“We ask you, brothers, to respect those who labor among you and are over you in the Lord and admonish you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:12)
As a Christian, you do not live 100% autonomously, but allow yourself to be led by God. That is quite a challenge, because His will may clash with your own wishes and desires. A higher power that has control over your life limits your autonomy. That provokes resistance.
The above Bible verse is even more challenging for many. God asks us to accept instruction and correction by fellow believers who hold leadership positions in our church. These are people like you and me—why should we listen to them? Because they act “in the name of the Lord.” They have the responsibility to lead others in their walk with God and to correct them when necessary. Such an authority structure promotes the well-being of individual believers and of the church as a whole.
The same principle applies to authority structures in society. It is God’s will that such an order exists — even if those in high positions do not always fulfill their roles properly! We must abide by the legal framework, “as people who are free” and at the same time “living as servants of God” (see 1 Peter 2:16). For as we saw a few days ago in the book of Judges, autonomy leads to anarchy. It is precisely where people accept authority that a healthy and happy society can flourish.