| Article Index |
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| Establishing Authority In Religion |
| Three Ways of Establishing Authority |
| Two Types of Authority |
| All Pages |
Authority Defined and Illustrated
Authority is "the power of rule or government, the power of one whose will and commands must be obeyed by others" (An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, p.81).
Matt 8:9 "For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it."
Authority in Religion Must Come From Heaven (God) Matthew 21:23-27
When the Pharisees asked Jesus, "By what authority doest thou these things?" (v.23), they showed they recognized the need of authority in religion. When they discussed among themselves the answer to Jesus' question about John the Baptist and said, "If we say; From Heaven; He will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?" (v.25), they showed Heaven, or God was authoritative, or to be obeyed.
Some Additional Examples and Passages That Show the Need for Heaven, or God's Authority in Religious Matters
Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-8; Hebrews 11:4)
Nadab and Abihu (Levititicus 10:1,2)
Today, Heaven's, Or God's Authority Is Found In the New Testament Scriptures
"Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?"