Take Me to Your Leader

In this world there are all sorts of authority structures. Let's call them "spheres of authority." So, for instance, you might be the master of your home. No one else determines how it is decorated or what goes on in there. But, of course, you fall in the sphere of some authorities. So the city may have laws that you must observe with your house or the county or state or ... well, you get the idea. Biblically, wives are commanded to submit to their husbands, but not to all husbands or all men. So a husband has a sphere of authority over his wife that not all husbands have. Further, each sphere of authority seems itself to be under other authority. We are under city government which is under county government which is under state government which is under federal government which is, in a grand loop, under the people. Authority everywhere. Just about every human being is in authority somewhere, somehow, and every human being is also under authority. So what is all this nonsense about "Sovereignty"?

In Paul's first letter to Timothy, he makes a unique claim.

[Jesus Christ] is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. (1 Tim 6:15-16)

I call it unique because of the "only" and "alone" terms in it. God "alone" possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light. It is so unique that no man has seen or can see it. But the one I'm particularly keen on here is that He is the "only Sovereign." Now, we just covered the fact that this isn't true, didn't we? Didn't we just agree that all humans have some sovereignty over something? How is He, then, the only Sovereign? Well, clearly, because He's the ultimate Sovereign. He alone has no one over Him. You can see this is the intent when Paul says He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That is, sure, there are other kings and other lords, but He is above all. In the same sense, there are other sovereigns, but He is above all. Or, as Jesus said, ""All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matt 28:18). Ultimately, He is the ultimate authority.

This isn't a moot point. It's neither pointless nor impractical. We live in a sin-sick world where people buy wrongheaded notions like "gender is a social construct" or "we can stop inflation by increasing government spending and increasing costs to the public" or ... well, I'm sure you can think of a list of them. We demand inclusivity and do it by excluding people. We require respect for human life and claim that this includes respecting the wanton destruction of human life. And, of course, Scripture promises that "all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Tim 3:12). Things look bleak. But they're not if you understand that God is the only Sovereign, that all things conform to His ultimate will (Eph 1:11), that He works all things together for good (Rom 8:28), that He does whatever pleases Him (Psa 115:3), that nothing is too hard for Him (Jer 32:17), that not even us humans can prevent His will (Prov 19:21). There are indeed other spheres of authority. You're in some of them. But all of them fall under one overarching sphere -- God's -- and He never fails.

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen. (Rom 11:36)