The Authority Of Christ

For as long as man has existed, he has worshiped someone or something, but how does man know what is to be worshiped and what is not to be worshiped? How does man know what is the right or wrong way to worship? In order for man to know these things there must be an authority in the mater, some way of knowing what is right and what is wrong. So, the question arises, who is the authority in religious matters? Some have turned to mythology, such as Greek or Roman of times past, for authority in religious maters. Some look to astrology. Some have looked to divination and ancestor worship. Some have turned to witchcraft and sorcery.  Still, others have looked to those like Mohammed, Joseph Smith, Mary Baker Eddy, and others. The fact of the matter is, though, that there is and always has been only one with such authority, whether up in heaven, or here upon the earth, and that is God. It is to Him that man has always had to go to in order to find the answers to these questions about things religious.

In the New Testament dispensation, all authority has been given to Christ: “And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth” (Mt. 28:18). Philippians 2:9-10 says,

Wherefore also God highly exalted him, and gave unto him the name which is above every name; that in the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and things on earth and things under the earth.

There is just no greater authority to whom we may go than to Christ; He is the final authority. What He says is it! He is the authority in all things religious, not Mohamed, not Joseph Smith, or any other name that you can come up with, there is a name above every name, and His name is Jesus. Why in the world would we ever look to some fallible human being for answers when we can go directly to the source of all truth? 

            Man has said, “There is no God,” but if there is, “Jesus is not His Son,” but if Jesus is the Son of God, “we don’t have to listen to Him.” What does God say?

And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into a high mountain apart: and he was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as the sun, and his garments became white as the light. And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elijah talking with him. And Peter answered, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, I will make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was yet speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold, a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (Mt. 17:1-5)

This Jesus of Nazareth is my Son, “hear ye him.” So the authority of Christ becomes a topic of paramount importance.

(I) Christ Has Demonstrated His Authority To Man

            It’s one thing to make a claim, but it is an entirely different thing to demonstrate it. A lot of claims are made by a lot of people, but many of those claims are nothing more than that, just claims. Someone might claim that he can read my mind, but unless he demonstrates that ability, I’m not going to believe that that claim is anything more than just a claim. I’ve seen people on TV pretending to miraculously heal people. They make a big production out of it, but unless that same person can walk into a local hospital and demonstrate that ability on real patients in such a way that that ability can be confirmed by real doctors and real tests, it remains to be nothing more than an unconfirmed claim of a supposed ability. Jesus demonstrated His authority to man time and time again; He didn’t just declare it to be so.

Jesus demonstrated His authority over the natural world. Jesus has all power over this natural world that we live in. While we as human beings, and human beings only, are limited by the laws of nature, Jesus transcends both this natural world and the laws which govern it. At the marriage in Cana of Galilee, when they had ran out of wine, Jesus didn’t need to grapes to make wine, He just told the servants to fill the water pots with water and when they drew the water out, He had turned that water into wine (Jn. 2:1-11).  On another occasion, the Bible tells us,

And on that day, when even was come, he saith unto them, Let us go over unto the other side. And leaving the multitude, they take him with them, even as he was, in the boat. And other boats were with him. And there ariseth a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the boat, insomuch that the boat was now filling. And he himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion: and they awake him, and say unto him, Teacher, carest thou not that we perish? And he awoke, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye fearful? have ye not yet faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him? (Mk. 4:35-41)

In Matthew chapter 14 we read about Jesus walking on the water. Just before that, it tells us that more than five thousand (not counting the women and children) were all miraculously fed by “five loaves and two fishes”, with twelve baskets of food left over! Later on, all four of the gospels tell us that Peter cut a man’s ear off when the mob came to get Jesus, but Jesus took the ear and put it back on! These are just a tiny pinch of all the examples of Jesus’ power over the natural world, but these should be enough to show us that what Jesus wanted to do in this world, He had the power to do it; He has authority over it!

Jesus demonstrated His authority over death. Where we have no power over death, even death is subject to Christ’s authority! He said,

…I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth on me, though he die, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and believeth on me shall never die. (Jn. 11:25-26)

Then, just a few verses later, the Bible says,

And when he had thus spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth. He that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with grave-clothes; and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus saith unto them, Loose him, and let him go. (Jn. 11:43-44)

In Luke 8 we read about the daughter of Jairus. Verse 52-56 says,

And all were weeping, and bewailing her: but he said, Weep not; for she is not dead, but sleepeth. And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. But he, taking her by the hand, called, saying, Maiden, arise. And her spirit returned, and she rose up immediately: and he commanded that something be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed: but he charged them to tell no man what had been done.

In Luke 7 we find another example:

Now when he drew near to the gate of the city, behold, there was carried out one that was dead, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came nigh and touched the bier: and the bearers stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he gave him to his mother. (12-25)

In John 10:18, we find this claim of Jesus: “No one taketh it [His life] away from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment received I from my Father.” He made it known that on the third day He would rise again. The chief Priests and Pharisees understood it, because in Matthew 27:63 they went to Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, after three days I rise again.” On the third day, after Jesus had been crucified and buried in the rich man’s tomb, He provided the demonstration and He rose again, by which He was “declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead; even Jesus Christ our Lord” (Ro. 1:4).

Jesus demonstrated His authority over the doctrine and traditions of men. In the Sermon on the Mount, there in Matthew 5, He gives six things that those people had been taught; He said, “Ye have heard that is was said…” and each time He followed it up with, “but I say unto you”: But I say unto you, verse 22; “but I say unto you”, verse 28; “but I say unto you”, verse 32; “but I say unto you”, verse 34; “but I say unto you”, verse39; “but I say unto you”, verse 44. And just prior to that, in verse 20, He said, “for I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven.” “I” who? “I” the Son of God, “I” the one with all authority, and “I” the one you must listen to rather than man.

And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching: for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes. (Mt. 7:28-29)

Jesus demonstrated His authority over sin. In Matthew 9:2-8 it says this:

And behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, be of good cheer; thy sins are forgiven. And behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth. And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins (then saith he to the sick of the palsy), Arise, and take up thy bed, and go up unto thy house. And he arose, and departed to his house. But when the multitudes saw it, they were afraid, and glorified God, who had given such authority unto men. (Mt. 9:2-8)

Jesus demonstrated His authority over demons. Even demons are subject to the authority of Christ!

And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day: and they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority. And in the synagogue there was a man, that had a spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, Ah! what have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt. And amazement came upon all, and they spake together, one with another, saying, What is this word? for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. (Lk. 4:31-36)

What I am trying to show you here is that Jesus came to this earth and lived among men, during which time an open demonstration to go along with the decloration of His power and authority. Here is someone so great and mighty, and of such great authority, that even the wind and the waves obey Him. Death has no hold on Him and He gave life back to the dead at will. When He taught, He taught with authority; “...but I say unto you.” He was authority enough, on His own without having to refer to anyone else. He was able to forgive sin. This was someone who even the demons obey; they “believe and shudder” (Jas. 2:19). We have a record of these things so that we might believe (cf. Jn. 20:30-31; 11:14-15; Mt. 9:6).  Knowing these things, then, will we reject the authority of Christ, knowing and seeing how that everything else obeys and bows before Him?

(II) God Has Spoken To Man By His Son

Religiously speaking, anything that is not stamped with the authority of Jesus Christ, is not binding upon men today. The words of Moses, great as he was, are not binding upon us today as Christians. The words of the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and any other prophet of the Old Testament are not binding religiously or spiritually upon us today. The only thing that is binding upon us today is the doctrine of Jesus Christ as revealed to us through our New Testament. That’s why Paul said that it wouldn’t even mater if an angel were to come and tell us something different than what we have in the Bible, “let him be “anathema”, or “accursed”, says the King James. God didn’t continue to use the heads of families as He did back in the days of Abraham, He didn’t continue to speak to man through angels and dreams. God spoke to mankind, last of all, through His Son:

God, Having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken unto us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. (Heb. 1:1-2)

            Now, as we look back through the Old Testament and we consider those things that were spoken to man through these various means, was there ever a time when men rejected any part of God’s word and were not held accountable for it? No! Were the people of Noah’s day given a pardon for their disobedience? What about the people of Sodom and Gomorrah? What happened to the Israelites in the days of Moses after leaving the land of Egypt? What happened to the inhabitants of Canaan when Joshua led God’s people into the Promised Land? They were all destroyed, because they would not be obedient to God. Now, God has spoken to man again, this time through His own Son. If those who would not listen to God when He spoke through angels and the patriarchs were wiped from the face of the earth, is it even reasonable to think that we would escape if we neglect those things spoken to us through His Son?

If the word spoken through angels proved stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward; how shall we escape, if we neglect so great a salvation? which having at the first been spoken through the Lord, was confirmed unto us by them that heard; God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders, and by manifold powers, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to his own will. (Heb. 2:2-4)

The Hebrew writer is telling us that if we won’t listen to Christ and do what He has commanded as we have it in the New Testament we will not escape judgment!

A man that hath set at nought Moses law dieth without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punishment, think ye, shall he be judged worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (Heb. 10:28-29)

See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not when they refused him that warned them on earth, much more shall not we escape who turn away from him that warneth from heaven. (Heb. 12:25)

Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me. To him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people. (Acts 3:22-23)

This isn’t me talking; this is God talking, and He tells us that we must be obedient to Christ in all things. We can’t alter the Scriptures. We can’t accept parts of it while passing over other parts of it. We can’t say, “I know what the Bible says, but…” That didn’t work in the Old Testament and it won’t work for us either. The God of the Old Testament is the same God as the God of the New Testament. There are many things that have changed between the Old and New Testaments, God has not!

(III) What Has Christ Spoken To Man?

            Christ didn’t come to man to help him half way, He goes straight to man’s greatest weakness, his biggest fault and his biggest need, sin, and He tells him what he must do. Not only that, but He has given His own life to make that possible, and He continues to help us today interceding for us before the Father. But, what has this supreme authority through whom God has spoken unto man said that man must do?

(1) He declares that men must believe on him as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Cf. John 8:24. This implies that they must hear his message, for faith comes by hearing the word of Christ (Ro. 10:17). They are not required to understand the philosophy of all that may be involved in these great matters, but they are required to believe, upon divine testimony, the truth that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and, hence, the world’s Redeemer.

(2) He declares that men must repent. See Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30. Repentance is a change of mind regarding sin, brought about by godly sorrow and resulting in a changed life. Cf. 2 Cor. 7:10; Mt. 3:8.

(3) He declares that men must confess their faith in him. See Mt. 10:32, 33; Ro. 10:9, 10. To confess one’s faith in Jesus is to own or acknowledge him as Lord and to indicate a willingness to obey him in all his appointments. Cf. 2 Cor. 9:13.

(4) He declares that men must be baptized into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Mt. 28:19; cf. Mark 16:16; John 3:5; Acts 2:37,38. This is the culminating act of the process that brings men into Christ, the source of all spiritual blessings. See Gal. 3:26, 27; Eph. 1:3.

(5) He declares that those brought into his kingdom, the church, must continue in his service by faithfully observing all things whatsoever he commands.  See Mt. 28:20; cf. Acts 2:42; 2 Pet. 1:5-11.

(Items 1-5, above, were taken from: Thomas, Leslie G. God Amid The Shadows. “The Supremem Authority In Religion. (Chattanooga, TN. 1944) 58-59)

Conclusion

            The fact that Christ has said that man must hear the word, believe it, repent, confess their faith in Christ, be baptized, and remain faithful to all that He has said to man can not be denied from a Scriptural standpoint. When you consider that along with what God said concerning Jesus in Matthew 17:5: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well please; hear ye him”; and then you consider further what we read about Him from Acts 3:22-23: “Moses indeed said, A prophet shall the Lord God raise up unto you from among your brethren, like unto me. To him shall ye hearken in all things whatsoever he shall speak unto you. And it shall be, that every soul that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be utterly destroyed from among the people”; then, you combine that with the authority that He demonstrated over the teachings and traditions of men, the natural world, death, and demons, we can begin, just begin, to see the fearful consequences of rejecting Him and not obeying Him.

Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy by thy name, and by thy name cast out demons, and by thy name do many mighty works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. Every one therefore that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them, shall be likened unto a wise man, who built his house upon the rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and if fell not: for it was founded upon the rock. And every one that heareth these words of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof. (Mt 7:21-27)

“He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my sayings, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I spake, the same shall judge him in the last day” (Jn. 12:48). What a terrible thought for someone who has rejected Him and His “sayings”! If you have not been obedient to Him in all things, will you resolve to do that this today? If you have not obeyed Him by believing in Him , repenting of your sins, confessing your faith in Him and being baptized, will you do that today?