when their leadership is consistent with Biblical truth.
Your leaders keep watch over you. Literally, they go without sleep or rest in their effort to guide, guard and protect your very soul. Certainly they make this effort because they love and care for you, but here we're reminded they have an additional motivation: Your church leaders must give an account. If they let you slip into sin, not only will you face judgment for it, but they will too!
Finally, you're commanded here to make your leaders' efforts enjoyable and not burdensome. Doing this is beneficial for both them and you.
Dig Deeper
This might be a bad time to ask, in the midst of election season, but in general, would you say you have confidence in your leaders? Are you ready and willing to offer full obedience to whoever happens to win the elections?
Probably not. If you're like most, you're quite cynical about our political leaders. The days in which everybody threw their support behind the winners after the election are long gone. Now jockeying and political gamesmanship begin the moment the previous election is over and we find ourselves in a never ending election cycle. Rather than submit to leadership that seems contrary to our principles, we immediately begin campaigning for a change.
In the political sphere, a cynical response to leadership isn't always a bad thing, especially as more and more the political process is used to define society's morals rather than to govern society according timeless morals derived from Biblical truth.
The point here is simply that even if you seethe with cynicism regarding your political leaders, you must not let that seep into your relationship with the leaders you've been placed under in your local church. Yes, hold them accountable to God's Word for sure, but when they act faithfully, you have an obligation to submit and obey because of the confidence you have in them.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who will call our church leaders to account for our actions;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for your church's leaders, and pray that you will make their work a joy and not a burden;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Peter 3
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