5b Yea, all of you be subject one to another.
Not only should the younger Christians submit unto the elder, but all should submit one to another. This is a very remarkable instruction which, if practised by everyone in the church, will bring about great peace and progress in the Lord’s work. It is the golden rule for church unity and kingdom advancement.
Though there are offices and positions of authority in the church, no one is to lord over another. All members ought to esteem and treat one another with respect. The pastors and elders must serve the people; the people should serve the pastors and elders. All must feel a sense of obligation to serve and thus to profit one another.
Members of the church should not undermine the leadership by speaking disparagingly of godly pastors and elders. They should not slander or berate them simply because they feel that their decisions or actions should have been different. A submissive communication with the leaders to clarify the matter is the right thing to do. Any disrespectful and abusive confrontation with godly men in the leadership is not only unbiblical, but also damaging to the spiritual unity of the church.
At the same time, seniors and men who hold offices in the church should not be aloof or over-exacting. In 1 Timothy 5:1, Paul advised Timothy to treat “the younger men as brethren”. Though they need to be strong and indeed wield spiritual authority, they must also listen to others respectfully. Both gentleness and firmness must characterise their leadership, with real concern shown for the unity of the church. They should not be domineering or self-promoting; they must be prepared to admit their mistake when in the wrong.
As a corollary, the younger men will get to learn submissive conduct from their elders and, in the process, be trained to assume leadership roles in church. Only men who serve God and His people submissively can be qualified as leaders of the church. The combination of godly leadership and submissive “follower-ship” with an attitude of humble respect for one another is God’s will concerning His church. Truly, if we would not regard ourselves lower than others, or be willing to gladly execute the meanest of offices and be ready on all occasions to “take the lowest place”, it would be downright impossible to be submissive.