By What Authority?
Categories: Church of Christ Bulletin ArticlesIn matters pertaining to religion, God has given Christ “all authority” (Matthew 28:18 – NKJV; cf. John 14:6 – NKJV; Acts 4:12 – NKJV). When the authority of Christ is ignored or usurped by men, confusion reigns and apostasy is the result.
The authority of Christ is expressed by the Holy Spirit after our Lord’s departure from this earth (John 14:26 – NKJV; John 16:13 – NKJV). Thus, to follow Christ, is to follow and adhere to the teachings and principles of the Bible. Conversely, to transgress that which is written in the inspired Scriptures, is to violate the will of Christ (John 20:30-31 – NKJV; 2 Timothy 3:16-17 – NKJV; Revelation 22:18-19 – NKJV.
Contrary to what some folks believe, our conscience is not the final authority in religious matters (Proverbs 14:12 – NKJV; Jeremiah 10:23 – NKJV; cf. Acts 23:1 – NKJV; Acts 26:9 – NKJV; Gal. 1:13-14 – NKJV; 1 Timothy 1:13 – NKJV). It is not found in the creeds and traditions of men (Matthew 15:7-9 – NKJV; Gal. 1:6-10 – NKJV), nor determined by popular vote or opinion (Matthew 7:13-14 – NKJV).
The system of faith by which the apostles lived, is the one by which we are to live today. It was delivered in its completed form through the apostles (Jude 1:3 – NKJV). The apostles were guided into “all truth” (John 16:13 – NKJV), and first century Christians were given “all things” that pertained to life and godliness through the apostles’ inspired teaching (2 Peter 1:3 – NKJV).
Because Christ has “all authority” in spiritual matters, let us adhere to the principle of law given to us by Paul in Colossians 3:17 – NKJV:
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of [by the authority of] the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
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