Hebrews 13:17

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them: for they watch in behalf of your souls, as they that should give an account; that they may do this with joy, and not with grief. for this were unprofitable for you.

The divine injunction to obey persons in authority covers obedience to powers; and even the policeman is hailed in the scripture as "a minister of God to thee for good" (Romans 13:4); but the obedience required in this verse is submission to the elders of the church. Such men are known in the New Testament by at least six, possibly seven, titles. The words "bishop" [Greek: episkopos] translated "overseer," "presbyter" translated "elder," "pastor" translated "shepherd," and "steward" are all scriptural designations of the kind of ruler mentioned in this verse, although some doubt may be attached to the last of these, if used as a title. Paul referred to himself and to others as "stewards of the mysteries of God," making such persons a class of men and declaring that "It is required of stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Corinthians 4:1,2). Moreover, he said of an "elder," called "bishop" in this verse, that "the bishop must be blameless as God's steward" (Titus 1:7); and the apostle Peter extended the terms to include, at least in some sense, all Christians, calling them "good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Peter 4:10). The terms "presbyter" and "bishop" as used in the New Testament refer not to two offices, but only to one, as proved by a comparison of Acts 20:17,28, where, in the first place, Paul is said to have called for the "elders of the church," and in the second reference, addressing the same group, he said, "The Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, etc." Thus, there is the most solid scriptural basis for applying all these terms to the same class of church rulers. From Acts 20:17,28, the terms "bishop" and "presbyter," together with their translated derivatives "overseer" and "elder," are all unquestionably New Testament designations of a single office, that of the ruler mentioned in the verse at hand. To this also agrees the unanimous testimony of the earliest Christian writers, Chrysostom, Clement of Rome, and Jerome. To quote only one, Chyrsostom said, "Presbyters of old were called bishops ... and the bishops presbyters."[4] "Pastor" is used in Ephesians 4:11, being there distinguished from the office of evangelist, apostle, and prophet, and therefore, by a process of elimination, appearing to be another name for "elder" or "bishop." Since the term "shepherd" is but the translation of "pastor," it rounds out the entire list of seven designations for one office, that of "them that have the rule," as mentioned in this verse.

That this office, controlled, as to them that may be appointed to it, by the enumeration of their qualifications (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:5-9), is one of the most crucial importance in the church, is evident in the command of the Lord that Christians must submit to it. Every society must have some kind of government; and the Lord has chosen to elevate to that responsibility in the church men of faith, ability and reputation to bear the burden of government of the church. Every Christian should be loyal, faithful, and obedient to such men, who themselves must give an account to God, and who do not lord it over God's heritage, but in patience, love and forebearance, seek only that which contributes to the happiness and spiritual prosperity of the community of believers.

This is a good place to register a protest against that specimen of believer who, in every sense, is a free-lancer, considering himself as a member anywhere he hangs his hat, appropriating to himself the right of free and easy criticism of the elders upon any pretext and drifting from group to group as occasions arise in which he may draw away disciples after himself. The verse here is a stern reminder that there is such a thing as authority in the Church of Christ, and that one may flout it only at great risk to his soul's salvation. As Barnes said:

The meaning is that they should so obey, that when their teachers come to give up their account of them, they need not do it with sorrow over their perverseness and disobedience; "for that is unprofitable for you." That is, their giving up their account in that manner ... would not be of advantage to you, but would be highly injurious. This is a strong mode of expressing the idea that it must be attended with imminent peril to their souls to have their religious teachers give an account against them. As they would wish, therefore, to avoid that, they should render to them all proper honor and obedience.[5]

Despite the above, there is nothing in this injunction that for a moment would require Christians to submit to unfaithful, unsound, sinful, or deceived elders; and it must be taken into consideration as a fact that some occasions arise when the faithful servants of the Lord should separate themselves from any group of overseers whose leadership clearly moves away from Biblical norms and in sinful and unrighteous directions, in which case, not merely a soul is lost, but a church! "If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

[4] Chrysostom, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1961), "Homily on Timothy."

[5] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1963), Hebrews, p. 324.