Cutting Straight the Word of the Truth on the Divine Order
in the Church (Part 3)
Is There Really No Word for Us to Obey the Elders?
As the highest authority and origin of all authorities, God has been ruling and upholding the entire universe with His authority since the beginning of the world. Both the fall of man and the fall of the universe had their source in rebellion. Rebellion had thrown off authority. Since the fall, the center of dispute in the whole universe became one which relates to who has the authority. Satan tried to usurp authority by rejecting God’s authority and rebelled against it. As His church, it is our responsibility to contend with Satan by asserting that authority is with God. We have to set ourselves to submit to God’s authority and to uphold God’s authority in the heaven and His delegated authority on earth. We must meet God’s authority face to face and have a basic realization of it and take the lead in submitting to the headship that God has arranged for us in the administration of His economy.
Especially since three articles of late in the dissenting sister’s website challenged God’s authority in the church head-on, namely: “Albert Einstein Quotes,” “The Three Cases of Disobedience that were Followed by God’s Blessing” (in Tagalog), and “Democracy, Autocracy, Theocracy,” it is important for the saints to have an accurate knowledge and discernment of the proper authority in the church to rightly follow the Lord.
Three Dissenting Contentions
In the first article, the dissenting sister misquoted and misapplied Einstein’s quote that “Blind belief in authority is the greatest enemy of truth.” These famous words, contained in his letter to Professor Jost Winteler on July 8, 1901, were revolutionary and instrumental to the advancement of new ideas in the sciences, but used by atheists and agnostics widely in the last century to attack the Christian faith. Albert Einstein himself was not a Christian. Why did the sister quote an eminent physicist who was not a Christian in teaching the Bible and spiritual principles? The answer is obvious: she intended to use secular bases to challenge authority by first casting serious doubts on authority itself, and then considered obedience or submission to it as “blind belief in authority,” creating a straw man for her to attack.
In the second article, she revealed that her call for disobedience to authority is not against God’s authority directly but against God’s deputy authority on earth, citing the three instances of man’s disobedience against Pharaoh’s order in Exodus chapters 1 and 2 that were “followed by God’s blessing” to buttress her argument which questions the need to obey the delegated authority. In trying to muddle up the truth, she wrongly compares proper delegated authorities to usurpers of authority. Why is the dissenting sister teaching, encouraging, and promoting disobedience to God’s deputy authority while a wealth of ministry speaking of brothers Nee and Lee adhere to the Scriptures in stressing the importance and the need to obey and submit to them? Such misplaced emphasis requires our utmost attention.
In the third article, she made it clear that the deputy authority the saints need not necessarily obey or submit to are none other than the elders in the church when she claimed that “no where can one find words saying: "obey the elders"” and equated such a word to “autocracy.” Is it really so? Is there no word for us to “obey the elders?” Or is this another untruth being taught by the dissonant sister?
From her different teaching that “it is unscriptural to say that sisters need to submit to brothers,” which we have dealt with at length previously in several articles, she now develops another system of error by teaching further that “it is unscriptural to say that the saints need to obey the elders.” A careful study of the Scriptures based on the ministry of brothers Nee and Lee yields results which are the exact opposite of what the dissenting sister is claiming, thereby proving once again that we must stay away from her teachings as they are erroneous, unscriptural and different from the apostles’ teaching.
Regarding Obedience and Submission to God’s Deputy Authority
Both brothers Nee and Lee taught that it is God’s desire that the saints, especially the workers, submit not only to His authority, but also to His deputy authority:
“We have to submit to God’s authority as well as to His deputy authority. Other than in Acts 9:4-15, which speaks of the Lord’s direct authority, the Lord entrusts His authority to deputy authorities in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. One may say that almost all authorities are entrusted to man. Many think that this means submitting to man. But if you have met authority, you will know that this is God’s deputy authority.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 7, Section 4, LSM)
“A worker must touch authority. He must not only submit to direct authority but also to deputy authority.” (W. Lee, Watchman Nee—A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, Chapter 24, Section 7, LSM)
From the Scriptures, it is clear that God has appointed the elders as the deputy authority in the church to carry out the authority of the Head:
“God has appointed authorities in many places. In the family there are husbands, parents, and masters. Above us there are rulers and officers. In the church there are elders and workers.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 20, Section 1, LSM) *
“The elders in a local church are God’s deputy authority. Dealing with them is a solemn thing before God. Hence, the apostle solemnly charged Timothy before God, Christ, and the angels to do it in such a way that the chosen angels, the good angels with God’s authority, may see that His authority is established and maintained among His redeemed people on earth.” (W. Lee, Life-Study of 1 Timothy, Chapter 10, Section 2, LSM) *
“Brother Nee answered: The authority of the local church is in the hands of the elders.” (W. Lee, Messages Given During the Resumption of Watchman Nee's Ministry (2 volume set), Chapter 78, Section 3, LSM) *
“In the local churches there are the elders (1 Tim. 5:17a), and in the work there are the leading co-workers (1 Cor. 3:10a). All these are deputy authorities, carrying out the authority of the Head.” (W. Lee, The Oneness and the One Accord according to the Lord's Aspiration and the Body Life and Service according to His Pleasure, Chapter 3, Section 4, LSM) *
“The New Testament shows us clearly that the authority of the church is entrusted to the elders and is completely in the hands of the elders.” (W. Lee, The Elders' Management of the Church, Chapter 1, Section 9, LSM) *
Moreover, we see from the ministry speaking of both brothers Watchman Nee and Witness Lee in their exposition of the Word that the saints need to obey the elders, whom God has established as His deputy authority in the church:
“First Timothy 5:17 says, ‘Let the elders who take the lead well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and teaching.’ We should obey the elders who take the lead in the church.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 24, Section 5, LSM) *
“Hebrews 13:17 says, ‘Obey the ones leading you and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who will render an account….’ We all need to obey the leading ones. This does not mean that the elders exercise authority over us; it means that as those who are older and more experienced, they take the lead and we need to follow them. To obey means to follow.” (W. Lee, Truth Messages, Chapter 3, Section 4, LSM) *
“According to the divine revelation in the holy Word, there is also deputy authority in God's economy, both in the Old Testament, such as with Moses and the priests who taught the people the divine oracle, and in the New Testament, such as with the elders, who take care of the church (1 Tim. 3:5; 5:17; Heb. 13:17), and the apostles, who establish the churches and teach the saints (2 Cor. 10:8; 13:10; 1 Cor. 4:21). In Hebrews 13:17 Paul said, ‘Obey the ones leading you and submit to them.’” (W. Lee, The Practice of the Church Life according to the God-ordained Way, Chapter 3, Section 4, LSM) *
Both brothers Nee and Lee stressed that our attitude towards the elders should not just be one of outward obeying in conduct and behavior, but of inward submission in motive and attitude, in the same manner as we submit to the Lord:
“God shows us through the Bible that the brothers who are bearing responsibility before the Lord, who are called overseers, and who serve as the elders, are the ones who represent His authority in the church. The rest of the brothers must learn to take a submissive stand before God. Everyone among us should learn submission…. We must learn to submit to God, and not to Him only, but also to the authority God has appointed on earth—the church. We must submit to God’s ordained authority in the church, that is, the responsible brothers…. We must be subject to the deputy authority of God in the church….” (W. Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, Vol. 3, Chapter 16, Section 9, LSM) *
“We have seen one aspect of the matter of authority, and now we must consider another aspect. Hebrews 13:17 says, ‘Obey the ones leading you and submit to them.’ Three times in Hebrews 13 there are references to the leading ones (vv. 7, 17, and 24). We thank the Lord that in His recovery He has given us a number of leading ones. The elders are leading ones, those who take the lead.” (W. Lee, The Spirit and the Body, Chapter 21, Section 3, LSM) *
“In the local churches we have elders. According to the light of the truth, they are the authority in the church, and the brothers and sisters should submit to them (Acts 15:2; 1 Thes. 5:12-13; 1 Tim. 5:17; 1 Pet. 5:5).” (W. Lee, Three Aspects of the Church: The Meaning of the Church, Book 1, Chapter 16, Section 1, LSM) *
“The elders are the authorities in the local church. All the brothers have to submit to the elders…. The elders are the highest deputy authority in a local church.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 20, Section 2, LSM) *
“Finally, we have seen that the elders in the Lord, those who take the lead among us, also represent the Body of Christ. All of these constitute God’s authority. They are the deputy authority of God among us, and we must submit to them and honor them. We must inquire of them and listen to them.” (W. Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, Vol. 3, Chapter 16, Section 10, LSM) *
The Bible reveals that God needs a group of people who, by obeying and submitting to His deputy authority, uphold His authority; this is something no one can overturn:
“We should obey God, and we should obey those whom He has chosen. God needs a group of people who will submit to deputy authority. God desires to see men who will be sensitive to His authority as soon as it is manifested. Such ones are obedient and submissive, and they uphold God's authority.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 16, Section 4, LSM) *
“We should obey the ones who watch over our souls as those who will render an account (Heb. 13:17). Therefore, submission to the elders is something that no one can overturn.” (W. Nee, The Assembly Life, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
As God’s deputy authority in the church, aside from ministering to the saints, the elders also manage and decide on matters such as offerings, church meetings, and preaching:
“The elders should manage the matters related to the church meetings and preaching…. We must wait until the responsible brothers announce in the meeting that certain people will have meetings in their homes before we can all go. Otherwise, these kinds of meetings in the homes should not be held. It does not mean that we have no personal liberty. But we should submit to God's authority and control and enjoy the liberty of the limitations of the meetings…. Therefore, the brothers have to pay attention to this matter, learn to submit to authority, and not do things that the elders have not endorsed.” (W. Nee, The Assembly Life, Chapter 1, Section 3, LSM) *
“Acts 7 mentions that the offerings of material goods in the church were committed to the elders. This is proof that the elders are the deputy authorities in the church…. Therefore, the elders are without a doubt the deputy authorities that God has established in the church.” (W. Lee, The Vision of the Building of the Church, Chapter 10, Section 5, LSM) *
Just as God is confident in establishing His deputy authority and dares to entrust and commit Himself absolutely to the elders, we should also have confidence in them, honor them, and dare to submit ourselves to them:
“We should be confident in submitting to the authority which God is confident in establishing. If there is a mistake, it is not our mistake. It is the mistake of the authority. The Lord says that every person should be subject to the authorities over him (Rom. 13:1). There is more difficulty on God’s part than on our part. When God trusts man, we can as well. When God is confident about His trust, we should be even more so.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 7, Section 3, LSM) *
“If God dares to trust those who are entrusted as authorities, then we should dare to submit.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 7, Section 3, LSM) *
“God entrusts His authority to man absolutely…. We have to believe that God has entrusted Himself to His deputy authority. He will surely honor the authority He has appointed.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 19, Section 4, LSM) *
“Since God dares to commit Himself to the deputy authority, we should dare to submit ourselves to the same.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 19, Section 4, LSM) *
We submit to the elders because they are the Lord’s deputy authority in the church and because in doing so we are submitting to the authority of the Head:
“In order to manifest His authority in the church, God appoints elders in each of the local churches to represent His authority. Another name for elders is overseers, which bears the connotation of authority. The Bible tells us to submit to these ones because they represent authority. All authorities are there to represent God. Therefore, the authority of the elders is for representing and expressing God’s authority.” (W. Nee, The Assembly Life, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
“All the brothers and sisters in the church have to learn to submit to the authority of the elders. We obey the elders because they are the Lord's deputy authority in the church…. God wants all the believers to practice submission in the church…. In the church the elders act as God's deputy authority. God wants us to learn submission. If a man truly knows authority, he will learn to submit.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 61: Matured Leadings in the Lord's Recovery (1), Chapter 20, Section 3, LSM) *
“We obey the elders because we submit to the authority of the Head. We are not submitting to the authority of man but to Christ, the Head of the church, recognizing His authority in the church.” (W. Lee, The Organization of the Church, p. 40, LSM) *
We need to submit to God’s delegated authority in the church even if they are not perfect and may be wrong sometimes, for as long as they do not deviate from the truth and the fellowship of the Body, it is our responsibility to submit to their leading, to honor both the Head and the Body that they represent:
“It is not God’s intention that we listen to the authority that He has established because this person is perfect. Rather, God says that this person’s authority is higher than ours; therefore, we need to listen to him. We do not listen to this person because he is more perfect than we are. We need to listen to him because he is in front of us. The basis for obedience is not that the one to whom you listen is perfect. The basis for obedience is whether or not the one to whom you listen is in front of you. If something goes wrong, he bears the responsibility.” (W. Nee, Church Affairs, Chapter 10, Section 3, LSM) *
“You should honor not only those who can fulfill such a ministry but also those who cannot…. Finally, we have seen that the elders in the Lord, those who take the lead among us, also represent the Body of Christ. All of these constitute God's authority. They are the deputy authority of God among us, and we must submit to them and honor them.” (W. Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers (3), Chapter 16, Section 10, LSM) *
“A deputy authority may be wrong, but it is not our business to criticize him. Our business is to submit to authority.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 15, Section 4, LSM) *
In the manner that the elders have the authority which comes from resurrection life, we must submit to the elders because of life and in the Spirit of resurrection:
“It is the same today. The elders and ministers of the divine Word must have the authority which comes from resurrection life.” (W. Lee, Life-Study of Hebrews, Chapter 40, Section 3, LSM) *
“We should submit to the elders because of life, not because of regulation; we should submit to them in the Spirit of resurrection, not based on doctrine. As brothers and sisters in the church, we should submit to the elders, who are the authority in the church.” (W. Lee, Three Aspects of the Church: The Meaning of the Church, Book 1, Chapter 16, Section 1, LSM) *
In submitting to God’s deputy authority, we need much grace, humility, brokenness and tearing down of our natural man, keeping the self out, and living in the spirit:
“Not only so, we also need much grace to submit to the elders. There is the need to be the elders, and there is the need to submit to the elders.” (W. Lee, Basic Principles for the Practice of the Church Life, Chapter 2, Section 5, LSM) *
“We cannot refuse submission to authority. We have to ask God to humble us. If we cannot be an ‘elder,’ we should submit to others who are the ‘elders.’ We should learn to be submissive persons.” (W. Nee, The Assembly Life, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
“There is no need for humility for one to submit to God’s direct authority. But there must be humility and brokenness for one to submit to the deputy authority.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 7, Section 4, LSM) *
“Although we know that we should submit to the authority of the elders and the older saints, sometimes nothing can force us to submit to them. Our ability to submit to authority depends on the lessons we have learned from the Lord’s hand by being torn down by the Lord.” (W. Lee, The Church as the Body of Christ, Chapter 16, Section 2, LSM) *
“Obedience is the other end of authority. In order to have obedience, one must first keep the self out of the picture. One must not try to obey with the self. There the possibility of obedience only by living in the spirit. Obedience is the highest expression of response to God's will.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
God demands absolute and unconditional submission to His deputy authority:
“Those who submit to authority need only to submit absolutely. Even if they make a mistake through submission, the Lord will not reckon that as sin. The Lord will hold the deputy authority responsible for that sin.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 7, Section 3, LSM) *
“In our attitude we should be absolute in submission to those in authority.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 60: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (2), Chapter 27, Section 4, LSM) *
“We can find no clearer picture of man's requirement to submit to deputy authority in the Bible than in Numbers 30. There we see God asking man to submit to deputy authority unconditionally.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 47: The Orthodoxy of the Church & Authority and Submission, Chapter 33, Section 2, LSM) *
Just as submission is the nature of the Lord’s life, it is a virtue, characteristic, and nature of God’s children to obey:
“Submission is the nature of the Lord's life. It is for our protection to submit to God's authority.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, The (Set 3) Vol. 57: The Resumption of Watchman Nee's Ministry, Chapter 25, Section 3, LSM) *
“It is a characteristic of God's children to obey. This is the way a person acts when he touches authority.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 16, Section 3, LSM) *
“Therefore, obedience is a characteristic of a Christian. The name Christian implies those who obey. It is better to call a believer an ‘obeyer.’ A Christian is an ‘obeyer’ because this is the virtue, characteristic, and nature of God's children. God can only get what He wants from the church because outside the realm of the church everything is in rebellion against God. If we do not express God's authority in the church, we have given up His very own nature.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 17, Section 1, LSM) *
Submitting to the authority of the elders is necessary and essential to keep the oneness for the building up of the Body; one who does not submit to the elders tears down the building:
“There is also delegated authority in the Body of Christ. The New Testament shows us clearly that in the local church there must be a government with elders appointed by apostles (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). The Bible tells us that the elders are the leading ones (Rom. 12:8). If we would maintain a good order in the house of God, we must have the leading ones, and according to Hebrews 13:17, all the saints should obey them and submit to them. This is necessary for the building up of the church.” (W. Lee, The Organic Building Up of the Church as the Body of Christ to be the Organism of the Processed and Dispensing Triune God, Chapter 5, Section 3, LSM) *
“Submitting to the authority of the elders is essential to keep the oneness for the building up of the Body…. Not being one with the elders and not submitting to their authority leads to spiritual suicide. A local church not in fellowship with the apostles cannot go on. Likewise, saints that do not submit to the authority of the elders cannot be built up…. By submitting to the authority of the elders, all the saints will be shepherded into life and be perfected to build up the church.” (W. Lee, Lesson Book, Level 5: The Church—The Vision and Building Up of the Church, Chapter 15, Section 6, LSM) *
“Whether the elders make right or wrong decisions is not our problem. Our need is to submit to them. It is difficult to believe that one who does not submit to the elders can produce people who are broken, deny themselves, place themselves under God’s hand, and submit to others. The best they can do is produce ones with views and opinions that tear down instead of build up the church.” (W. Lee, The Administration of the Church and the Ministry of the Word, Chapter 3, Section 1, LSM) *
It is crucial for the whole church and the serving ones, especially the co-workers, to be exemplars in helping the saints to submit to the elders:
“Therefore, those who are doing the work of the apostles should lead the brothers to acknowledge the ones who should be appointed as ‘elders’ and help the brothers submit to these ‘elders.’” (W. Nee, The Assembly Life, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
“All the brothers and sisters have to learn to submit to authority…. The whole church must help the brothers and sisters submit to authority.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 61: Matured Leadings in the Lord's Recovery (1), Chapter 20, Section 3, LSM) *
Only those who met authority and submit to authority can lead others to learn the way of authority and submission and minister God’s word:
“Only those who have met authority can lead others to learn submission…. If a man has not met authority and does not know the principle of submission to authority, he cannot bring others into the way of submission and authority.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 11, Section 2, LSM) *
“If we cannot submit to authority, how can we expect others to submit to authority?” (W. Nee, The Assembly Life, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
“Only one who touches authority and learns to obey can be the authority and can minister God's Word.” (W. Lee, Watchman Nee—A Seer of the Divine Revelation in the Present Age, Chapter 24, Section 7, LSM) *
Regarding Disobedience to and Rebellion Against God’s Deputy Authority
It is unscriptural to claim and teach that there is no deputy authority in the church and that we can merely be under the direct headship of Christ and only submit to God’s direct authority:
“The opposing ones have also rejected the truth concerning deputy authority, claiming that they are under the direct headship of Christ. This is nonsense…. According to the divine revelation in the holy Word, there is also deputy authority in God's economy, both in the Old Testament, such as with Moses and the priests who taught the people the divine oracle, and in the New Testament, such as with the elders, who take care of the church (1 Tim. 3:5; 5:17; Heb. 13:17), and the apostles, who establish the churches and teach the saints (2 Cor. 10:8; 13:10; 1 Cor. 4:21). In Hebrews 13:17 Paul said, ‘Obey the ones leading you and submit to them.’” (W. Lee, The Practice of the Church Life according to the God-ordained Way, Chapter 3, Section 4, LSM) *
“According to our rebellious nature, we are happy only to submit to God's direct authority; we have no respect for His appointed deputy authority…. A man cannot overturn God's deputy authority; he cannot make an excuse by saying that he is submitting to God's direct authority…. Here we find God establishing His deputy authority.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 19, Section 4, LSM) *
“If there is no deputy authority in the church, why are there elders? …. Surely, Christ is the Head, and the authority is the Spirit, but we still need elders in the church. Without elders, the church would be in anarchy.” (W. Lee, Life-Study of Numbers, Chapter 8, Section 3, LSM) *
“We cannot rebel against the deputy authority while claiming that we are obeying God. What a solemn matter deputy authority is!” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 19, Section 4, LSM) *
God is mindful of the matter of not obeying the deputy authority He ordained for men. He considers those who reject His deputy authority as rejecting Him, those who dislike His representatives as disliking God Himself, and those who disobey and do not listen to the elders as disobeying Him and rebelling against the Holy Spirit:
“In God’s eyes all those who rejected His servants rejected Him. We cannot hearken to God’s word, yet refuse the word of His deputy authority…. This is because the rejection of deputy authority is a rejection of the Lord Himself. Only foolish ones will want the deputy authority to fail. He who dislikes God's representative dislikes God Himself. Man's rebellious nature likes to submit to God's direct authority, but reject God's appointed deputy authority.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 7, Section 4, LSM) *
“The young brothers and sisters should remember that in disobeying the responsible brothers, they are disobeying God…. They should know that they are rebelling against the authority of the Holy Spirit when they do not listen to the elders. This is the meaning of submitting to authority.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 61: Matured Leadings in the Lord's Recovery (1), Chapter 20, Section 3, LSM) *
Brothers Nee and Lee taught us that those who refuse to submit to elders are like ones who have brought their conscience into bondage, like animals without reason, and antagonizers who deserve to be ignored, marked out, and refused from fellowship:
“There is an explicit injunction in the Bible to submit to elders and apostles…. If we have not met or found our deputy authority, it simply means that we are, in Peter's words, animals without reason. No remark can be stronger than this one. If someone wants to offend authority, let him offend; but as for us, we choose to submit absolutely. The Lord rebukes the antagonizers. They either fall down or slide back. If they remain in the church, we can ignore them, mark them out, and refuse to communicate with them.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 24, Section 3, LSM) *
“The fear within those who are not willing to obey the elders in a local church or the apostles in the churches might, according to their feeling, bring their conscience into bondage…. Regardless of what the fear is due to, it is always better to obey the elders in a church or the apostles among the churches at the same time as one obeys the Lord, rather than to obey only the Lord without caring for the elders in the church or the apostles among the churches.” (W. Lee, The Intrinsic Problem in the Lord's Recovery Today and Its Scriptural Remedy, Chapter 4, Section 7, LSM) *
Brother Nee also considered a refusal to submit to God’s appointed authority as lawlessness, making such ones followers of Antichrist:
“Although the elders should not lord it over us, we should submit to the God-appointed authority as our part. God has ordained two things in eternity: authority and submission. But many believers do not like to submit to authority. The world is filled with lawlessness today. I am afraid that the mystery of this lawlessness has become manifest in the church.” (W. Nee, The Assembly Life, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
“Now is the time that lawless ones will appear as the Bible predicted. If we are not careful, and if we refuse to submit to authority, we are not following Christ but following Antichrist instead.” (W. Nee, The Assembly Life, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
Brother Nee said that a person who does not submit to authority is useless, having lost his standing as a brother, and is not qualified to touch God’s work or work for the Lord:
“If we do not submit to them, we have a problem. A person who tries to confront God's deputy authority always runs into problems…. A person is useless if he continues to criticize the government, those in authority, parents, superiors, or elders in the church.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 15, Section 4, LSM) *
“It does not matter if an elder is a good representation or a bad one. One should submit to the elders as long as the authority is from God. Whoever does not submit to the authority of the church has lost his standing as a brother.” (W. Nee, The Assembly Life, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
“If we cannot submit to His deputy authority, or if we say that we do not sense God's authority on earth today, we are not qualified to touch God's work; we cannot work for the Lord.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 15, Section 4, LSM) *
Lastly, the authority of excommunication and of quarantine, informing the saints as to whom they should turn away from is in the hands of the elders:
“The New Testament shows us clearly that the authority of the church is entrusted to the elders and is completely in the hands of the elders…. The authority of excommunication was in the hands of the elders in Corinth…. All the authority in the church is entrusted to the elders.” (W. Lee, The Elders’ Management of the Church, Chapter 1, Section 9, LSM) *
“Romans 16:17 says, ‘Now I exhort you, brothers, to mark those who make divisions and causes of stumbling contrary to the teaching which you have learned, and turn away from them.’ We should not listen to those who are here purposely to criticize us; we should turn away from them. In the future, when some brothers are raised up from the assembly to serve as elders, they can inform the other brothers as to whom they should turn away from and whom they should not turn away from. The other brothers should then obey the elders.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 24, Section 5, LSM) *
The Difference Between Philadelphia and Laodicea is Related to the Disobedience to Elders
Beyond her erroneous claims that there is no word that tells us we must obey the elders, which we have sufficiently proven otherwise, the dissenting sister has also continually attacked her local church and its elders in particular. It is evident that the elders of the church where the dissenting sister met were strongly opposed to the different teachings she had been propounding and did not support her eccentric practices. Apart from a handful of supporters, most of the saints in the locality also do not subscribe to the same. For this reason, the dissenting sister repeatedly portrayed in her various writings that the church there is a “Philadelphia becoming Laodicea.” Conversely, however, a closer look at the Scriptures, based on what was taught by Brother Nee in relation to the church’s attitude towards God’s deputy authority in the church, shows instead that there is a marked difference between obedience and disobedience that invariably spells the striking distinction between Philadelphia and Laodicea:
“Finally, we have seen that the elders in the Lord, those who take the lead among us, also represent the Body of Christ. All of these constitute God’s authority. They are the deputy authority of God among us, and we must submit to them and honor them. We must inquire of them and listen to them. If we practice this, the Lord’s name and His word will be magnified in our midst, and we will be Philadelphia indeed.” (W. Nee, Messages for Building Up New Believers, Vol. 3, Chapter 16, Section 10, LSM) *
“The word ‘people’ is the most common word in modern politics. Yet we have to realize that ‘the people’ here refers to the people in the church. From its name, we see that Laodicea is a church of people's ruling. Here we see the believers rising up for independence and self-rule. They oppose the authority of their spiritual leaders.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 1) Vol. 05: The Christian (3), Chapter 4, Section 2, LSM) *
Blind Belief in Authority or Blind to the Scriptural Revelation on Authority?
Those who are proud and self-confident to rebel against God by rejecting His deputy authority are in fact blind to the way God upholds His authority on earth and in the church:
“God exercises the utmost of His strength to uphold His authority. His authority is stronger than anything else. We who are so self-confident, but who are in reality so blind, have to come face-to-face at least once with God's authority. Only when we are broken can we come into submission. Then we will begin to learn what God's authority is. Only when a man meets God's authority will he submit to the deputy authority whom God appoints.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 1, Section 2, LSM) *
“We have to see that every authority is from God. Only a rebellious and proud man is blind to authority; only he will not submit to God's deputy authority.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 15, Section 4, LSM) *
“If our eyes are blind to the way God upholds His authority, nothing more can be said. But if our eyes are opened to this matter, we will realize that God will sacrifice anything but His authority. Unlike Michael, we are the new creation, and we do not have to be under Satan. God has never entrusted man to Satan, but we still should learn the principle of submission from Michael. Michael would not rebuke Satan. He only said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.’ Those who have this kind of attitude know God's authority. The book of Jude teaches us to submit to God's authority in this kind of way.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 15, Section 4, LSM) *
Those who are spiritually blinded only have “clear eyes” to see what the natural, fallen, and rebellious world sees, and this results in losing God’s promised blessing. Hence, we need to be “apparently blind” to the fallen reasonings and rebellious thoughts, delivered from a life of reasons, in order that we may enter into the enjoyment of God’s blessings to the church:
“Those who do not submit to authority have clear eyes, but they only see the desolation in the wilderness. Only those who are apparently blind, who probe forward by faith, ignoring the present desolation, can enter into Canaan. Those on the spiritual pathway see the future promise of blessing by the eyes of faith. Therefore, one must meet authority, be restricted by God, and be led by His deputy authority…. In any case, the matter of authority is an inward revelation rather than an outward teaching.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 3, Section 4, LSM) *
“Those who submit to authority do not act by sight. A servant of the Lord must be blind. He must be delivered from a life of reasons. Reasoning in the heart is the first cause of rebellion. Hence, if we do not deal thoroughly with reasons, it is impossible to stop the words. If we are not delivered from reasons, they will issue forth in reviling words sooner or later.” (W. Nee, Authority and Submission, Chapter 9, Section 4, LSM) *
“A man often does not have spiritual eyesight unless his fleshly eyes first become blind. If a man has spiritual eyesight and is under God's authority, he will see that Canaan is a fact and the wilderness an empty mirage. All those who submit to authority with blind eyes will enter Canaan.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 14, Section 6, LSM) *
“Once we know God's glory and authority, our reasonings and rebellious thoughts will go away. May the Lord have mercy on us so that the eyes of our understanding would not be blinded by Satan through our reasonings and thoughts. May we not take the way of the recovery in vain. May the Lord deliver us from all reasons, all spirits of rebellion, and all defiant thoughts.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 59: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (1), Chapter 22, Section 3, LSM) *
Three Cases of Disobedience and God’s Blessing
While the Holy Word as expounded through the ministry of brothers Nee and Lee provides ample support for the obedience and submission to God as well as His deputy authority, and denounces any form of rebellion against them, the dissenting sister’s teaching is headed in the opposite direction. One of her latest article cited three instances of the Israelites’ disobedience to Pharaoh’s order in Exodus chapters 1 and 2 that were nonetheless “followed by God’s blessings” to buttress her argument which challenges the need to obey the delegated authority. In doing so, however, she succeeded only in exposing her spirit of insurrection and of her intention to instigate doubts and rebellion against the elders, co-workers, and responsible ones whom she continues to disparage up to this day. While quoting from the Scriptures and from the ministry on the surface, there are many vital points about the incidents she cited which she obfuscated from her readers:
First, the sister did not tell us that in the Bible, Pharaoh typifies Satan, whom, naturally, God’s children should not obey:
“Both Genesis and Exodus contain pictures of the spiritual experiences described in the New Testament…. Pharaoh portrays Satan, and Egypt depicts the rich, productive aspect of the world.” (W. Lee, Life-Study of Exodus, Chapter 1, Section 3, LSM) *
“Pharaoh symbolizes the usurping Satan and our Satan-possessed and usurped self.” (W. Lee, Life-Study of Exodus, Chapter 13, Section 3, LSM) *
Second, the sister did not tell us that the law which Pharaoh decreed was itself a lawless order which goes against God’s will. Hence, it should not be obeyed in the first place:
“Pharaoh ordered all the Hebrews to kill their male children. The midwives did not obey this order, yet the Bible says that God dealt well with them (Exo. 1:20). Moses' mother did not obey the order of Pharaoh (2:1-2), yet Hebrews 11 praised her faith. This is because Pharaoh's law was itself a lawless order. In the New Testament Peter and John were acting under the same principle when they disobeyed the order of the high priest.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 57: The Resumption of Watchman Nee's Ministry, Chapter 25, Section 3, LSM) *
Third, the sister did not tell us that the disobedience of the ones whom she cited in Exodus 1 and 2 was out of their fear of Jehovah, and not out of a rebellious spirit:
“If the law of a state clearly contradicts God's commandment, we cannot obey it. In Exodus Pharaoh ordered the midwives to kill all the male babies born of Hebrew women. Moses' mother and the midwife kept Moses out of their fear of Jehovah. The book of Hebrews praises them as examples of faith (11:23). In every circumstance we have to obey God's commandment.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 60: Miscellaneous Records of the Kuling Training (2), Chapter 27, Section 4, LSM) *
Brother Nee taught us that the whole New Testament upholds deputy authority. Only in Acts 5:29, when the Sanhedrin persecuted Peter by forbidding him to preach in the Lord’s name, did Peter say, “It is necessary to obey God rather than men.” Only when the deputy authority obviously defies God’s commandment and offends the Lord’s person can we refuse the deputy authority. Hence, this kind of word, like in the cases of disobedience against one single order of Pharaoh in Exodus 1 and 2, can only be spoken under such a circumstance. Other than this, we have to submit to the deputy authority in other circumstances.
The dissenting sister wrongly likened the co-workers and elders to Pharaoh who, in the Bible, is a direct type of Satan. This miscasting and ill-speaking shows a belligerence towards the co-workers and elders. In trying to muddle up the truth, she wrongly compares proper delegated authorities to usurpers of authority. The elders are not Pharaoh, and they did not deviate from the Scriptures or from the apostles’ teaching to provide any reason for the saints to disobey them. We cannot be careless. We must not fulfill submission by exercising rebellion. It is extremely devious for anyone to typecast the elders as Pharaoh to justify disobedience to and rebellion against them.
A Misapplication of “Autocracy”
The dissenting sister also taught that the words “obey the elders” may lead to autocracy. However, there is substantial error in her twisted application of “autocracy.”
By definition, autocracy refers to government by a single person having unlimited power. It is a despotic form of government where unrestricted and absolute authority is vested upon a single individual, who lords it over the rest. In short, it is dictatorship by a single person.
In her writings, the dissenting sister applied autocracy to the elders, which in itself is a logical fallacy. The mere fact that God, in the Scriptures, appoints not one, but a plurality of elders, is His way of guarding against autocracy in the church. Simply put, a plurality in the eldership already dispels any chance for autocracy. Brothers Nee and Lee never understood autocracy to be something to be applied to the elders. This is borne out by various passages from their ministry:
“Therefore, I hope you brothers can see that the way the church handles its affairs should neither be autocratic nor democratic. Neither autocracy nor democracy is allowed. There should be neither the opinion of only one person nor the casting of ballots.” (W. Nee, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, (Set 3) Vol. 51: Church Affairs, Chapter 10, Section 4, LSM) *
“Brothers and sisters, the Pope should be condemned, and autocracy should be condemned, but authority can never be annulled. We have to see that in the universe, there is God's administration, and there is God's authority.... Moreover, neither can autocracy be applied, for autocracy centers around a single individual. (W. Lee, The Elders' Management of the Church, Chapter 5, Section 7, LSM) *
“This is the way for the elders to coordinate in the church. Among the elders there is no democracy or autocracy; everyone submits to the authority of the Holy Spirit. No one is too aggressive, or at all passive. Instead everyone places himself fully among the elders. Everyone knows in what order he is placed, and everyone accepts the authority without insisting on anything or resisting any responsibility. This is the way to coordinate together." (W. Lee, The Elders' Management of the Church, Chapter 8, Section 8, LSM) *
Actually, the sister’s claim regarding autocracy is tinged with irony, as it is not the elders, but the sister’s own practice that is the very characterization of autocracy. From her own words and writings, she purports to be responsible to God alone and no one else. She elevates herself above the saints, the churches, the elders, and the co-workers by the way she continually lectured and censured them. She refuses to be answerable to the Body and its representatives for her teachings and actions, setting herself up as the oracle of God with her various dissonant speaking and writings. She refuses to mingle her work with others’ work, often trumpeting her perceived successes while disparaging others and their work. When met with restriction and limitation by the proper appointed authorities in the church and in the Body, she is unwilling to take heed to their fellowship and instead launches into tirades against them. As far as she is concerned, she has a direct line to God and the co-workers, elders, saints and churches must listen and obey her or be in danger of opposing God’s work today or delay the Lord’s coming. Clearly, in her mind, she has a monopoly of God’s speaking today and she alone holds the key to a practice that will defeat Satan and bring the Lord back. Her very attitude and actions put into words that exemplify individualism and lawlessness are a harbinger of rebellion and a prelude to disorder in the church which God cannot allow.
Conclusion
Authority is a great subject in the Bible, because it is crucial in the administration of God’s economy. The universe is upheld by the word of God’s authority (Heb. 1:3). God’s work in this age is to establish His kingdom as the realm in which God is expressed and His authority is maintained (Matt. 6:13). The church today is the kingdom of God (Rom. 14:17; Matt. 16:18-19). It takes the lead to be headed up by Christ (Eph. 1:10). For a proper church life, the establishment of the divine authority is a vital concern.
To understand authority in God’s governmental administration, we must first realize that all authority in the heavens and on earth belong solely to Christ, the Head (Matt. 28:19). Any consideration of authority lies in an affirmation of the absolute headship of Christ (Eph. 1:22; 4:15; 5:23; Col. 1:18; 2:10; 1 Cor. 11:3). God's authority can never be exercised independently of Him. Apart from Him, no one has any authority in the Body, because all authority is derived from His headship.
The Bible also shows that, in addition to Christ's direct authority, God exercises His authority through men. The Bible is replete with examples of such delegated authorities. In the Old Testament there are Joseph, Moses, Samuel, and David, among many others. In the New Testament there are the apostles in the universal church (Eph. 4:11; 1 Cor. 12:28 and footnote 2) and the elders in the local churches (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5).
All spiritual authority is uniquely owned by the Head, Christ (Matt. 28:18; Eph. 1:22-23), and this authority is transmitted to and through the Body in its organic union with the Head. Apostles, prophets, elders, or deacons—have no spiritual authority in themselves. Men can only act as Christ's deputy authority to the degree that they are in the organic union with Christ in the mingled spirit and when they are rightly related to the Body. There may be many delegated authorities, but they are never detached from the Body or from each other. Moreover, all proper authority is exercised within the realm and constraints of the apostles teaching, which is the unique leadership in the New Testament.
The leadership in the New Testament began in the Gospels with a person, Christ. However, from Acts to Revelation, the unique New Testament leadership became the teaching of the apostles. The apostles' teaching, the contents of God’s New Testament economy, is the authority in the church today (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 1:3-4; Titus 2:15; cf. 1 Tim. 2:12).
Whereas the resurrection life is the source of authority, the basis of authority is revelation. The Lord's own authority was evidenced by His teaching (Mark 1:22). The apostles' revelation of God's economy was the source of their authority (Rom. 16:25; Eph. 3:3). Workers in the New Testament have authority only as they unveil the revelation of God's New Testament economy according to the teaching of the apostles. The evidences of such authority are the bringing in of the divine light and the keeping of the proper order in the church.
Paul's epistle to Titus spoke of maintaining a proper order in the church by "holding to the faithful word, which is according to the teachings of the apostles" (Titus 1:9). The maintenance of order is a matter of authority, and this authority is in the apostles' teaching. He also exhorted Timothy to remain in Ephesus in order that he might charge certain ones not to teach different things other than the economy of God (1 Tim. 1:3-4). Different teachings are teachings which are different from the apostles' teaching concerning God's economy. Such dissonant teachings lead people away from the central lane of God’s economy. Thus, leadership in the New Testament was exercised by the apostles through teaching, not by any kind of control. As Brother Lee emphasized to us, leadership as shown in the New Testament is mainly in the teachings of the ministers and not in the acts of the co-workers. Consequently, it is crucial that we teach rightly, and are careful in following anyone’s teachings.
The elders function as God’s delegated authority in the church not in a way of lording it over the flock, but as a slave (Matt. 20:25-27, Rom. 1:1), in love (Eph. 5:25, Col 1:24), in the flowing out of life (Rev. 22:1), by shepherding (1 Pet. 5:2, Acts 20:28), by feeding (Gen. 41:56-57, Matt. 24:45-56), and by protecting the flock from the wolves and those speaking perverted things among the churches (Acts 20:28-31). However, in exercising this responsibility, the elders must take care to remain under the authority of Christ, the Head, and not to deviate from the apostles' teaching.
The authority is in the Head, and through the Body. We can say that apart from the Body, there is no authority. In the New Testament, authority is a Body matter. No one can set himself above the authority of the Body and claim to represent God’s authority, such as what the dissenting sister is doing. No gift can be greater than the Body. All ministries are for the church. If someone is unwilling to open up to the fellowship of the Body and have her work adjusted or blended with others, that one’s work is not the work of the Body, and is not under the authority of the Head.
Because many lay claim to spiritual authority, it is important that we be able to discern real spiritual authority and what is not. Genuine spiritual authority can be discerned by observing both the person and the way in which that person deals with authority. Authority, which is produced by the resurrection life of Christ, issues in revelation, the unveiling of God’s New Testament economy. Thus, when we touch a person with spiritual authority, we should receive life and revelation which matches the apostles’ teaching of God’s New Testament economy. When we touch a person with spiritual authority, it brings us into light, with the issue that we are brought to a proper relationship with the Head and His body.
Men often exercise their own authority in the name of God yet are actually in rebellion against Him. This can be true even in the church. A person who asserts his own authority, either directly himself or indirectly through his supporters, is disqualified from representing God's authority. If one practices self-vindication, his authority is not genuine. If one depreciates the truth or emphasizes "success" in work rather than God's economy, this one has deviated from the teaching of the apostles. If he carries out an independent work that is not answerable to the Body, he is in rebellion against the Body and thus is in rebellion against the Head. If a person does his own work within the unique work of the Lord’s recovery, he is serving self interest and not the Lord's interest.
If a person leads the saints astray by teaching differently, or if he makes his own "authority" the basis of receiving others in fellowship, these are signs that he does not have real spiritual authority. A person can never be an authority if he himself is in rebellion against authority. Signs that a person is in rebellion are reviling words, reasonings, and rebellious thoughts. Such are characteristic of the factious and divisive person the apostle Paul charges us to turn away from and refuse (Rom. 16:17; Titus 3:10).
Some saints may wonder how or why a person who was used by God so much in the past can become rebellious or work in the principle of rebellion and division. Actually, this should not surprise us because, at times, in His sovereignty, the Lord allows turmoil in and among the churches. Turmoil serves to purify the churches, refine us, and manifest those who are approved.
Furthermore, we must realize that leadership and spiritual authority in the New Testament are conditional. Because spiritual authority is based on a person's moment-by-moment relationship with Christ and His Body, it can not only be increased through growth in life, but it can also be lost by not staying in the Lord's up-to-date revelation and move like the cases of John the Baptist, Jonathan and Barnabas, not being faithful to the truth, like the case of the apostle Peter, and touching God's authority in an improper way, like the case of Brother Sparks and others who offended the Head by offending the Body.
When problems arise in the church, we have a responsibility to cooperate with the Lord by praying in order to gain (Matt. 18:15) and restore the sick ones to a proper condition in their fellowship with the Lord and with His Body. However, we should not be presumptuous to think that we are adequate to solve any problem and try to investigate matters for ourselves or touch the rebellion or rebellious ones in a careless or natural way. We must be cautious lest we spread the germs of rebellion to ourselves and to others, even if unconsciously.
In the Old Testament if the owner of a house discovered leprosy in his house, he was to tell the priest (Lev. 14:35, 1 Cor. 1:11). Leprosy indicates serious sin as the issue of rebellion. Leprosy in a house indicates that there is rebellion in the church against God's authority and God's administration. In such a situation, we need to seek out the proper representatives of the Lord in the Body and in the church, the co-workers and the elders respectively, by making known to them that there is an outbreak of leprosy in His house so that it can be properly dealt with.
Satan's fall was a direct result of his rebellion against God's authority (Isa. 14:12-15). In like manner, man’s fall was a result of his joining Satan in rebelling against God's authority (Gen. 3:1-6). When Christ came, the kingdom came, because in His humanity He lived a life of absolute submission and obedience to the Father's authority and will (Matt. 26:39; John 8:29; Phil. 2:6-8).
God is working in this age to restore order in the universe by heading up all things in Christ (Eph. 1:10). His way to do this is first to gain a group of people and to constitute them with the divine life and make them members of the Body of Christ joined to Christ, the Head (Eph. 1:22-23; 5:23; Col. 1:18). In such an organic union, the Head exercises authority in, over, and through the Body. Because the Body is joined to the Head, the Body becomes the authority that governs the living and working of all the members of Christ. Practically speaking, this means that if we are cut off from the Head, Christ, and do not join ourselves to the church, His body, we are in the principle of rebellion.
Therefore, in the proper church life, there is no room for democracy, as typified by the opinions of the people in Laodicea; neither is there room for autocracy, which is the dictatorship of a single individual. For this reason, the Bible shows us that apostles work in companies and elders are plural and not singular in the local church. God’s representative authority neither gives room for democracy or autocracy. In the Body life, there can only be theocracy – the exercise of God’s authority in the sphere of life and truth. In such a realm, the apostles minister to the churches in meekness and in one accord, with the budding rod of Aaron; the elders shepherd the church and saints under their care as nourishing mothers and cherishing fathers, and by becoming patterns to the flock; and the saints obey and submit to the ones leading them. In this way, all the members of Christ keep the order in the Body and maintain the proper order in the church unto its building up. Thus, through His church, God’s will is carried out on earth as it is in heaven.
* Emphasis Added
(July 24, 2010)
