In
the state
Sadly enough, it happens
that some who are in positions of authority abuse their power and position.
Governments do. There are governments that oppress their people. We can think
of the communist regimes of Stalin and Mao Tse Tung. Every November a Sunday is
declared the International Day of Prayer for Persecuted Christians. In many
Asian and North African countries, Christians are persecuted for their faith.
They are oppressed by the state. Clearly, such governments are abusing their
authority. God will hold them to account for this and will punish them for it.
In
churches
This abuse of authority also
happens in churches. In the 1500s, church reformers called the Medieval church
back to the Word of God. Through the centuries, the church had strayed far away
from the simple but true message of Scripture. The church had added all sorts
of doctrines not found in the Bible. On top of that, many of the church leaders
were living godless lives. The reformers called the church back to the Bible
and away from false doctrine and permissive living. What was the reaction of
the church? Persecution! Excommunication! Death by burning at the stake!
The church assigned more
authority to itself and its ordinances than to the Word of God. It refused to
submit itself to the rule of Christ. It persecuted those who lived holy lives
according to the Word of God and who rebuked it for its sins and false
doctrine. The church of the Middle Ages would not take it. It used—or rather—it
abused its power and authority to
silence those who called it to faithfulness and submission to God's Word.
This example, which led to
the Reformation of the church, is not the only example of the abuse of
ecclesiastical authority. Throughout history, there have been many instances of
churches abusing their authority, misusing their power, to silence those who
would live godly lives and call a disobedient church back to the Word. The
history of the Canadian Reformed Churches, which goes back to the Netherlands,
bears this out.
In
families
Abuse of authority does not
only happen in the state and the church; it is also, sadly, found in families.
All physical, verbal, and sexual abuse by someone in authority perpetrated against someone under authority is abuse of
authority. We wish we could say that this does not happen among Christians and
in the church, but we would be lying.
What must someone suffering
abuse do? He or she needs to go to someone else in authority for help. We are
all under several spheres of authority: the authority of parents, teachers, the
police, and elders in the church. An abused person must go to someone else in a
position of authority for help. The abuser must be brought to justice and face
the just consequences of his crime. He must be brought to repentance at the
foot of the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is only when we fall broken at
the foot of the cross that we are reconciled to God and that we can be
reconciled to one another.
(The final post in this series deals with the rejection of authority.)
