January 15, 2002, Vol.2,
No.2.
Two new articles every two weeks.
Bible Question? E-mail
us.
THIS ISSUE: "Do
We Need Scriptural Authority?" (see below)
and "The Study of the
Law"
Do We Need Scriptural
Authority?
by Keith Sharp
 One
day during the last week of the Lord's earthly ministry, as He
was teaching in the temple, the chief priests, scribes and elders,
who were in authority over the temple, demanded to know by what
right or authority Jesus taught there (Luke 20:1-8). He offered
to answer their inquiry if they would answer a question of his:
"The baptism of John--was it from heaven or from men?"
They huddled to find an answer and found none they were willing
to give. They were obviously uninterested in truth. They were
only concerned with not being made to look bad before the public.
Jesus had them in a dilemma. They had refused John's baptism
(cf. Luke 7:29). After all, John's baptism demanded repentance
(Luke 3:1-14), and thus, if they had submitted to John's baptism,
these self-righteous hypocrites would have been admitting their
sinfulness. But the people correctly believed John was a prophet
from God, and to deny the heavenly authority of his baptism would
enrage the public.
What to do? They betrayed their moral inability to judge a
question of authority by claiming they did not know the answer
to Jesus' question. Thus, He refused to submit the question of
His authority to teach to them.
But their question was a legitimate one, albeit they were
incapable of correctly judging the answer. Any activity in which
we engage or which we advocate is subject to the inquiry: "Tell
us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he
who gave You this authority?"
Jesus' question to the Jewish rulers shows the two possible
answers: "The baptism of John--was it from heaven or from
men?" Our authority for teaching or acting is either from
heaven, thus from God, or merely from men.
But I have asserted something without proof. Was the question
the rulers posed legitimate even apart from their hypocrisy?
Do we need authority from heaven (God) for what we do?
What Is Authority?
The term here translated "authority" means "the
power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by
others and obeyed...." (Thayer. 225). When our children
were small, if Sandy said, "Kids, come in and wash your
hands for supper," they obeyed. They knew she had the right
to command them and the ability (and determination, I might add)
to enforce her commands. She had authority over them.
All authority is one of two kinds. First, there is inherent
authority ..God, who made the world and everything in it, since
He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made
with hands. (Acts 17:24) Since God created the universe,
He owns it all and has all authority over it. All legitimate
authority is inherent in Him (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:27-28). When
Sandy ordered the children to wash their hands, she exercised
authority inherent in her office as mother.
On the other hand, there is delegated, or given, authority.
The Jewish leaders asked, "Or who is he who gave You this
authority?" (Luke 20:2) The Master prefaced the Great Commission
by claiming all delegated authority: "And Jesus came and
spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth.'" (Matthew 28:18) When Sandy sent one
of the children out to get the others in, the messenger would
announce, "Mama says...." Any command not prefaced
by "Mama says" was ignored! They might have asked,
Who gave you this authority?
There are two ultimate sources of authority: God or man (Luke
20:4). To act with no higher authority than man's is to serve
God in vain (Matthew 15:1-9).
Open Contempt for Authority
Western Society (Europe and the Americas) exalts personal
freedom to the point of having open contempt for all authority.
I was a graduate assistant for a history professor when I was
studying to teach history. He proudly proclaimed himself to be
a rebel against all authority, although he was working for a
state institution and being paid from funds received from state
and federal taxes. His attitude is typical. American adults refuse
to submit to God's law of divorce and remarriage, and their children
refuse to submit to parental authority. Americans by and large
ignore speed laws, and both individuals and corporations try
to cheat on income taxes. Religiously, the denominations don't
even have the word "authority" in their vocabulary,
and most brethren have the attitude, "We do lots of things
without Bible authority."
Do We Need Divine Authority?
At the same time reasonable people recognize the need for
authoritative standards in every day life. Our nation has a constitution
and system of laws that insures we can live in an orderly, safe
society. The Bureau of Weights and Standards has existed since
the beginning of our constitutional republic to enforce standard
weights and measures in commerce. When you buy five pounds of
sugar or a gallon of milk, you want to know you're getting what
you paid for. All sports contests, from beginner level to pro,
have rules and referees to enforce these rules.
What is true in human relationships is true of our relationship
with God. We need divine authority for what we do.
We need the guidance of divine authority because we are incapable
of so guiding ourselves as to please God.
"O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps."
(Jeremiah 10:23)
When men reject divine authority, the results are tragic.
The period of the judges was a dark era in the history of Israel.
Idolatry and immorality prevailed (Read Judges chapters 17 -
21; especially 19:30.) Why? "In those days there was no
king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes."
(Judges 17:6; cf. 21:25) When there is no authoritative guide,
but everyone does what seems right in his own mind ("Let
you conscience be your guide."), anarchy, mayhem, immorality,
and injustice prevail.
The apostle Paul wrote the Christians in Corinth:
Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there
be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together
in the same mind and in the same judgment. (1 Corinthians
1:10)
How can we "speak the same thing" and "be perfectly
joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment"
without accepting and following a common, authoritative standard?
The apostle also informed the Corinthians:
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom
did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the
message preached to save those who believe. (1 Corinthians
1:21)
Without an authoritative revelation from God to guide us,
we cannot know the Lord or how to please Him.
The great principle of the life that pleases God is thus stated
by Paul, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians
5:7) Since "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word
of God" (Romans 10:17), the life that pleases the Lord is
one directed by the authority of His Word.
For these reasons, the Lord plainly demands that we submit
to His authority in all things. "And whatever you do in
word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks
to God the Father through Him." (Colossians 3:17) To act
"in the name of the Lord Jesus" is to act by His authority
(Vine. 3:100; cf. Acts 4:18).
Whosoever goeth onward and abideth not in the teaching
of Christ, hath not God: he that abideth in the teaching, the
same hath both the Father and the Son. (2 John 9; ASV)
Conclusion
Many brethren assert, "We do lots of things without Bible
authority." The inspired apostle of Christ commanded, "And
whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord
Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." (Colossians
3:17) Which way will you go, with the majority or with the Lord?
"Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar." (Romans
3:4)
___________________
List of Works Cited
The Bible, American Standard Version.
Thayer, J. H., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament.
Vine, W.E., An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words.
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