Authority: power to influence or command thought, opinion, or behavior (Merriam- Webster).
Earthly Authority
When you see or hear the word “authority” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? For me, it’s my childhood and how my parents, especially my dad, were the main authority figures in my life. As children, we are always looking up, both literally and figuratively, to a person who holds authority. Whether that is a parent, a teacher, a coach, an older family member, etc., we know where we stand as children and how we need someone older than us to look to for guidance. As we grow into our teenage years, yielding to authority may become a struggle. We start to feel like we know all things, and we don’t like being told what to do. The next thing we know, we are adults, and we likely become an authority-figure in someone’s life such as our children, students, co-workers, or family members. We also still look to our own authority figures for guidance, such as a parent or a boss. Can anyone relate? Authority is a natural part of the order of our world. While having order and positive influence is meant to be a good and healthy thing, it can also be extremely difficult at times.
Godly Authority
As the Creator of the entire universe, God and His Word (Scripture) should naturally be what we look to as our ultimate authority. But, how can we have confidence in the authority of Scripture when we look around and see broken authority-figures all around us? Well, God’s loving, just, merciful, and compassionate character (Exodus 34:6-7) is seen throughout all of Scripture, and it should foster a trust in His authority. From that trust, we can believe His Word to be the ultimate truth and authority in our lives. After all, His Word says so!
2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” However, many of us like to pick and choose what parts of Scripture we want as authority in our lives. It’s easier to agree with “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13), but it’s harder to agree with “love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,” (Matthew 5:44). But, those verses in 2 Timothy say that all Scripture is breathed out by God, not some or only the parts that are easy to read and agree with. Every part of God’s Word should hold the highest place of authority in our lives because God breathed out his heart for us to have.
Trusting God’s Word
I think we can all get so used to the Bible that we forget that it’s power as the very words of God, written down by men, for all humanity to now hold in our hands and our hearts forever. 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, “No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet’s own imagination, for no prophecy was every borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” While it’s hard to imagine God speaking through a human being so clearly for them to be able to write down the direct words from the God of the universe, the Bible is full of God speaking to His people. We have to trust that He is who He says He is and nothing in His Word points to Him being the contrary.
Throughout my life, I have had many authority-figures who have meant well but often fell short. What a joy it is that our ultimate Authority, Jesus Christ, is a God who gave us His Word to raise us up and train us in righteousness. He is worthy of all of our trust. I pray you believe that today and through the rest of your life.
