authority figures

Following Christ means following, not leading. Following His word means obeying, not editing. Obeying Him means listening to what He says, not challenging His commands.

A good follower is an obedient listener.

Christians today who take God’s words at His Word find themselves on sure footing and solid grounding, both biblically and theologically. Those who choose to extrapolate meaning inferred through modern cultural interpretative methods find themselves on shifting sands and sloping slides. Culture does not inform Scripture; rather, Scripture transforms culture. We ought not think we need to educate the Bible by modulating it to meet our cultural expectations. Jesus says, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matthew 7:24). Adherence to God’s Word is evidence of faith in God Himself; there is no additive to improve upon God’s grace. Like the Great Shamah implies in Deuteronomy 6, if there is no hearing–listening–obeying, there can be no shamah.

But how many of us prefer to be in the driver seat, to lead God around as it were, and to give Him counsel? And speaking of driving . . . . when was the last time you sat in the passenger seat with a new driver behind the wheel? How about if that driver is learning to drive a manual transmission?! It can be quite the opposite of a peaceful, easy feeling! We love driving: one hand on the wheel, one on the gear shift and a foot on the gas; we like the power of being in control with the freedom to roam. After all, the one controlling the tunes is in the driver’s seat — don’t mess with my radio!

I can promise you that our culture strongly dislikes the concepts of modesty and submission. We are trained early and often to think highly of ourselves, to do what feels right to us, thinking we’re capable of doing whatever we put our minds to. Americans, and those who find themselves Christian yet American, wrestle with nationalistic pride, individualistic achievement and consumeristic egoism and a correlating secular humanistic worldview that is anti-Christ, anti-God and anti-follower-of-Christ.

But if our authority figure is THEE Authority Figure then it figures that all of life becomes shaped by His authority and not mine; God is not my co-pilot. My attitude towards obeying Him –learning to obey Him, striving to follow His every command and living by the power of His Spirit and not the decadence of my flesh– has to be one of humility, compliance and subservience to His will. John the baptizer said it simplest:

“He must increase, and I must decrease.” (John 3:30)