This is a very common line spoken in legalistic circles. People who ask questions, or who see the Scriptural evidence against the structure being taught are marked as rebellious. Dividers of the brethren. You are the wolf in sheep’s clothing. And perhaps, in these cases, you should be.

A very wise young man asked recently, ‘Why wouldn’t they want your questions? It would give them a chance to prove their stance and have dialogue. If they don’t like questions, then they probably have no answer.”

All throughout history, the challenge of authority is what has brought great change throughout societies, and mostly for good. Consider social justice in America and globally. If people like Rosa Parks didn’t have a problem with authority, we may have a very different looking world right now.

If Martin Luther hadn’t rebelled against the papal authority of the Roman Catholic Church, we might not have had the Reformation and the birth of the Protestant church.

If the people had not rebelled against the tyrants of European leaders, and Kings, we would not have the America we now have. And so forth.

“Rebellion against tyrants is obedience to God.” Benjamin Franklin

One of the other favorite lines of those who will claim you have issues with authority is actually Scriptural;

Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit to them: – Hebrews 13:17a

There is a single problem with those that lean on this Scripture to demand your obedience to their rule. It is simply that you were supposed to imitate their faith, evaluating the fruits of their life and trusting in leadership that shows by example, not by demand. Consider the words of verse 7.

Remember your leaders [for it was they] who brought you the word of God; and consider the result of their conduct [the outcome of their godly lives], and imitate their faith [their conviction that God exists and is the Creator and Ruler of all things, the Provider of eternal salvation through Christ, and imitate their reliance on God with absolute trust and confidence in His power, wisdom, and goodness]. – Hebrews 13:7, AMP

Paul said in I Corinthians 11:1, “Imitate me, just as I imitate Christ.”. Jesus declared in Matthew 23 that his disciples, these leaders we are speaking about were never to hold titles, and authority, being called Father, or Rabbi, or Master.

Albert Einstein said “Unthinking respect for authority is the greatest enemy of Truth”.

Those who will claim you have a problem with authority want your unthinking respect [obedience]. Don’t think, just listen. Don’t ask questions, just obey. One of the favorite lines of my old dictators was ‘You just need to pray until you pray through.’ which translated to ‘pray until you convince yourself to think the way I tell you to.’

In these circumstances, you are justified to have a problem with authority! Christ never demanded respect, he gained it. Paul never lashed his people for respect and exercised authority over them, he lived it. Bluntly, he said this;

You know personally that these hands ministered to my own needs [working in manual labor] and to [those of] the people who were with me. ³⁵ In everything I showed you [by example] that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed [and brings greater joy] to give than to receive.’” – Acts 20:34,35 AMP

If your authority [leader] is self-proclaimed and demands absolute control and obedience, then you MUST have a problem with that authority, for it is neither Christ given, nor Christ like!

“Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence.” – Leonardo da vinci