Obey your leaders and submit to them

The 11th Commandment

Hebrews 13:17 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.

Has some spiritual leader in your life quoted to you “Obey your leaders and submit to them” because the Bible says so? Have you been told that when a spiritual leader speaks “standing in the place of God” that you should have nothing to contribute “other than hearing and heeding it”? Are you wondering whether you would be questioning the authority of the Bible, because you are questioning this spiritual leader? Take courage, you are not alone. In this post, we will explore this much abused verse.

In Context

Literary context is crucial when trying to understand Scriptures. Context sometimes may be in the same verse, but often it’s either in the preceding or subsequent verses. In some cases, we may have to look at preceding and subsequent chapters or even the entire book to understand the context. We also need to make sure that the interpretation is in line with the message of the Bible as a whole.

For Hebrews 13:17, the context is not too far. Taking a few steps back to Hebrews 13:7-9 7 Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith. 8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Do not be carried away by varied and strange teachings; for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, through which those who were so occupied were not benefited. Hebrews 13:17 “your leaders” and Hebrews 13:7 “who led” come from the same Greek word “hégeomai”. Therefore, in some Bible versions such as ESV, this is simply translated as “your leaders”.

Hebrews 13:7 shows who these leaders are. They are the ones

who speak the Word of God. Not some creed or some confessions, but the pure Word of God.
whose conduct is in alignment with what they spoke, which is again, the Word of God. Compare this with the Pharisees whose conduct was far from what they preached.

Hebrews 13:9 further calls out that we should not be carried away by strange teachings of so called leaders. So in context, within the same chapter, we are called to distinguish who real leaders are, based on what they speak and how they conduct their lives. With that let’s consider Hebrews 13:17 again, “obey your leaders and submit to them” no matter what? An emphatic NO! Apply the principles of Hebrews 13:7. The words and conduct of the leader must align with the Word of God. Because the standard is not the person (well known preacher) or the title (pastor etc.,). The standard is the Word of God.

Who Is My Leader?

We often equate those who are in some position of perceived authority, as leaders. That perception could be coloured by various factors such as titles or the type of work being performed. For example, a preacher or pastor is often perceived as a leader much more commonly than a faithful member who dedicates himself to keeping the Church toilets clean. Is such perception Biblical? Who are our leaders?

Interestingly, the same greek word “hégeomai” used for “your leaders” in Hebrews 13:7 and 13:17 is also translated as “regard” in Philippians 2:3 “Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves;”. This verse is translated in other versions as “let each esteem other better than themselves” (KJV), “consider others as more important” (HCSB), “count others more significant” (ESV) etc., Smith’s Literal translation, I think, says it best “but in lowliness the leaders hold each other above themselves.” So, who are the leaders? Who is my leader? Every believer! Peter in 1 Peter 2:9 calls you and me a “Royal Priesthood”. Paul writes an entire chapter on the value of every member of the body in 1 Corinthians 12 and calls out more specifically, the faithful janitor, when he says in 1 Corinthians 12:24 “God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked”.

Dear brothers and sisters, if that faithful janitor’s life and word is in alignment with the Word of God but your perceived elder/pastor/preacher/teacher/<add your favorite title/idol> is not, imitate the faith of the janitor! It is not the title or role that the Scripture is asking us to submit to, but to Scripture itself.

False Leaders

The Bible is filled with examples of false leaders. Studying these examples will help us quickly figure out the red flags. Jeremiah 23:1 calls out ““Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of My pasture!” declares the Lord.”. We see a similar leader in 3 John 9-10 “I wrote something to the church; but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not accept what we say. For this reason, if I come, I will call attention to his deeds which he does, unjustly accusing us with wicked words; and not satisfied with this, he himself does not receive the brethren, either, and he forbids those who desire to do so and puts them out of the church.” Both the examples show some of the traits of a false leader: scattering / throwing people out of the Church. A disregard for the sheep in which they show a disregard for our Shepherd and His Word.

2 Peter 2 goes into many details of the characteristics of a false leader. Quoting just a few of them:

“secretly introduce destructive heresies” 2 Peter 2:1 Leaders who operate in secrecy is a big red flag to watch out for.
“because of them the way of the truth will be maligned” 2 Peter 2:2 Does their teaching and their actions make you wonder whether God is really good and whether His Word is really True?
“in their greed they will exploit you with false words” 2 Peter 2:3 Are you noticing greed in their words and actions? Do they teach you to do things that they themselves don’t follow?

What Should I Do?

Standing up to a false leader is one of the most daunting tasks that a believer will ever face. If Diotrephes was able to unjustly accuse John himself, what chance do you and I have? However, we are called to

Beware
- “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” Matthew 7:15
Reprove severely
- “One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith, not paying attention to Jewish myths and commandments of men who turn away from the truth.” 1 Titus 1:12-14
Trust God
- But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. 2 Peter 2:1

Conclusion

Abusive false leaders like to portray themselves as those “standing in the place of God”. They like to remove the distinction between their own words and God’s Word. They like to quote Bible verses out of context to establish their own authority and bring you into bondage by “teaching as doctrine, the precepts of man” Matthew 15:9. In other words, they like to position themselves as the mediators between God and us. However, we only have one mediator. “For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.” 1 Timothy 2:5-6.

We are under no obligation to obey and submit to those leaders whose word and life does not reflect the Word of God. In fact, we must stand firm in our faith and “not be carried away by varied and strange teachings” like Paul says in Galatians 1:8 “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed!”. What is a false Gospel? Paul clarifies in Galatians 3:3 “Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?”. That is the false teaching that you may be saved, only if you obey and submit to human commandments that have no Biblical basis.

This post is not exhaustive in its coverage on this topic. It goes out with the prayer and hope that the reader would be encouraged to explore and examine “… the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so …” Acts 17:11.

11th Commandment?

It should come as no surprise that false leaders are forever trying to add to the Scriptures, their own interpretations, bringing believers once again back into bondage. Obey your leaders and submit to unbiblical edicts is one of many such unbiblical man made commandments. I call these the 11th commandments :). What is the 11th commandment that you are struggling with?