Articles 07/03 

Spiritual Abuse : Organization / obedience vs. Organism / mutual subjection (Part 3)

adapted from �Who is your Covering� by Frank Viola

by Steve Cadman MSW 

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    The thesis of this article is that spiritual abuse results from seeing the church as an organization rather than an organism, & from focusing on hierarchical obedience rather than on mutual subjection. The church is not a human organization but a spiritual organism, & it has organic authority, not official authority. I will try to contrast the difference between the two.

    Organic authority is based on spiritual life. When someone communicates God�s life through word or deed they have the support & backing of the Lord. All Christians possess a measure of organic authority so we subject ourselves to one another. It is an expression of Christ�s immediate direction rather than a static office. It is not intrinsic to a person or a position. A person has the right to be heard & obeyed only when he reflects the Lord�s mind. Only to the degree that it represents the Head does it have authority. The more seasoned tend to express this more consistently.

    It is flexible & fluid, not static. It is based upon spiritual life & service, not an irrevocable possession. It is not assumed, inherited or conferred. It is represented. Failure to understand the distinction has led to untold confusion & abuse.

    The claim to spirituality, constitutes a �veiled� office. The emphasis is to instead be on function & service, rather than on a �mystical� notion of spirituality. It will be manifested in how someone lives, serves & hears the Lord, not by touted claims. This will protect from personality cults.

Organization vs. Organism

    A handful of contrasting examples might be helpful in seeing the difference between official authority & organic authority :

1. Governments, parents & employers are official authorities who are to be obeyed as long as it does not violate the will of a higher authority. Organic authority never demands obedience to themselves. They rather seek to persuade (peitho Heb.13:17) others to obey God�s will. Paul�s letters all resonate with appeals & pleas. 

2. Official authorities bear full responsibility when they lead others into wrong practices. Organic authority never nullifies the responsibility of others, even when they obey another. Scripture gives multiple injunctions to test the fruit of others. It also teaches that deception brings divine judgment. The New Testament never teaches if you obey another, you are no longer responsible for your actions. 

3. Official authorities may be less mature, spiritual or righteous than those they are over. Organic authority is directly linked to spiritual maturity & cannot be separated from it. Obey your elders because they tend to be more mature in their counsel so they deserve this. Those who have grown further spiritually bear a greater measure of organic authority.

    A sure sign of greater maturity is a spirit of servanthood & childlike meekness. We are exhorted to esteem those who display both these characteristics. We are to give weight to those who tirelessly labour. It is to be spontaneous & instinctive, never absolutized or formalized. Honour is always merited, not demanded, asserted or claimed. Those who boast about their spiritual labour, maturity & anointing (accolades), reveal their immaturity & that they have no authority. It is not mere rhetoric, it is earned.

4. Official authority works regardless of whether they make unwise or unrighteous decisions. Organic authority operates only when Christ is being expressed. Only Jesus has authority & only that which flows from His life carries authority.

5. Official authority is always set in a hierarchy. Organic authority is always distorted & abused when allied with hierarchy. Hierarchical imagery is absent from scripture for it virtually always hurts God�s people. It does not flow from the top down, or chain of command, nor from the bottom up (church to the person). Church given authority, lacks authority if it does not reflect the mind of Christ. Organic authority works from the inside out when the indwelling Christ leads. It is a mistake to transplant official authority into any sphere of organic relationship (such as marriage).

Obedience vs. Mutual Subjection

    We will now also look at the difference between subjection & obedience. They are two very different things. It is a fatal error to confuse them. Subjection is an attitude, absolute, unconditional & internal. Obedience is an action, relative, conditional & external. We must not obey if it violates God�s will, for God�s authority is higher. You can disobey, while having an attitude of respect & reverence, rather than rebellion, reviling & subversion.

    Mutual subjection rests upon the New Testament notion that all believers are gifted & may all express Jesus. Divine authority has been vested in the entire Body rather than to a particular section of it. It is a theocratic, participatory society. As believers discharge their ministries, spiritual authority is dispensed through Spirit endowed gifts. It demands that we realize we are members of something larger than ourselves, & that we need the input of our brethren. It admits that we cannot be good Christians by ourselves. It means you are open for the Lord to correct, admonish, chastise & speak into your life through any believer.

    �Hupotasso� is a voluntary attitude of giving in, cooperating with, & yielding to the admonition & advice of another. It has nothing to do with control or hierarchical power. It is a childlike openness in yielding to others insofar as they reflect the mind of the Lord; to those proven & trustworthy workers who sacrificially serve (character).

    We would do well to recognize whenever a believer is expressing organic authority. Love is always open to learn from & listen, & also to admonish others when they falter. Love values interdependence & that our actions have a profound effect on others because we are members one of another. Love can be probing, combative & unbending when it faces sin. Love never manipulates, forces, demands, coerces or imposes its own will. Love accepts responsibility as our brothers keeper but is not an intrusive meddler.

    We are called to represent the Holy Spirit to each other, never to substitute His Person or replace His work. Mutual subjection is not a license to probe into or quiz intimate affairs to �make sure� people are living properly. This becomes a cult like pressure-cooker of conformity. Confiding is a choice, not a duty. The bible puts a high premium on individual liberty, freedom & privacy vs. being busybodies.

    Mutual subjection is always couched in love & engenders a culture of safety & security. It is not control, but aid. In the multitude of counselors there is safety. Love is the divine umbrella that affords protection.

    Our egos do not like being subject to anyone. We want to do what is right in our own eyes. It is a cross to bear. Unless one is a controlling person, the task of reproving others is both difficult & risky. A brother offended is harder to be won than a walled city. It is far easier to just let things go, or just pray for our erring brethren. Love however, compels us to approach our failing brethren in a spirit of meekness whenever they need our help. It is the way of the cross.

    God, by nature, is community (Three Persons). The Father pours Himself into, & the Son gives Himself unreservedly to, & the Spirit pours Their love from Each to Each. There is only mutual fellowship, love & subjection. This is the cornerstone of love. The church is called to mirror this reciprocal love relationship. The New Testament uses a family motif that shares one another�s burdens. This creates unity. It emphasizes power for & among, rather than over. It encourages empowerment of all & stresses relationship rather than programs. We thrive on meaningful relationships with others of the same kind. This enables us to behold the face of Christ in the very fabric & texture of church life.

    The only protection from error is submitting ourselves to the Spirit of truth in the Body. Spiritual protection comes from relatedness to the Spirit & connectedness with other believers. Therein lies the genius of Christian community

    Receiving counsel from proven brethren ahead of you is not idealistic but practical. We are to humbly receive help in a living way, because we are connected & our actions & attitudes profoundly affect others. It creates a culture that appreciates leadership without absolutizing it, & responds without turning it into an instrument of control. When mentoring & accountability are governed by mutual subjection, they are enriching & bear no resemblance to hierarchical �covering�.

    Safety comes from bringing crucial matters before the church & waiting for consensus before moving forward (like the Quakers???). We are to grow to trust the discernment of tested fellow workers we have developed a relationship with. Their counsel can confirm or help to see blind spots where we need to adjust our thinking. Spiritual subjection is always mutual, refreshing & informal. It evokes growth in love, & safeguards us from error. It needs to strike a delicate balance between cliquish separation & pathological dependence.

    When mentoring relationships get deified & become command-styled, they rest on the cusp of idolatry. When they are severed or absent they lead to alienation. Mutual subjection diverges from systems that create a context where people end up obsessing on relationships.

Conclusion

    �Covering� authority suppresses & stifles the executive Headship of Jesus. It supplants the rightful place of Jesus & thwarts His full purpose, not to mention the untold damage it does to people. God�s purpose is wholly occupied with the absolute sovereignty & universal supremacy of Jesus. The church is to learn to be subject to Jesus in everything. As we do, the whole creation will follow suit.

    The spiritual antidote to potential or existing error is mutual subjection, not �covering�. Nothing less than this can protect & heal. When mutual subjection functions in the context of intelligent humility, it�s sound is not distorted & damaging.

    In Part IV in the next article, we will look at a definition of what spiritual abuse is,  it�s signs & components.

    Books & 80 pages of seminar notes on �Spiritual Abuse� can be found in the Resources/Books/Spiritual Abuse section of this website.

Other articles by Steve & Heidi Cadman-Neu