Understanding Spiritual Authority in Christianity

Posted on by korgrocker

“I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. For some say, ‘His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing.’ Such people should realise that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.”
2 Corinthians 10:9-11 NIVUK

In Corinth, it appears that some leaders had emerged who were preaching a different Gospel, one at variance with what Paul had taught the church there. Perhaps there was some confusion in these leaders’ minds concerning God’s grace, something that emerged when Paul wrote to the Romans, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning, so that grace may increase?” (Romans 6:1). But the same leaders were trying to exclude Paul as far as possible, and were undermining his letters and teaching in the process. So they were spreading the thought that Paul wrote “weighty and forceful” letters, but when he was with them in person, he was “unimpressive and his speaking amounts to nothing”. A personal attack that perhaps revealed the immaturity and wrong motives of his critics. However, Paul was the Apostle who established the Corinthian church, and he felt personally responsible for their spiritual well-being. 

In a way, we pilgrims today are very grateful that these issues have ended up recorded in Paul’s letters, because they have shaped the theology of our faith. Today, the same issues have emerged, exposing problems with spiritual authority within some denominations. This was different in Paul’s day, when the Christian faith was new and dependent on the Apostles for its authenticity and theological accuracy. Today, we have the Bible, but issues still come to light because sometimes a difference of opinion emerges among church leaders, with human and sinful factors creeping in, and, as a result, a church divides. As I have said before, in the city where I live, 14 churches were established in the 18th and 19th centuries, most of them Presbyterian by persuasion. Church splits sometimes come when a charismatic leader attracts a group of followers and moves away with them to a new location. Sometimes this is necessary, when the original leadership were unable to reconcile different beliefs and interpretations of the Bible. One example of this is between the liberal and traditional wings of one denomination I can think of. 

But spiritual authority is something that all believers must settle in their own minds. Far too often, a believer will follow a leader rather than follow Jesus, because it is sometimes easier that way. They don’t have to think about the rights and wrongs, the nuances and emphases, that emerge from the pulpit and instead rely on someone else to work all that out. That is fine when the leader is a sincere man or woman of integrity, well-versed in the Scriptures and preaching the truth of the Gospel. But what happens when he or she moves on to heed another call somewhere else? Do they leave behind a congregation of dependent people who fall apart and end up with a shipwrecked faith? And then we think of sects such as the JW’s and see how error can creep in and result in the people following a different god than the God of the Bible. 

Spiritual authority always starts with Jesus. We read in Matthew 28:18, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. James wrote, “Submit yourselves, then, to God. …” (James 4:7a). Our church leaders are themselves under God’s authority and are accountable to Him for what they preach and teach. Hebrews 13:17, “Have confidence in your leaders and submit to their authority, because they keep watch over you as those who must give an account. Do this so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no benefit to you”. In Luke 10, we read about the time when Jesus sent out 72 disciples, their authority in spiritual matters delegated to them by Jesus. He said, “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you” (Luke 10:19). 

For us pilgrims everywhere, there is good advice in the first two verses of Hebrews 12, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honour beside God’s throne”. We fix our eyes on Jesus, because anywhere else will lead to disappointment and disillusionment. Yes, God will appoint men like Paul, or our church leaders, to help us along in our journey of faith, but ultimately we must look upwards to our Heavenly Champion, because there is no other Source of spiritual authority worth considering.

Dear Heavenly Father. We look to You this morning as the Source of all we need to live the Christian life. Thank You for Your grace and guidance. Amen.

The Lord’s Command

Posted on by korgrocker

“Don’t you realise that those who work in the temple get their meals from the offerings brought to the temple? And those who serve at the altar get a share of the sacrificial offerings. In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. Yet I have never used any of these rights. And I am not writing this to suggest that I want to start now. In fact, I would rather die than lose my right to boast about preaching without charge.”
1 Corinthians 9:13-15 NLT

It seems like a logical idea that the preacher of Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. The same principle should surely be applied to teachers and lecturers and anyone else who has knowledge of a particular subject and can help those around them with his or her knowledge. Of course, knowledge of anything can be acquired in several different ways, not just by listening to someone expounding what they know. To take a simple example, I could ask a bus driver the time of the next bus to a particular town, a piece of knowledge that he would probably have in his head. However, I could acquire the same information by consulting a bus timetable, which may exist in various forms, including both paper and internet versions. However, Paul was someone special, and he possessed knowledge that would have been unique in his time. He travelled to cities everywhere in the Middle East and mostly found virgin territory for his knowledge and understanding of the Good News about Christ, where people had never heard about Jesus and His saving grace, and had no means to get that knowledge in any other way, because the New Testament had not yet been written. 

Of course, the message of the Gospel is a free gift from God, and the priceless treasure that is available to all who believe in Jesus is eternal life. We know that from Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord“. We also know that because Jesus made no reference to cost when He said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life“. Responding to the Gospel is not a monetary transaction. Instead, it is one where Jesus Himself bore the cost on our behalf. 

There is an account in Acts 8 of Peter and John visiting the town of Samaria and the converts there who had only been baptised in the name of Jesus. We pick up the story in verse 19, “Then Peter and John laid their hands upon these believers, and they received the Holy Spirit”. However, a man named Simon, who had previously been a sorcerer but was now a Christian, made a request of the Apostles. We read in verses 18 and 19, “When Simon saw that the Spirit was given when the apostles laid their hands on people, he offered them money to buy this power. “Let me have this power, too,” he exclaimed, “so that when I lay my hands on people, they will receive the Holy Spirit!”” Peter’s response was emphatic. Verse 20, “But Peter replied, “May your money be destroyed with you for thinking God’s gift can be bought!”

There is a convergence between the two kingdoms, the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world. A person who shares the Gospel is a human being with basic needs that include food, drink, clothing and shelter. Most Christians work to earn a living and so do not need to be supported with the basics of life while we share the Gospel with those around us.  However, there are men and women whose occupation is in a full-time capacity as a minister, pastor or missionary, and they still have to be paid somehow. Paul was in that capacity, and, for some reason, it appears that the Corinthian church was reluctant to support him. He also said something that would have resonated with the Jewish members of the congregation, in that the priests who served in the temple were able to live based on the gifts brought to the temple and its altar. Paul then suggested that he should have the same benefits.

The challenge for all church members is providing financial support to our leaders. They work tirelessly, supporting the people, with visits to the lonely, the sick, and the wayward. They prepare sermons and support other church activities, such as children’s work and youth clubs. In fact, if our leaders withdrew their labour, the church would soon descend into chaos, as many find when they are unable to replace their pastors or ministers after they leave or retire. Although such financial support is not mandatory, it is a recognition that our leaders need some form of reward. Near the end of his life, Paul wrote to his protégé Timothy, “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honour, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’” (1 Timothy 5:17-18). 

We pilgrims thank God for His servants who give up so much for the Gospel. It is neither a well-paid nor an easy vocation to be a pastor. They often get little in the way of thanks, but nevertheless persevere in building their churches and fellowships as God leads and guides them. And so we pray for them and support them with our finances. As a result, a thriving fellowship of believers will see the grace of God manifested in their lives, and new members will join as they hear the Good News about Christ.

Dear Father God. We pray for our leaders that their needs will be met in every way, spiritually and physically. And we pray that you show us how we can support them. In Jesus’ name. Amen.