The Modern Knight

principles | PURPOSE | perspective

I: Submit to Authority (part 2)

“When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.”
Solomon, 1011-932 BC
Proverbs 11:2 NIV

“Humility is the solid foundation of all virtues.”
Confucius, 551-479 BC

“Humility is the foundation of all the other virtues hence, in the soul in which this virtue does not exist there cannot be any other virtue except in mere appearance.”
St. Augustine, 354-430 AD

Humility easily passes the ancient principle test as a solid foundation for personal character and it makes sense that a humble spirit is an inoculation against our own abuse of power. It is also easier from this perspective to see that submission to legitimate authority is the only way to morally wield power over another. While that makes sense for the authority you have been given, what about the authority you are under? Wouldn’t humble submission to illegitimate authority be a disaster? How can you avoid that? How can you know the difference?

The first step is understanding that a column (remember the illustration) topped with “society” as the ultimate authority is incomplete. This system still leaves room for the fickle influence of culture, the rise of a tyrant, or any number of other influences that could jeopardize moral authority. The column that is limited to authority created by man is always going to be vulnerable. So how do you and I, the dwellers of the middle of the column, have confidence that we are submitting wisely and that our humility doesn’t set us up as fools? By recognizing that our column, every column, is topped by something higher than itself, each is under the original source of all authority.

One Nation Under God…

These are words that are in our Pledge of Allegiance, but what do they really mean? God is the author of authority and everything that comes from Him is reliably legitimate. If we mean what we say in the national pledge our insurance policy against backing the wrong leader is to make sure that we, and everyone above us in the column, is lined up under God. Unlike society, a boss on the job, or a political leader, God does not change. His authority is trustworthy. So what does lining up under God mean?

“It means giving God more weight in your life than anything else, so that if you face a decision where every inclination of your heart says no and yet to honor God you would have to say yes, you would say yes – because God carries more weight for you than every other inclination of your heart.”
Colin S. Smith

That is a big personal commitment, but being under God means having an unmoving standard of ultimate legitimate authority to measure everyone and everything else against, which in Smith’s words, “is the basis for our rejection of tyranny…(and) leaves no room for dictatorships.” Are you ready for that?

3 Comments

Add a Comment
  1. It would be interesting to discuss leadership style and how that affects the ability of those being lead to respond with submission and humility. I think that a leadership style that is assertive and confident yet at the same time gentle and serving, creates an environment where those being lead can feel safe in submission. A leadership style that bullies is difficult to submit to, even when it IS morally correct because it puts you in a self-defensive position. It is essential to look at the person of Christ in the New Testament and model our leadership after his character if we want to lead to the peak of our capacity.

  2. I agree, just because your authority is legitimate does not make your leadership effective. I don’t think you will find many advocates for bullying, but is the servant leadership modeled by Jesus always the most effective style in a paramilitary setting like law enforcement? A great question to tackle in a future post.

  3. The greatest Leader who ever lived said, “I came not to BE served, but TO serve.” And, “he who would be greatest among you must be the servant of all.”

    Servant leadership is the most powerful, and the most rare, leadership paradigm.

    To use a sports metaphor, leaders serve as coaches, referees, score keepers, cheerleaders, and team players. But perhaps their most important role is that of water boy — the one who takes care of the needs of the team…

    If you take care of your people, they will take care of you. This is a principle that applies to leadership at all levels…

    Sheriff Ray Nash

    Join us on the Police Dynamics Media Blog where we discuss character and leadership issues.

    http://www.PoliceDynamicsMedia.com

The Modern Knight © 2010-2016 Frontier Theme