This post will address the other half of the sentence found on
shepherdingwords.org, in the deputy authority article, in the “Is deputy authority Biblical?” section: “…and through them [apostles] established elders as overseers in the churches to represent Him (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Pet. 5:5). “
This sentence construction is deceptive. The placement of the five verse references after the phrase “to represent Him” makes it seem like these verses say something about the elders representing God, or that the elders are the acting God, or deputy authority. This is not the case in a single one of them. Let’s look at the verses:
1. Acts 14:23 - And when they had appointed elders for them in every church and had prayed with fastings, they committed them to the Lord into whom they had believed.
This verse merely mentions the establishment of elders and makes no mention or hint that the elders represent God or are God’s deputy authorities.
2. Titus 1:5 - For this cause I left you in Crete, that you might set in order the things which I have begun that remain and appoint elders in every city, as I directed you:
Again, this verse merely mentions the establishment of elders and makes no mention or hint that the elders represent God or are God’s deputy authorities.
3. Acts 20:17 - And from Miletus he sent word to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.
This verse made me laugh. Its only relevance is that it has the word “elders” in it….and contains no mention of deputy authority or even the appointing of the elders. Paul, an apostle, is calling the elders together, but that is not an example of "deputy authority".
4. Acts 20:28 - Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers to shepherd the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood.
Here we finally see something more than just the mention of elders. But we see immediately what kind of authority these “overseers” have, and it’s about as far as the east is from the west is from deputy authority. They are overseers to shepherd the church. Everyone reading: look up what it means to be a real shepherd of real sheep. It involves care, concern, tending to the sick and wounded, pouring oil, coming alongside, keeping them healthy, constant vigilance over threats that would harm, fighting off wolves and other predators, and much, much more. No shepherd is a shepherd to have “authority” over the sheep under their care. Overseers to shepherd the church are there to sustain and preserve the life of the church.
While we are on Acts 20, it is critical to bring up the three verses after verse 28:
29 – I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
30 – Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.
31 – So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
When Paul says “you” in verse 29, he is talking to the elders. He is actually saying savage wolves will come into the ELDERSHIP. Verse 30 says “even from your OWN NUMBER men will arise and distort the truth…”
Saints. Saints! SAINTS!!!! This very verse flies in the face of the “even when they are wrong they are right” deputy authority of the local churches. This verse tells us that in the eldership wolves will arise! This means we all have to be discerning and look to the Father and not put our faith or trust in any man. If deputy authority rests in an office, a person, or position, if a deputy authority is right even when he is a wolf, then we can devastatingly grant authority to savage wolves. This verse does NOT say to submit to them whether they are right or wrong, even though it would have been the perfect place to do so. Instead it is a warning, a caution to be on guard.
4. 1 Peter 5:5 - In like manner, younger men, be subject to elders; and all of you gird yourselves with humility toward one another, because God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble.
Here we finally see a semblance of authority in the word “subject”; however, it is immediately tempered with the command that everyone gird themselves with humility toward one another. Ephesians is also clear that the members of the Body submit to one another. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Saints……those who need to claim, explain, demand, command, and stake out their imagined deputy authority…….well, it probably means there is a very good chance they are resisted by God and can’t even rightly claim the Biblical servant leadership modeled to us by Jesus.
Let me be very clear that I am not saying we shouldn’t respect the elders and submit to them as we do other members of the Body. But all authority rests in Jesus. He never transferred His authority over persons to any other people. We each, just as in a human body, have a direct connection to the Head. There is no Body that has Christ as the head and also has many little deputy heads sprouted off of the torso and limbs – that is grotesque, and a good picture of what it is to claim authority that isn’t ours to claim. Just because a hand can apply ointment to a knee, doesn’t make the hand a head. God is the head and there is no other. Any slight language in the Scriptures that in isolation might be used to claim deputy authority in the Body is surrounded by other language that should bring us to our knees in recognition that this responsibility is not one of being over people, but one of humility, meekness, tenderness, tears, care, and love.