¹⁷ Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.

Fundamental to Christianity is an understanding of authority and submission. As early as the Garden of Eden, God exercised His inherent Lordship over His creatures in the command to “be fruitful and multiply” and to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The current plight of fallen humanity owes its existence to man’s perverting and rebelling against both of these commandments. Ever since then, God has made His expectations known, and the responsibility has been on His image-bearers to respond appropriately. The Law of Moses, for example, was given as an exercise of God’s sovereign rule over His chosen people, with the expectation of obedience. The history of His people’s failure demonstrates the inevitable. The bent of our souls is toward self-lordship, rather than the Lordship of God.

So, it should come as no surprise that today, as believers we need to understand authority and obedience in the community of God’s people. He mediates His authority through church leaders. Just because we are now saved and forgiven and assured of eternity with God, doesn’t mean we can live independent lives. We are called back to that which we rejected, namely the Lordship of God, now enacted through Jesus Christ, the One who is, “the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature…He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…” (Heb 1:3).

Specifically, we are to “obey” and to “submit” to the leaders of the local church. Why? Because it is those leaders who “keep watch over [our] souls.” This would be the elders of the church, whom Peter instructs to “shepherd the flock of God among you” (1 Peter 5:2). They are responsible to God, and He requires of them an accounting of their discharge of duties. The Lord holds them accountable, not we who are under their care. Our responsibility is to joyfully respond to their care and leadership. As anyone knows who has been an elder or been in church leadership, there is much to discourage. It is not easy being a shepherd of God’s people. Grief over rebellious, difficult people who are critical against their leadership can wear down the best of shepherds. And that will benefit no one. However, as we submit joyfully, the shepherds benefit and so do those under their care. For joyful sheep results in joyful shepherds, who then shepherd more joyfully, bringing joy to all.

Lord, help me be more joyful in my submission to the elders, so that both they and I will benefit.