God's Authority – Being a Pilgrim

“For Christ must reign until he humbles all his enemies beneath his feet. And the last enemy to be destroyed is death. For the Scriptures say, “God has put all things under his authority.” (Of course, when it says “all things are under his authority,” that does not include God himself, who gave Christ his authority.) Then, when all things are under his authority, the Son will put himself under God’s authority, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.”
1 Corinthians 15:25-28 NLT

In these four verses today, the word “authority” occurs six times. A dictionary definition of authority is “the moral or legal right or ability to control”. In connection with God, “authority refers to His absolute and supreme right to command, rule, and act in the universe, a right inherent in His nature as Creator and Sustainer of all things. This authority is total and unchallengeable, in contrast to human authority, which is always delegated and limited”. All this is fine on paper, but what does this mean for the ordinary pilgrim trudging through life?

A Scripture often quoted is Romans 13:1, “Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God”. This can be a hard verse to swallow, as we look on at the secular and often confused actions of our politicians, who these days seem to lack the moral compass required to guide them in what is right and what is wrong. But we remember that their authority only extends as far as God allows, because there is a higher authority, God Himself. Increasingly today, Christians find themselves marginalised in the debates and laws that are taking place in our halls of power. Currently, hot topics include ideologies around gender and suicide, taking over from the legacy of abortion and divorce legislation. We might object to paying taxes or a TV licence fee, but these things fall within the jurisdiction of the governing authorities, and God will allow punishment for those who refuse to pay. Romans 13:4, “The authorities are God’s servants, sent for your good. But if you are doing wrong, of course you should be afraid, for they have the power to punish you. They are God’s servants, sent for the very purpose of punishing those who do what is wrong”.

Jesus has the authority
to grant us eternal life

Jesus was the God-man with authority. Matthew 28:18, “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth””. We also know that Jesus had authority over the spiritual realm. Mark 1:27, “Amazement gripped the audience, and they began to discuss what had happened. “What sort of new teaching is this?” they asked excitedly. “It has such authority! Even evil spirits obey his orders!” On several occasions in His ministry, Jesus demonstrated His authority over demons, casting them out of the people they were inhabiting. Jesus’ High Priestly prayer commences, “After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him” (John 17:1-2). This Scripture is of immense importance to us pilgrims because it assures us that Jesus has the authority to grant us eternal life. Remember “whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life”? Jesus did not just utter the words. He has the authority to ensure they happen.

“The Son radiates God’s
own glory and expresses
the very character of God“.

In Hebrews 1:3 we read, “The Son radiates God’s own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honour at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven”. Of course, God has ultimate power and authority over everything because He created everything. And part of His plan was that through Jesus, we would be redeemed from the realm of the devil’s authority. Our salvation was only made possible by Jesus coming under His Father’s authority and enduring the pain and shame of the Cross on a Friday long ago.

We pilgrims have authority because Jesus commissioned us in Matthew 28 to go and make disciples. Mark’s Gospel expands on this – Mark 16:17-18, “These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed”. As we read through the Book of Acts, we see the disciples’ authority being applied to the world around them. We have been granted authority to do God’s work, in line with His will and purposes for each of us pilgrims, and we must not exclude the Spiritual Gifts if the Holy Spirit empowers us to use them.

Once Jesus has completed His mission in this world, then all authority will be returned to God. We know that because we have had the benefit of reading the rest of God’s written work, the Bible. But in the meantime, we work and act within the authority God has given us, in the process finding the sweet spot for our redeemed lives now and forever.

Dear Father God. We know that the word “authority” can be a hard one in a world where it is so often abused. But we look to You as the Source of all we are, and pray for guidance in the situations we experience. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

“Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us”.
Romans 12:3 NLT

This is a difficult one. What do we think of ourselves and our abilities? And how do we know? There are some empirical ways of assessing our abilities, and academic exams are one of them. We might, for example, think we are good at arithmetic, and we can prove it by passing some sort of test. The same would apply to a driving test, where we can demonstrate to an external examiner our ability, or not, as the case may be. Similarly, we might think we are good at speaking a foreign language, something that is easily confirmed by a visit to that country. But these are all specifics. The problem comes when, for example, we say we are good at a subject like art just because we can pass an arithmetic test.

I used to work for someone who was an expert in his vocational field. He wrote for scientific and technical journals, and people consulted him about their theories and projects. So he started a company to market his products, thinking that he would have the same expertise and abilities when it came to business matters. Sadly he didn’t, and the company collapsed. Now here’s the reason – he didn’t have an honest evaluation of himself. He should have read the verse we are looking at today. The problem in much of today’s employment, particularly in white collar environments, is that those who climb the promotion ladder have to make claims about how good they are, by talking up their abilities. I was once in a project meeting with a very confident manager, who impressed the project sponsor by his apparent knowledge of the subject in hand. Afterwards I complemented him on his knowledge, to which he replied, “in a land of blind men, a one-eyed man is king”. The reality was that he had a good grasp of all the buzz words, but little else. But life isn’t like that for most of us.

At the other end of the scale, I have known people who are really good at something, but they lack the confidence to leverage their abilities, failing to make them a useful addition to their lives and the lives of others. But the emphasis in Paul’s message would indicate that this is less of a problem then being overconfident, by thinking that “you are better than you really are”.

Was Paul merely applying what he was writing about to spiritual matters or everything that the person, the “each of you”, was involved in? He was probably, in my opinion, referring to life, everything the person was involved in as they went about their everyday lives. Paul also included some guidance in his letter to the Philippians. “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too” (Philippians 2:3-4). He continued, “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. …” (Philippians 2:5-7). The world has got it wrong. Society demands that self-promotion is necessary to get on, and be better than anyone else. The Christian way is the opposite, one of humility and preferring one another. A way where we step back and allow God to do the promoting. Because of Jesus’ humility, He was honoured, “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honour and gave him the name above all other names” (Philippians 2:9).

Paul writes about self-evaluation through the faith that we have. To present this as an example, perhaps someone who claims to have a healing ministry, but doesn’t see the fruit of it, may not have the faith to make their claim. There is a partnership between a person’s spiritual and natural abilities, seasoned with the faith that comes from a lifetime of service to God.

So we pilgrims, humbly in God’s presence, work with Him to maximise our potential for His kingdom. Through our faith in Jesus, and through the Holy Spirit working within us. “For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him” (Philippians 2:13). And, in the end, that is what we really want to do – please our loving Heavenly Father.

Dear Father God. We praise and worship You today, deeply grateful for Your presence in our lives. Please help us, we pray, to serve You with faith and in truth, trusting that it is only through You and Your Son, Jesus, that we can really succeed in all that You have for us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.