Do We Need Authority?

“By What Authority Are You Doing These Things?” (2)
Do we need Authority?

Do We Need Authority for all that we do in religion? What do we mean by authority? Why is authority so important? All these questions are important questions that will have a bearing on our salvation. Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord.” This is a passage that tells us we need to consider whether or not our conduct is in accord with our Lord’s will, whom we are serving. It is calling for authority.

Have you ever wondered why there are so many different religions in the world today? Even among believers in Jehovah God and in Jesus there is great diversity and even division. One religious group believes and teaches one thing and another group teaches the exact opposite. And it is not just trivial details but important subjects such as: how one is saved, how is the church to be structured, how we live our lives and how we worship God. They both say they are following the Bible – but are they? Is the Bible that vague and confusing? 1 Corinthians 14:33 says, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace as in all the churches of the saints.” In the book of Ephesians Paul said, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (5:17) which clearly implies that we can understand God’s word and exactly what He would have us to do.

Add to this the desire for unity that we read about in the Bible and you find that what we believe is very important. In His prayer in the Garden, Jesus asked God, “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” John 17:20-21. Notice the degree to which Jesus prays for unity: the same degree of unity He had with His Father. Remember that Jesus said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). He was not saying they were the same person, but that they were totally united or in agreement with each other in ALL things. Jesus wants us to have that same agreement. In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul wrote early, “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). As you examine the context you find this is more than unity of purpose, but unity in actions. Paul spends the rest of the letter dealing with sources of contention in that church that needed to be addressed so that they would have unity.

In addition to this, many of Paul’s letters (and other New Testament writers) were addressed to churches clarifying WHAT they were to believe on various subjects and even HOW they were to carry out their responsibilities. And it needs to be understood that these letters were to be circulated among all the churches (cf. Colossians 4:16, the seven churches of Asia – Revelation 2:7,11,17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22) promoting the same message EVERYWHERE (1 Corinthians 4:17).

So if there is to be complete unity both in doctrine and purpose for God to be pleased, then how can we determine what to believe? The answer lies in the word authority. Why are there so many different religions and churches? Because they are following different standards to establish authority for what they do. Some appeal to different books. Some receive their instructions from various church organizations that expand way beyond the local congregation, such as councils, conferences or even legislative bodies, such as the Vatican, The Mormon living prophets or the Watchtower society.

One might ask, since there is so much religious diversity and division today, is this unity in Christ possible? The answer is YES! How? The answer lies in appealing to the SAME source of authority. So which source do we appeal to? If we appeal to external sources such as creed books (books that are expected in addition to the Bible to be part of a specific religion) or earthly organizations then what we will have is the doctrines of that specific church. For instance, if we listen to the instructions of the Vatican then we would only be unified if we all became Catholic: But we don’t want to be Catholics – we want to be just Christians.

So our source of authority needs to be a source that we can all agree upon. And that source is the Bible, specifically the New Testament. All religions that believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God accept the New Testament (I think – and I would be interested in hearing of any that don’t) as His message to us. So that is a good place to start. If we could get everyone to accept the New Testament and it ONLY, we would be making progress. The New Testament teaches, “If we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Galatians 1:8) This was written by Paul expressing concern about congregations in Galatia considering turning away from the gospel of Christ to “a different gospel, which is not another” (1:6-7). Notice what Paul says we are to do to one who perverts the gospel of Christ – we are to “let him be accursed” meaning turn him over to God for judgment. What we are NOT to do is accept his false gospel. Here Paul also notes that if someone delivers a message that is DIFFERENT than what had already been taught it was NOT the gospel of Christ. So if we give consideration to the “creeds of men” we are in danger of being condemned. The “other gospel” Paul had specific reference to in Galatians was an attempt to return to the Old Law (following the Old Testament). He said later in this epistle, “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by the Law; you have fallen from grace” (Galatians 5:4). This is the consequence of accepting anything OTHER than the New Testament. So our source of authority needs to be the New Testament and nothing else. If all will follow this standard we can have unity.

In our next article, we will address in more detail what authority is and why it is so important. In future articles we want to examine how to establish authority as we turn to the New Testament for what we do. If you would like more information, give us a call or email me at res17ttx@verizon.net.