Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 2
The teaching claims authority is “everywhere” as part of God’s creation order (mother/father, siblings, church, government); where do you feel the most internal resistance to that idea, and what does that resistance expose about what you believe God is like?
Another way to ask: If authority is part of God’s design everywhere (family, church, government), where do you push back the most inside, and what does that show about how you see God?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
The transcript suggests our resistance often shows a deeper struggle with trusting God’s order, especially when authority is flawed. Where you feel pushback may reveal whether you believe God’s design is for your good—or mainly a threat.
- He says authority is “everywhere in our society…a part of how God has put it into order,” starting with a baby’s mother/father and extending to “church authority, government authority.”
- He acknowledges the common explanation: “we struggle with authority…because of bad authority,” listing “bad governments…bad church leaders…bad parents.”
- Yet he insists the bigger issue is the “whole problem with submission,” implying the resistance is internal, not only external.
- He frames the core decision as “submit…or rebel,” even when you “don’t have a choice whether you have good parents or bad parents.”
- In the closing verse he ties it to God’s character: “God resists the proud and giveth grace to the humble,” and even says if you resist God’s order “God…is against you.”