Lesson number three: Authority is not a bad thing, it’s how you use it…
Authority - can’t live with it, can’t live without it. No one in their right mind would advocate anarchy as the way to go. We all know that if there were no law and nobody enforcing that law, mass chaos would ensue - crime and violence would go unchecked, running their full course. We need the order, protection, and stability that authority brings us. But while we admit authority is necessary, we also often feel it is a necessary evil. Bottom line: you can’t trust authority.
Our recognition of the need for authority is matched by our disdain for it and a ‘don’t tell me what to do’ attitude. Authority is all fine and dandy until it comes knocking on your front door or, perhaps more accurately, on your card window. We disdain authority because to us it limits our freedom and autonomy. Our origins and values as a country lend itself to this perception of authority.
As a camp counselor, having authority and enforcing it was not easy, particularly with the older kids. They don’t want you telling them what to do; authority in their minds is synonymous with control. Why do we have authority over children? Is it because we are better than them? Is it because we are less sinful than they are? No. I came to see that we are given authority to discharge a trust from God, and authority is needed to discharge that trust effectively.
Unfortunately, many authorities in our lives have ruled with an iron fist, leaving many of us with a disdain for authority. But biblical authority is not selfish or abusive; authority that is biblical does not seek to please itself but to please God, the ultimate authority over all authority. Authority was and is meant to act as an agent of the Lord, acting on His behalf, enforcing His perfect, pleasing, and just will on this earth. Such authority is for us, not against us.
Discipline, in a similar vein, should not be about the authority’s will but God’s will. Discipline, therefore, should focus on correcting sin and come from a place of love and genuine concern. Any discipline done punitively or in anger will frame the issue as a problem between the authority and person or child in question. Ultimately, the problem should be framed as an issue between between the person or child and God. Otherwise, they will learn to fear man rather than God.
This is especially true in the application of disciplining children. And when I say fear God, I do not mean be afraid of Him. Rather, if you understand God as a holy and righteous Judge you are able to fear him in the sense that you are not complacent toward sin, living life as if you will get away with sin. God is not unjust that He should turn a blind eye to evil or injustice.
But if you’re looking for an example of authority as it was meant to be, look no further than Christ himself. Jesus was the most powerful and authoritative being to walk this earth, but he was power under control. “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve” (Matt 20:25-28). Jesus redefined leadership and authority by this one profound statement - don’t lord your power and authority over those under you, rather use your power and authority to work for the good of others. True leadership looks to serve, not to be served.
