God’s Line of Authority
Copyright © Jules Dervaes
April 11, 1986
From the Worldwide Church of God
GN 3/62, Torrance: The Right Kind of Authority in the Home.
The Chain of Authority:
*Under this authority and yet also directly under Christ are the husbands.
(Husbands:) As the head of the house it is your duty to give your life in service to your family by encouraging, guiding, admonishing, and teaching them the way of life as Christ does the Church.
GN 4/83, Ward: Your Marriage-Shell or Substance
The structure for God’s government in the family is given in 1 Cor. 11:2-3. God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of the man and man is head of woman.
PT 6/66, Meredith: What All Husbands Need to Know
The area of character development is one also in which a really strong masculine husband should take the lead.
AC REPRINT: Prepare to Be a King
Strength of will and personality, infectious optimism and raw courage all of us admire.
To be this way, you must, of course, have a purpose in which you fervently believe—and for which you are willing to die if necessary.
The man who is bold and sure of his convictions will inspire the admiration and respect of his friends and associates. Any leader of men must have this bold power of decision, this sense of “captaincy” in storming the beaches of life, scaling the mountains and conquering all obstacles.
Judgment—be completely fair and impartial in the decision or action he may take. Learn to get wise counsel. Learn to admit your own mistakes. Then act on the truth with fairness and mercy.
Many times, he may have to make hard and unpleasant decisions. But make them he must. And he must see that they are carried out.
A great leader must have strength of will to dominate in any crucial situation to guide the affairs of his family, company or nation in the right way.
… Even though his course of action may sometimes be unpopular, a true leader will have the spiritual and mental resources to see it through and not be deterred by criticism or adversity.
… Must be willing to delegate authority. He will be thinking far more about what is “right” than what is expedient.
GN 1/61, Hoeh: How Far Does Church Government Extend into Your Life
As individuals we are not all of the same competence to determine what Scriptures say.
The Church authoritatively speaks by the ministry when it comes to making decisions which regulate the whole church.
God has given us a responsibility for your sake to intervene in special occasions in your personal life—in matters of adultery, drunkenness, utter laziness, etc.
GN 1/57, Mr. H. W. Armstrong: Christ Did Put Authority and Rule in His Church
Does God’s rule in His Church give ministers authority to intervene even in the personal life of members? Yes, but of course rarely and only in extreme cases where this is necessary (2 Thess. 3:10-11).
God’s ministers are required to use wisdom and judgment and they are never going to interfere in private lives unless there is a Bible reason.
It is never a matter of God’s ministers deciding what we, as humans, think is right and then imposing our beliefs or views on the other members. It is a matter of God, through Jesus Christ, leading through His Holy Spirit those in the Church that are the elders to understand what is God’s Law on the question.
GN 8/53 & 6/58, Hoeh: Government in Our Church
All offices in God’s Church are gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is God who created us with our natural talents and who adds to those talents, portions of His talents through the Holy Spirit.
Many of the gifts are offices with authority, but others are purely Spiritual gifts which belong not only to the ministry but to others also. These are the gifts of healing and speaking and interpreting foreign languages. There are the gifts of knowledge by which truth hidden for centuries is revealed, and the gifts of wisdom and faith.
All these gifts are distributed throughout the Church as God sees fit so that He may work through the Church and govern it. God, not man, decides who shall be given the responsibilities in carrying out His work.
GN 3/79, Meredith: Should You Help the Underdog
Once God had shown you where He is working in carrying the true gospel to the world and whom He is using in this ministry, you should obey them in matters of Church government and direction.
In matters of faith, you should follow them as they follow Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).
GN 6/79, Meredith: The Final Authority
Christians must be alert to the prophecy that even from among their leaders some would arise speaking perverse things—twisting God’s Word (Acts 20:29-31).
In order to recognize perverse teachings, and in order to grow in grace and knowledge, you need to pray and study God’s Word continually. If you do this intelligently you will never be deceived. Remember, the important test Christ gave us was to examine the fruits in a minister’s life and work. A false minister simply cannot produce the fruits—people converted in obedience to God’s law and His way.
So respect and obey God’s true ministers, but constantly study to acquire the mind of Christ (Phil. 2:5) and to perceive a deceiver who might arise.
And even then, if there is ever a case when you have a real conviction that one of God’s ministers is teaching something contrary to His will, you ought to “obey God rather than men.”
In all matters, then, it’s God’s opinion that really counts. He is the final authority!
God has specially called His ministers to act as His spokesman teaching the people His will. That authority is to be respected! It is not respect to the man, but to the office and to God who placed him in that office.
GN 6/79, Mr. H. W. Armstrong: A Correction
What I meant was that members should not disbelieve everything we teach and read the Bible for the purpose of trying to prove that we teach falsely … Therefore I do not encourage members to question all over again what we preach.
I most certainly have always encouraged all members to read and study the Bible continually—to increase in their own knowledge and understanding—but not to deliberately try to disagree with the Church and study for the purpose of disagreeing and causing dissension and division in the Church.
So understand, I certainly did not mean to say those in the Church must not study the Bible. Indeed everyone MUST! What I did mean is, if ever you think you see in your Bible that what I, or the Church teach is in error—or if you see a biblical TRUTH the Church does NOT preach, then you must not mention that to any other member, or to anyone except your local pastor or write to the Pasadena office or direct to me.
Richard Rice: How God Answers Prayer
A paraphrasing of his sermon:
God works through people. He also uses the Bible. He reveals His will when we meditate. He speaks through His ministers. He can work through natural circumstances. He still performs miracles.
He leads us to the answers to our prayers through His Holy Spirit. He can use trials to answer our prayers. Angels are used in answering prayer. Existing means can be used to show us the answer to our prayers.
After having asked God for His help, we may be meditating and thinking about the problem and the answer suddenly becomes clear in our mind, and we know just what we should do.
Through this kind of careful and prayerful examination God through His Holy Spirit can show you the answer to your problem or difficulty.
Because you have focused your mind on Him, God can use His Spirit to put the solution to the problem into your mind.
Bible CC Lesson 46, p.14: (Discernment Available to All)
Are brotherly love and discernment two more things to be sought through prayer, in order to bring forth the “fruits” of righteousness? Phil. 1:9-11.
Notice the word judgment in verse 9. This word means discernment—ability to perceive the difference between things good and bad, profitable or unprofitable…
These are the spiritual attributes the apostle Paul prayed that God would give individual Christians.
We need to pray God would give them to all of His people today so we may all grow up together in spiritual character to the stature of Jesus Christ (Eph. 4:13).
We find it all summed up in Ephesians 3:14-19.
PT 11/61, Meredith: What the Holy Spirit Can Do for You
In other words, God’s Holy Spirit will help you understand the Bible, remember it, and live it. It will also help you grow in understanding of spiritual truth and of the amazing prophecies of the Bible that are now being worked out here below.
Bible CC Lesson 11, p.11: (Divine Guidance Comes through Prayer)
A Christian may come boldly to the Father and Christ the Son in prayer to request help in whatever form necessary and can expect to receive it according to God’s will, if he is striving to please God in the way he conducts his life. Divine guidance, intervention, wisdom, understanding, inspiration, as well as protection, legitimate needs and power to do God’s will—all these and more are available through contact with God as made possible by His Spirit.
GN 12/59, Neff: How to Solve Your Personal Problems
We should go to God with all of these problems in prayer.
But how does God answer this request … Sometimes He does reveal the answer to us immediately…
In addition to seeking advice and wise counsel, we must learn to discern between good and evil…
Yes, you need to learn to decide many of these things for yourself. Don’t permit others to make all your decisions, to solve all your problems. If others make all your decisions for you, and solve all problems, you are not developing in the character and nature of God. You need to learn to stand on your own two feet, with God’s help. If you cannot learn to make decisions in this life, if you cannot develop the talents that God has given you, so that you can make wise decisions, how do you think God can use you in His Kingdom?
GN 7/78, Mr. H. W. Armstrong: (Actions Can Be Judged, Not Heart)
We can judge a person’s actions as being either in conformity or not with God’s law. But can we judge the heart? No.
What happens if a minister judges the intent, thoughts, and beliefs of a brother? God’s answer—Deuteronomy 19:16-20.
From the Bible-Growth and Maturity FOR ALL:
(Eph. 4:13) … until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
(Col. 2:2) My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ.
(Philemon 6) I pray that you may be active in your faith so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
(Phil. 2:13) …for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to His good purpose.
(Phil. 3:15) All of us who are mature should take such a view of things. And if on some point you think differently, that too God will make clear to you.
(Heb. 5:14) But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
(Heb. 8:10) This is the covenant I will make with the House of Israel after that time, declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their mind and write them on their hearts.
(Rom. 15:14) I myself am convinced my brothers that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.
(1 Cor. 14:39) Therefore, my brothers, be eager to prophesy and do not forbid speaking in tongues.
(2 Pet. 3:18) But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord…
(Col. 1:9) For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
(Col. 4:12) Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus… is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.
(Rom. 12:2) Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
(Phil. 1:10) …So that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ.
(James 1:4-5) Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.
(Eph. 1:17) I keep asking that God of our Lord Jesus Christ … may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know Him better.
(1 John 2:20) But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
(1 John 2:27) As for you, the anointing you received from Him remains in you and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in Him.
(Heb. 10:19) Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus.
(Heb. 13:20) May the God of peace … equip you with everything good for doing His will and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him…
(Heb. 4:15) Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
MY PERSONAL BELIEFS:
Ministers are to clarify doctrines and carry out church policies.
But the OFFICE of husband was founded at the time of creation. It existed before there was a Church, before there was a priesthood, before there were ministers. The authority in the family pre-dated any other human authority. This office must be respected. It was the original office established by God.
Ministers are to back that authority that exists in the home. They are not to come between husband and wife except if there is known sin involved. They are not to usurp the authority of the husband, not to arbitrate between husband and wife. They are to respect that office that God instituted. They are not to replace it or work around it. They are bound to uphold it.
The purpose of the ministry is that of teaching and edifying. It is not to perpetuate an office, not to create a dependency, not to take the place of God. It is definitely not to interpret the Bible by reading in its own understanding and not to establish its own opinions as standards of conduct. It is not to use disfellowshipping, etc., as an offensive weapon.
A minister is a teacher. And the well-known, ultimate goal of every true teacher is this: to make oneself no longer necessary.
I believe in the teachings of the Church, as stated in this paper; and, to my knowledge, no corrections have ever been made to these teachings. Is the ministry divided against itself?
I know that I personally have received understanding from the Bible and I have received answers directly from God through prayer. I stand by my convictions.
Jules Dervaes
PRESENTED TO MR. ALBRECHT ON APRIL 11, 1986