It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

Galatians 5:1 NASB

Slavery comes in all forms.  And, sometimes, they are the most well-seeming ones.  But, first, let us study freedom.

But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.

Matthew 23:8-12 NASB

Freedom looks like being free.  And, with that freedom comes responsibility.  No one can be free unless he chooses to subject himself to some form of self-restraint.  Any man would quickly ruin himself if he only chose what seemed right in the moment.

But, God gave us freedom to free us from the law of sin, so that we might obey the law of life and liberty in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2).

But, we are often accustomed to things that have slowly “crept in unawares” (Jude 4), and slowly, but as clearly as what they are, brought us into bondage.

Consider, for a moment, religious degrees.  As one man put it, they’re a waste of a tree.  Why is that?  We must consider, first, what God’s mandate is.  Galatians 2:1-2 records how Paul went up to Jerusalem and met with the leaders there, fearing that he may have labored in vain.  But, Paul had been called by God, and no amount of agreement from men would ever have replaced that.

There is Gospel truth.

The Gospel does not operate by the approval of man, but by the approval of God.  No degree or piece of paper can make any man a preacher, and to the degree that one submits to a man-made ordinance, they are slaves to obey it.  Consider the men and women who have submitted themselves to the denominational structures of our day.  What have they submitted to?  They have agreed to a certain code and creed, and have reaped some benefit of acceptance.

At best, this is neutral, and contributes nothing to the Gospel message.  But, at its worst, when men’s ideas do not squarely line up with God’s, this can result in needless rejection.

Consider a man, who, in good faith signed up in a particularly conservative denomination, only to discover later about the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  At best, the man would most likely need to leave the fellowship of those others, and at worst, the organization would excommunicate the fellow for his new beliefs.

And, what would be the effect of that minister?  In the spiritual realm, because the man had submitted himself to the denomination, he would then be subject to their judgment.  Because he submitted himself for approval, he has submitted his whole self, for their disapproval as well.

And, this is the problem with denominations.  When they are good, they add nothing, but when they are bad, they destroy.  Without the knowledge of spiritual matters, a person in such a situation could find themselves beset by all sorts of attacks of rejection, opposition, and even illness, possibly without them even knowing about the rejection itself–in the spiritual world it makes no difference at all.  If the man did not know about the influence of ungodly submission, a submission God did not call for according to Matthew 23:8-12, then that man would suffer the consequences regardless.  As it is written,

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge

Hosea 4:6

And, of course, it affects those most vulnerable to it.  If a man did not have any tendency towards rejection, he would feel none of it.  But, then again, he would not have been under any compulsion to join the organization in the first place.  Yet, for the person who might draw any support or identity from such an affiliation, who is already susceptible to the approval of others, its effect would be most powerful against him.

Such is also the problem with the traditional idea of “covering”.  Jesus said, through Paul,

But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.

1 Corinthians 11:3

Do you see that?  There is a hierarchical model of the Kingdom of God, and it is that Christ alone is the head of every single man.  And, for the married women, the husband is her head.  And, the head of Christ is God, even as He was a man “under authority”.  And so, what does covering do?  It submits you to an organization, and not a man.  If man were to submit “one to another”, and to their “leaders”, it would be for their benefit.  But, when they submit themselves to a structure or an organization, they have altogether submitted themselves to something unbiblical.

Yet, again, in the same way, we can implicate many modern church governmental models.  Borrowing their governing structure from the corporate model, many a church has adopted order and authorities that are anything but holy.  Consider, for a moment, the church of Laodicea.

To the angel of the church in Laodicea write:

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.

Revelation 3:14-16

Now, it is well known that the word “Laodicea” means “ruled by the group”, or “ruled by the laity”.  But, what exactly is the requirements of a non-profit corporation in the modern world?  A church must have a board, trustees, a constitution, bylaws, vote their pastor in and out, and even have the salary of the pastor determined in a manner that is deemed not to have “conflict of interests”.

And, what is the result?  The laity, not the man of God, has the true governing authority, through positions of trustees and the board, so that, in essence, the church is “ruled by the group”, and not the man of God.  And, all this governed by civil law, for those who submit to it.  This, of course, is a new thing, as up until the middle of the 20th century, most churches were not incorporated.

But, the church, just like men of God, are free.  The church is not a democracy, and the leadership is determined by God, not man.  Yet, for the “benefit” of having your giving tracked and “not taxed” by the government, men and women of God submit to this structure, and allow it, even though it is the definition of the church for which Jesus had so much to say against.

As a result, what pastor in such a situation hasn’t been pressured to not bring the true message that was on his heart, but to bring one that would please others.  Because he has submitted his head to an antichrist system, many of them, the strength of fortitude to go against that system is sometimes enormous.  And, yet, the simple solution is simply not to be a part of it.  Do not bow your head to any man.  Do not join a denomination, join Christ.  Do not start a corporate church and incorporate your ministry, even if it means forgoing the “benefits” of the state and paying more taxes.  Even it means losing members (who are more interested in a tax return than in the truth?).

But, get freedom, whatever it takes.

Do not submit to diplomas from men, for in an instant, men can take them away.  You are more than a diploma, you are a child of God.

Do not submit to a church, but submit to other faithful men and women in the church, including those who are more experienced than yourself.

And, do not submit your church to a form that does not leave God in control.  If you had to give the words in John 6, and saw all but twelve of YOUR members leave, if your board of directors has the power to veto you out of the head, you will never make it to your Tree.

Be subject to no man.