There are creatures, and a creator, and they are not the same thing. When it comes to authority, God is completely and utterly other. Whether we are husbands, mothers, managers, or pastors, we serve at God’s pleasure, derive our authority from his power, and expect obedience from others only insofar as he allows. Authority in this sense is always derivative. It comes from God, must be shaped like God, and is always for God’s life–giving purposes alone.

There’s a good principle in ministry that says, for the issues that people find the hardest, raise the bar, don’t lower it.

To be sure, lowering the bar can feel like the right move. Don’t rock the boat. Don’t mention the war. Placate the masses and the seats will stay warm.

But there is one thing lowering the bar struggles to do, and that’s make disciples.

Whether it’s a tricky bit of theology or ethics, what brings maturity in the Christian life is rarely swallowing a pill that hurts less, or chewing on something so diluted it’s more liquid food than solid. People grow when the hard thing is shown to be relevant, and when the stakes are raised so high, they say: “Look, I don’t get all of it—but I’m starting to understand why God said it.”

In a word? People often just need the unadulterated truth.

Which brings us to Jonathan Leeman’s new book on Authority. Power, submission and obedience? Those are Bible words that make us squirm and shudder. But if you’re game, this book might make them worthwhile.

Authority in the West

The Western world has a hate–hate relationship with authority. Every age has had their difficulties, “but we in the enlightenment West have given that resistance moral and philosophical respectability” (2–3). Governments are corrupt. The police are racist. Language is a weapon. Even Mum and Dad are just washed-up mouthpieces of an outmoded disciplinarian past.

And there is some truth here. Life is full of oppressors, victims, sadnesses and abuses—as many of us know all too well. Leeman’s own vulnerability in this book is palpable. Like him, many of us have felt authority gone terribly wrong, and it hurts.

And yet what would our world be if we went without authority at all? Letting authority run rampant is oppressive. But rejecting authority can be problematic too (6-7). It leaves us powerless, and ineffective: no one taking responsibility to see our world thrive. What we need isn’t less authority (or more). What we need is a model that works.

Authority in the Bible

Leeman’s definition is simple: whether in your marriage, church or workplace, godly authority authors life (9, 19, 24). You can see it in the contrasts: bad authority takes and destroys; good authority gives and creates. This is, after all, is what God is like.

Read More