Authority In Religion
Authority In Religion
Have you ever seen the little sign on someone's desk, "If you're looking
for someone with a little authority around here, it's me -- I have as
little authority as anyone!" Possibly you have felt that way at times.
But what about religion -- who has the authority in religion? Study
with me for a few minutes on this very interesting topic.
But first, let me invite you to be with us today at the West End church
of Christ. In just under an hour we will have our regular Bible
classes. We divide into small groups and discuss some very interesting
biblical topics. We have some excellent teachers. You and your
children would really enjoy it -- I'm sure. Classes commence at 9 a.m.
Then at 10 a.m. we meet together for our worship to God. We sing
praises, pray, give of our means, listen to a sermon, and partake of the
Lord's Supper in memory of Christ's death. Tonight at 6 p.m. we worship
together again and have more classes on Wednesday evening which begin at
7 p.m. Please try and visit with us today.
ONe of the very last things Jesus Christ said to mortals while He was
on earth is found in Matthew 28:18-20. He said to His apostles, "All
power is given unto me in heaven and in earth." He used a word that
could also be translated "authority." Then He added,"Go ye therefore,
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit -- teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." That is an
interesting word -- authority, all authority. It is translated from the
Greek term EXOUSIA. It is translated over twenty-five times by our
English word, "authority." Over sixty times it is translated "power."
There is another Greek word from which our word power comes and that is
DUNAMIS. One of the most familiar places it is found is Romans 1:16.
Paul said, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ for it is the power
of God unto salvation, to the Jew first and also to the Greek, for
therein is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith."
Authority and power are synonyms. The man with authority is the man
with the power, and power is always manifested in the exercise of
authority. Jesus said He had all the power, all the authority, all the
right to exercise authority that exists in religion. Outside of His
authority, there is none for anyone else.
One of the most popular Greek-English lexicons (a dictionary of the
Greek language) defines the word, "power of choice, liberty of doing as
one pleases, leave or permission." (Thayer) When Jesus finished the
"Sermon on the Mount," the record tells us the reaction of His audience.
They said, "He spake as one having authority, and not as the Scribes and
Pharisees" (Matthew 7:29). The authority with which Christ spoke
differed radically from all others. The Scribes and Pharisees quoted
each other. They frequently appealed to some position a former Rabbi of
some fame had written. They used fallible sources for authority. But
Jesus never quoted any fallible source as the basis of authority in
religion. Dr. Alexander Bruce, in the Expositors Greek New Testament
wrote, "The scribes spoke by authority, resting all they said on
traditions of what had been said before. Jesus spoke with authority,
out of His own soul, with direct intuition of truth and, therefore, to
the answering soul of His hearers." That's a fine assessment of the
difference in human and divine authority. Divine authority can rest on
its own intuition -- human authority has no such right. Jesus had an
intuitive right to act and speak as God's only son, God's only spokesman
to the world. His authority was absolute and unique.
There are a number of sources of authority recognized in this world.
Some are world wide in scope, some are civil in nature, some are
domestic in expression, some are based on social or cultural
development. But no true authority in religion exists except that which
resides eternally in Deity. The greatest authority is in Christ Jesus,
the Son of the Almighty God. That authority resides permanently with
Him -- it has never been delegated. No man or group of men has the
right to claim any of His authority. NOne has the right to claim to be
special delegates of Christ to dispense His authority. The evangelist
was told to "rebuke with all authority" (Titus 2:15) but the word
authority is from a word that is different -- it means "to rebuke by way
of command or because we are commanded to do so."
Jesus chose twelve ambassadors, special emissaries, to carry His
authority throughout the whole wide world. He gave them the commission
to "preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The gospel, as
previously noticed, is the "power of God unto salvation, to everyone
that believes." Christ left the earth to be exalted at the right hand
of God (Acts 2:36). He left behind Him His own select group of
preachers, called apostles. They spoke only that which He authorized
them to speak. They had no right to alter or change anything at all in
His word. Remember, "Go teach all nations, baptizing them into the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you..." They spoke not
with their own intuition, but by His authority.
Jesus said directly to the apostles, "Whatsoever you bind on earth shall
be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in
heaven" (Matthew 16:19). Let me read you an interesting translation.
It is from Charles B. Williams, an eminent Baptist scholar. His
translation reads, "I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven,
and whatever you forbid on earth must be what is already forbidden in
heaven, and whatever you permit on earth must be that which is already
permitted in heaven." That focuses on the verb, its true meaning and
tense. This must be so for the Psalmist wrote, "Thy word, O Jehovah, is
settled forever in heaven" (Psalm 119:89).
A parallel passage to Matthew 16:19 is John 20:23. It reads, "Whose
soever sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever
sins ye retain, they are retained." The remission or retention of sins
is a divine prerogative. The apostles remitted sins by preaching the
word of God and God set forth the conditions upon which sins may be
remitted. On Pentecost (recorded in Acts 2), sins were remitted and
retained by the Lord through the preaching done by His chosen apostles.
Of the thousands and thousands of Jews in Jerusalem, only about three
thousand had their sins remitted. There is no way to estimate the total
number of Jews who had returned to that ancient city to celebrate this
famous feast of the Jews. But only around three thousand responded to
the preaching done by Peter. Peter told them, "Repent and be baptized,
everyone of you, in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of
sins..." (Acts 2:38). Verse 41 says, "As many as gladly received his
word were baptized and there were added unto them that day about three
thousand souls." Those who received the preaching gladly were baptized
and thus enjoyed remission of sins. Those who did not gladly receive it
were not baptized and had their sins retained.
But the apostles are no longer with us on earth. To whom do we look now
for authority? Where will we find the authority of Jesus Christ? How
can we know what to do to have our sins remitted? We must sadly
recognize that right here is a very controversial point. It is at this
point that the religious world is very badly divided. Some claim that
Pope John Paul, visible head of Roman Catholicism, is the source of
authority in spiritual affairs. Others look to the writings of Joseph
Smith, Jr., founder of modern day Mormonism, as the source of authority.
Others look to their various church manuals, creed books, and
disciplines, etc. as a rule of authority. WE could add to this the
writings of the late Ellen G. White, Mary Baker Eddy (Science and
Health with Key to the Scriptures) and the millions of personal
witnesses or testimonials upon which people lean for their spiritual
support. Which one of these sources is the one that will lead a sincere
person to Christ? All of them? Hardly! Conflicting doctrinal tenets
can never lead one to Christ. Is there one source that will lead a
person to Christ, to lead one to submit to His regal authority?
There is one source of authority, and only one. Paul wrote a letter to
the church at Corinth. In it he warned, "If any man thinketh himself to
be a prophet, or spiritual (i.e., guided by the Spirit directly), let
him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of the Lord" (I Corinthians 14:37). Paul also wrote, "All
scripture is given by the inspiration of God and is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness
that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly furnished unto every
good work" (II Timothy 3:16,17). The written record we know as the
Bible is the only word God has ever committed to writing and it is the
sole source of authority in religion.
Our authority to act in religious affairs is limited to that which we
find in the Bible. And the Bible reveals to us not only what God
expects of us but also gives us examples and inferences as to how to do
what God commands. The Old Testament and New Testament are two parts of
the same book. In the Old Testament men were required to worship on
Saturday, the Sabbath (Exodus 20:8). Christians today worship on
Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). The people under the Old
Testament offered animal sacrifices. Christians offer themselves as
living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2). The Hebrew writer shows the
difference in these words. "For it is impossible that the blood of
bulls and of goats should take away sins. ... Wherefore when He cometh
into the world (speaking of Christ), He saith, 'Lo, I come to do thy
will O God,' He taketh away the first that He may establish the second"
(Hebrews 10:4,9).
Sometimes commands in the Bible were given to a specific group but are
applicable to all people of all ages. John 14:15 reads, "If you love me
keep my commands." While spoken specifically to His apostles, that
applies to all men of all time. There is never a time when a person who
truly loves the Lord will disregard or ignore His authority. That is
why we, the churches of Christ, have no creed book, no supreme council,
no human head or headquarters. We are humbly trying to apply biblical
principles to our every word and deed. We urge you and all to follow
that course of action. "Whatsoever you do in word or in deed, do all in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (Colossians 3:17). That requires
simple faith in Christ that culminates in obedience.
Thank you for listening today. Think about the things we have said and
if you have a question let us hear from you. If you want our free
monthly paper, send your name and mailing address to West End Church of
Christ, 1609 Parkside Drive, Bowling Green, KY. 42101. May God bless
and keep you and yours.
Radio Sermon No. 17
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Children's NT Studies
