by Dr. Catherine Clark Kroeger

Jesus insisted that his true followers must not “lord it over” others (Mt. 20; 25-26; Mark 10:42-43; Luke 22:25-26). It was the heathen, He said, who displayed this attitude as they grasped for power and authority. St. Peter too decried the practice (1 Peter 5:3) while St Paul wrote:

“I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your faith; rather, we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in the faith. (2 Cor. 1:24)

Now it was precisely this “lording it over” that was to distinguish Paul from those “false apostles” who sought to dominate the Corinthian flock. Paul’s purpose was to work collaboratively with the flock “to die together and to live together” (7:3). The interlopers, however, had another agenda.

You put up with it when they enslave you, take everything you have, exploit you, demean you and hit you in the face.” (2 Cor 11:20).

Here we have a classic definition of multiple sorts of abuse. Physical, verbal, financial, and psychological, the very sorts of actions and attitudes that are condemned hundreds of times in the Scriptures.

The central issue is one of authority. Paul’s claim is that he has authority to work with them rather than to exercise authority over them. The authority that he has received from God is not for control but for constructive cooperation.

I may seem to be boasting too much about the authority given to us by the Lord. But this authority is to build you up, not to tear you down.” (10:8)

His understanding of power and authority as it was to be used in human relationships is based upon his understanding of the power and authority of Christ. If he has been given power, it is to be used constructively.

For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not tearing down. (2 Cor. 13:10)

As head of the church, Christ too causes the church, his body to grow, to be built up in love. Paul’s understanding of the head’s function is not of dominance but of the promotion of growth.

From the head the entire body grows with the growth of God as it is supplied by the head and held together by every ligament and sinew. (Colossians 2:19)

Again Paul wrote:

Let us grow up in all things unto Him who is Christ, the Head. He causes the body to build itself up in love as the head provides empowerment according to the proportion appropriate for each member as they are bound and supported by every sinew. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

Power and control have no more place in the home than they do in the Corinthian church. St. Paul tells us that husband and wife have power over one another and that they are to be mutually submissive. (1 Cor 7:4; Ephesians 5:21) What a difference it would make in Christian homes if faithful followers of Jesus were to understand authority in terms of the head as building up, of causing growth, of empowerment and encouragement.

If we are to follow St. Paul’s view of headship, the question within family relationships should not be “Who’s going to be the boss?” But “Who is going to help others to grow, give others a leg up, support and empower them, stay in close connection with each member?”

Paul’s essential analysis of power and authority is that it is given to build up and not to tear down; its purpose is not self aggrandizement or to have one’s own way; it is to be used in sharing rather than in dominating; it stems from service developed within a context of humility and voluntary restriction of power. May God grant us an understanding of authority that will build such attitudes in our own homes.