The centurion in Matt 8 was a man under authority. Though, he had 100 soldiers under him, he spoke, not of his authority over them, but of himself under the authority of his superior officer. The Lord blessed this man’s faith and healed his servant.
In our lives we have authorities: Biblical (obey God), Parental (children obey), Spiritual (obey them that have the rule over you), Governmental (submit to every ordinance of man), Occupational (obey your masters). W should be like the centurion, a man under authority.
Authorities are in place for our personal benefit. God wants things to run decently and in order, 1 Cor 14:40. And when they do because we are under authority, things work out better for us.
Children – Eph 6:1-3 must be under the authority of their parents. This is right. And for them it will be well with them and they will live long on the earth. Today we are seeing 2 Tim 3:2 and Rom 1:30 fulfilled. Children are disobedient to parents. Among all the other major problems with kids these days is disobedience. In disobedience it is not well and their lives are often cut short. I have heard recently of three children who have attempted suicide For some reason, when they are disobedient, they don’t want to live long.
Wives – 1 Tim 2:11-15 must be under the authority of their husbands. Eve came out from under the authority of God’s word and disobeyed. Neither did she ask her husband about eating the fruit. She acted independently. Being under authority saves women from deception in the vulnerable time of childbirth. A woman in subjection to a disobedient husband has the benefit of letting the hidden man of her heart, Jesus Christ, win her husband, 1 Pet 3:1-5. She could never accomplish in rebellion what Jesus will accomplish when she’s in subjection.
Husbands – Eph 5:23-28 must be under the authority of Jesus Christ. As Christ improves the church when he is the head of the church, so a husband improves his wife when Christ is his head. Gen 3:16 says to Eve about her husband, “he shall rule over thee”. Preachers of old said, “A man will rule his house or he’ll wreck it”.
Saints – Heb 13:7, 17 must be under their spiritual authority. When they are, they can follow the faith of those who watch for their souls. Those who rule can do so with joy and not with grief. Failure to obey is unprofitable for you. The converse is true, as well. It is profitable for saints to obey them that have the rule over them.
Citizens – Jude 8, Ex 22:28 must be under the authority of the powers that be. Filthy dreamers despise dominion and speak evil of dignities. We should never speak evil of dignities or “curse the the ruler of (our) people”. In 1 Tim 2:1-3 we are to pray for them that we might lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Amazingly, thank God, we are able to do this even today.
Employees – Col 3:22-24 must be under the authority of their masters. The benefit is that God will reward you because “ye serve the Lord Christ”. But remember that you can receive for the wrong, too, Col 3:25.
When you step out from under your proper authority, you step right into the devil’s arena. Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, 1 Sam 15:23. The devil is just waiting for you like a lion ready to pounce.
Children who are disobedient to their parents are in grave danger. Wives who step out from underneath their head by not being submissive hurt themselves. Husbands who become self-willed can cause harm to themselves and their families. Pastor Roger Hoots says, “God likes a strong-willed man but not a self-willed man”.
So, be a man under authority. As a child, if you have been rebellious to your parents, repent of this and quickly get back under their authority. Dads get back under the authority of Jesus Christ and his words. Moms get back under the authority of your husbands. We don’t want the disasters taking place in the homes of people in the world to come to our homes, if we can help it.