Robert McLaughlin Bible Ministries
The Doctrine of Authority, Part 1.
Sunday, September 14, 2003
Improved environment is not the answer in life, the mature believer is happy in time of historical prosperity but he is just as happy in time of historical disaster.
Happiness has to do with the state of your soul, the amount of doctrine in your soul and the execution of the plan of God.
The Doctrine of Authority.
Point 1.
Authority and Human Volition.
Authority = The power to command, to judge (in the sense of discern), or to act by a person or persons in whom authority is vested.
Authority or authorities applies to persons having legal power to make and enforce the law, to make policy, or to make decisions.
Authority is an accepted source of information, as in the case of the authority of the pastor-teacher to provide doctrinal or theological information from the scripture.
ISA 54:17, “‘No weapon that is formed against you will prosper, and every tongue that rises against you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication is from Me,’ declares the Lord.”
2TI 4:2, “Preach the Word. Be ready in season and out of season. Reprove, rebuke, exhort [when warranted by context], and do this with all patience and teaching.”
Authority can also be defined in terms of an expert on a subject.
Under the laws of divine establishment, authority is defined as that legal power, delegated by God, whereby certain persons have jurisdiction and responsibility for others.
(1) The temporal realm–the laws of divine establishment.
(a) Freedom is the right of self-determination from human volition apart from violation of law or authority.
(b) Privacy is the right to hold opinions, make decisions and engage in actions which do not interfere with the rights of others.
(c) Sacredness of property and life.
(d) Enforcement of law, which is the guardian of freedom, privacy, property, and life.
(2) The spiritual realm–under the spiritual laws for the function of a particular dispensation.
Spiritual freedom is the function of the believer while filled with the Holy Spirit inside the PPOG.
JOH 8:32 “You shall know the truth [Bible doctrine], and the truth shall make you free [spiritually].”
PSA 19:45 “I Will walk in freedom; for I seek your doctrines.”
Illegitimate authority is illegal, unlawful authority, generally established by unlawful or illegal force, the attainment of power without the lawful right to possess that power.
Illegitimate authority is delegated by Satan as the ruler of this world in three categories:
Tyranny
False doctrine
Power struggles
“Fight and slay the pagans (infidels) wherever ye find them, and seize them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every stratagem of war.” Quran, Surah 9:5.
“The punishment of those who wage war against Allah or his apostle and strive to make mischief in the land is only this, that they should be murdered or crucified or the cutting off of hands and feet from the opposite sides, or exile from the land.” Surah 5:33.
“Prophet, make war on unbelievers and hypocrites, and deal rigorously with them.” Surah 9:73.
“Let not the unbelievers think they will ever get away… strike terror into the enemy of God and your enemy… rouse the faithful to arms! If they (the non-Muslims) incline to peace (accept Islam) make peace with them.” Surah 8:59-60.
“If they reject your judgment, know that it is Allahs wish to scourge them for their sins.” Surah 5:49.
Point 2.
The realms of authority.
God has delegated authority through His mandates in both the Old Testament and the New, DEU 11:27; 1SA 15:22; JER 11:4,7; ZEC 6:15.
God also has authority over nature, and nature obeys God,
MAT 8:27; MAR 4:41;
LUK 8:25; ROM 8:20-22.
MAT 8:27 and the men marveled, saying, “what kind of a man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
LUK 8:25 And they were fearful and amazed, saying to one another, “who then is this, that He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him?”
Angels are subject to divine authority,
MAR 1:27; 1PE 3:22.
MAR 1:27 and they were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “what is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”
1PE 3:22 who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him.
The pastor-teacher and church officers have authority over the congregation in the local church,
1CO 16:15-16; 2CO 10:8;
1TH 5:12; HEB 13:7, 17;
ISA 54:17.
Government has authority over its people to protect the sanctity of their freedom, property, and human life.
The husband has authority over the wife.
The husbands authority over his wife provides great happiness in category two love,
EPH 5:22; COL 3:18.
In 1CO 11:10 angels observe the attitude that the woman has toward her husband and the symbol of authority that it represents.
The Greek word is not the normal word for man which is anthropos but aner meaning a noble man.