Do We Assume We Have Authority? (Part 1)

For some the topic of Authority seems to be a very boring topic. I get that, but needless to say it is a topic that more people need to consider when trying to navigate this complex thing called life. All of us have known someone who has abused authority. From parents, teacher, bosses to friends we have witnessed, often first hand, the misuse of authority. If we don’t understand what it’s for and how it should be applied we will not only be hurt by its poor use, but also blame the wrong people for the consequences.

As a believer and teacher in the body of Christ for over 40 years, I have studied the concept of authority probably more than any other subject. For me, everything that’s important in life hinges on who has the authority to do what. When a sales person offers you a deal to good to be true, the question is, “Do they have the AUTHORITY to make such an offer? If they don’t, no matter what they say, it’s not worth the paper it is written on. If a politician campaigns on promises they have no authority to grant then only a fool would vote for him/her. Today, people are angry about not getting what they are promised……from the politician to the car salesperson to the religious teacher/preacher, many have gotten the opposite of what is “promised” to them. With so much false, daily expectation, something has got to give and I think it’s starting to show.

A report from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) took stats from 1999-2016 and found an alarming increase in suicides in the US. This increase was across age, gender, race and ethnicity. In 27 states, in more than half of the deaths, there were no mental health conditions reported when these people ended their lives. Nearly 45,000 suicides occurred in the United States during 2016……more than twice the number of homicides which made it the 10th leading cause of death.

There is one area that I believe is breeding discontent in the hearts and souls of people, Christians in particular.  It is not the only problem but it is a major theme that seems to consume the minds of many.  It relates to the idea that Christians have this amazing authority in Christ that we can command at will for our benefit.  Do not misunderstand me.  I do believe coming to Christ has given me and my fellow believers an authority we never had before that has enriched our lives greatly….. from receiving and extending forgiveness or winning the spiritual battle in our souls.  We have been granted amazing authority but may have been hoodwinked into embracing what I believe are false expectations about the authority we have and ought to be exercising. Let me explain.

Let’s define authority in general and then move on to see how it should be handled.  We need to do some hard thinking about authority or we will pay a price in who do and do not trust with authority…..whether it is God or people in our lives. As a Christian, my concept of how and why authority works affects how much or how little I really trust God. Many believers have been stunted in their Christian experience because they were hurt by either what they thought God or themselves should have authority over in life. This includes sickness, finance, relationships etc.

As you might guess, this topic will take me a certain amount of space to cover so I will be writing a number of articles on the subject to address the topic fully. Please bear with me in the process and I assure you will be better for it even if you end up disagreeing with different portions  of the articles on the subject of authority.

Definition:   “Power to influence or command thought, option or behavior”   Merrian-Webster

Biblical:       “Freedom, power, ability, or capacity to complete a task or action – natural or supernatural”.

God gave humanity the authority to regulate itself in the garden. Individuals are given free choice, which is a measure of authority. Parents are given a measure of authority to raise children and leaders are given the task of establishing and releasing new leaders for the present and future generations. God always intended man to follow his lead of generosity but man so often rejects God’s ways for selfish pursuits. Rather than listening to the Spirit of God, man became deaf to God and so God gave us the written word in black and white. Even today man constantly rejects God’s authority, even in the scriptures, and thus we get authority that is corrupt and often misused. If we choose to just use logic, reason or appearance rather than scripture, authority becomes corrupt and so does the culture. Just look at the news and you can see the anger in our country over authority. We have become so much like the Book of Judges where “Everyone did what was right in their own eye”.

Let me close this first article on authority with just a few things to think about.

First, I don’t think God indiscriminately grants authority to anyone He does not believe has “qualified” in certain aspects. This does not mean you have to be perfect to gain authority, but you do have to have certain basic understandings and background to rightly use power and influence. Just like a parent doesn’t give a baby sharp objects to hold lest they hurt themselves, God grants certain authority to people who at least have the fundamentals down.

Secondly, How we handle authority once we have obtained some does not guarantee we will not abuse that authority. A person may be given a driver’s license because they have passed a basic written and driving test but that certainly doesn’t guarantee they won’t go out and drive recklessly afterwards.

Thirdly, I would like to look at the ministry of Jesus and see how he gave authority to his followers and why. Since scripture says he lived without sinning it would be wise for us to unpack how he handled authority and who and how he gave it out.

1 Peter 2:13-14        SUBMIT TO AUTHORITY 

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, [14] or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. [15] For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bond-slaves of God. [17] Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.

Questions:

1) Are you using the authority you have as God intended? Ask God’s forgiveness and guidance today.

2) Do you struggle with natural or spiritual authority? Seek the Holy Spirit to resolve this issue today.

(Godly authority Part 2 coming soon)

Pastor Dale