One of the convictions believers must hold dearly is the fact that we have been saved to do good works. In his letter to the church in Ephesus, Paul wrote that “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10). Doing good work includes being submissive to authority. The Bible speaks against rebellion and equates it with witchcraft. When Saul failed to wait for Samuel’s arrival before presenting an offering to God, Samuel told Saul that “rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has rejected you as king.” (1 Samuel 15:23). Because Saul failed to obey the words of Samuel, Saul was rejected as king. It is therefore important that believers are reminded of the need to be obedient to rulers and authorities.
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good (Titus 3:1)
In his letter to Titus, Paul succinctly admonished Titus to remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good (Titus 3:1). Submission to rulers and authorities is our godly responsibility. Believers are admonished several times in scripture to be intentional in obeying their leaders. In our obedience, we should also be ready to do whatever is good. This point is very important and necessary. Our obedience to authority should not be a yardstick for disobeying God. We should do what is good and eschew whatever is evil. If the demands of rulers and authorities require us disobeying the words of God, we should know where our allegiance and priorities are.
Service to man, they say, is service to God. However, not all services to humanity are God-glorifying. As we make a conscious effort to be subjected to authority, we should also understand that any authority, institution, laws and regulations that contradicts the word of God should be approached with all caution. Our goal is to be ready to do whatever is good. For example, God created the world for humankind to dwell on it. Any activity that promotes the destruction of the natural vegetation, animals, hurting or extermination of humans, among others are activities we should stay away from. Whether you voted for your current leader or you did not vote, their authority over you should be viewed from the viewpoint of obedience not disobedience. Christianity is a lifestyle that must be lived intentionally. The rulers and authorities might not be our favourite people, yet, we are reminded to be subject unto them and be ready to do whatever is good. This is part of our salvation journey.
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