Radio Sermon 17
Authority In Religion <return to table of contents>
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.
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, "Whosesoever sins you remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose so ever 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.