Authority and the Church

This is Part 5 (of 7) in my series, Kingdom Principles: Authority

As I said at the beginning of this series, “When I sat down recently to work on [the Kingdom Principle of Authority], I realized this is much bigger than I thought – it runs like the mighty Mississippi through the Scriptures!” And the waters seem to get deeper as I move through my posts. I confess, I’m merely skimming the surface.

Keys of the Kingdom - For a brief explanation of the keys see below¹

Bishops & Elders

Acts 14:23 And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.

The Scriptures make it clear that God has established order and authority in the church, and that this is under the guidance of the elders in each local church. Ordained them elders in every church indicates a plurality of elders in every church.

Acts 20:17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.

This was Paul’s farewell and final charge to the Ephesian church. He spoke to them of his ministry as an example for them and their ministry (18-21), what awaits him in Jerusalem (22-24), that he will not see them again (25-26), that he has declared unto them all [or the whole] the counsel of God (27), this is their charge to keep and declare The Faith.

20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.

The two words used for church leadership are used in Acts 20: presbyteros and episcopos. Presbyteros is elder, an older man; because in those days old age implied wisdom and experience. Elders in the church were the more knowledgeable and mature men. Episcopos is bishop or overseer, a man charged with the duty of seeing that things to be done by others are done rightly; they are the guardian of souls, one who watches over their welfare; the superintendent, head or overseer of any Christian church.² 

What is the task of the bishop? Take heed to all the flock and feed the church of God. He continues his charge in 29-31: After my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch.

In the Introduction, I pointed out that it is the purpose of God that those in authority should provide protection and provision for those they have authority over. Here we see that the elders oversee and feed the church, and keep an eye open for danger.³

In 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1, Paul gives instructions about bishops/elders

1 Timothy 3:5 For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? Take care of the church of God. What does it mean to take care of the church of God? See that the Word is faithfully and correctly taught; the Faith is protected, preserved, and passed on; the Sacraments are faithfully administered; the saints are cared for and disciplined when necessary; the sick and shut-ins are visited; the gifts are exercised correctly; and so on.

Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.

The bishop/elder must hold fast sound doctrine, protect the faith, and be able to teach and defend the faith from error. 1 Timothy-Titus are full of advice for church leaders.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. [see also v 24]

The elders have the rule over us, that is authority. What are elders authorized to do? Watch for your souls. That’s caring for the church, protecting and providing. The word for watch means to be sleepless, keep awake, watch; to exercise constant vigilance over something (an image drawn from shepherds).² The elders watch over the church as those who must give an account of their charge. They are watching to make sure we are properly and fully taught the Word, to guard against error, and to encourage and guide growth in grace.

Those in authority protect and provide. Those under that authority are to submit and obey them. They have been entrusted with our souls, and we submit to their authority, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you. God holds them accountable for how they cared for what God entrusted to them (our souls), and we must give account for our submission to them.

1 Peter 5:1-5

1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:

2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. 

4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.

5 Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

The elders are to feed the flock of God (the Word, the Faith etc) and exercise oversight. Let me repeat, those in authority are to provide and protect. Peter stresses this is not tyranny, Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock. The church is the flock and the elders are shepherds; Jesus being our chief Shepherd. Yes, the elders rule and have oversight, but their attitude is to be, Follow me as I follow Christ. Amen!

If the elders take oversight, what is the responsibility of the church? Submit yourselves to the elders. Arrange your life under their authority, and follow their example.

For a brief word about deacons see below⁴

 

NEXT: Authority in the Home

 

¹ The keys of the kingdom of heaven refers to the power to bind and loose, to forgive sins or retain them. In Matthew 16:18-19, the Lord gave them to Peter, whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. In Matthew 18:15-18 he gave them to the church. In John 20:22-23, he gave this power to all the apostles, Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained. In 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 we see Paul instructing the Corinthians to deliver an unrepentant brother to Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. I believe this is the exercise of the keys of the kingdom. The Church has authority to do this. See also 2 Corinthians 10:8 and 13:10 for Paul’s Apostolic authority.

² Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon

³ In the beginning, bishop and elder were synonymous (see Acts 20, Philippians 1:1, Titus 1:5,7). By 100 AD local church elders had decided to elevate of their number to a leadership position and declare him Bishop. The office of bishop slowly developed from that point.

⁴ Acts 6:1 And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

We see that in the early days of the church, food and goods were gathered and shared with those in need. Deacons were chosen and ordained [see 1-7] to take care of this daily ministration. In other words, they were given authority to gather and distribute. Now, every believer was free to share with any he or she met in need, but this was obviously an organized ministry of the church, and these deacons were in charge of it.   

(I find it very interesting that the Greek word for ministration is diakonia, which is part of the family of words that includes the word for deacon, diakonos. A diakonos is a person who is in charge of diakonia. Just a fun side trip!)

 

 

 

Authority in the workplace

 

This is Part 4 (of 7) in my series, Kingdom Principles: Authority

Let me begin by addressing the elephant in the room. I know that all of these passages deal with servants and masters. This was real life in Rome and the early church. Of course, I am not endorsing slavery or servanthood. What I am saying is I believe there are general principles here that relate to our attitude and conduct at work.

Ephesians 6

5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 

6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 

7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 

8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 

9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

This is utterly radical! Why? Because Ephesians 5:22-6:9 is controlled by 5:18-21, be filled with the Spirit … Submitting yourselves one to another. 5:22-6:9 then fleshes out how we submit to one another, what it looks like. Servants, submit to their masters, we get that; but masters submit to their servants? Yep! I see this as a principle applying to work.

Employees - Be obedient (submission is implied); do your job. v5,6,7 work as if you’re working for the Lord, not men. v8 Your company may not reward you, but the Lord will.

Bosses / supervisors – do the same things unto them, that is, “Act in the same affectionate, conscientious manner towards your [employees] as they do towards you.”¹

Colossians 3:22-4:1

3:22 Servants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh; not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing God: 

23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 

24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. 

25 But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons. 

4:1 Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal; knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

Similar to Ephesians. Obey, do your job: fearing the Lord; whatsoever you do, do it as unto the Lord; knowing the Lord will reward your attitude and actions; after all, we are really serving Christ, even at work. You shall receive the reward.

“No matter what kind of a job I am doing, I am a witness for Jesus Christ ... I am giving an extra effort. I am not complaining. I am going an extra mile. I am doing more than what is required of me. That my life might be a good witness for Jesus Christ.”² (See also 1 Timothy 6:1-2 and Titus 2:9-10)

And for those who own the company – pay your people, take care of them; you also have a master in heaven. James 5:1-4 speaks to the owner who doesn’t give what is just and equal.

1 Peter 2:18-25

18 Servants, be subject to your masters with all fear; not only to the good and gentle, but also to the froward. 

19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 

20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 

21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: 

22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 

23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 

24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 

25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

Peter devotes the most space to this matter. He also only addresses the servants. I think this is because there were mostly or only servants who were believers in these churches. And notice how he dwells on suffering. This is one of the themes of 1 Peter: the suffering for Christ they were currently facing, which was only going to get worse (4:12 the fiery trial which is to try you)

Peter says: Submit to those over you, the good and gentle, as well as the difficult and ornery. Then he tells us how to endure the suffering: suffer for doing the right thing. Christ is our example in suffering: he did no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth, yet he was reviled, beaten, abused. And when he was reviled, beaten, and mocked, he didn’t threaten and reproach his tormentors. Instead he committed himself to the Father. Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps. This is powerful stuff. This is sobering: If, when you do well and suffer, you take if patiently, this is acceptable with God. What's really neat is the Greek word for acceptable is the word for grace (charis). Thayer's Greek English Lexicon gives as the first definition charis or grace, "properly, that which affords joy, pleasure, delight." We can please the Almighty! We delight the Him when we follow in the steps of our Lord, and when we suffer unjustly, we bear it patiently and commit ourselves to the Lord.

Peter’s focus then changes from Christ’s suffering as an example to Christ’s suffering as redemptive: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. This whole passage takes my breath away! All I can say is, Thank you, Lord!

 

NEXT: Authority and the Church

 

¹ Adam Clarke, commentary on Ephesians 6

² Chuck Smith, sermon on Ephesians

Authority in Government

 

This is Part 3 (of 7) in my series, Kingdom Principles: Authority

In the Introduction, I pointed out that it is the purpose of God that those in authority should provide protection and provision for those they have authority over. This isn’t tyranny. Here is a brief summary of how the governmental authority is to behave:

Psalm 72 <A Psalm for Solomon.>

1 Give the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the king's son. 

2 He shall judge thy people with righteousness, and thy poor with judgment. 

3 The mountains shall bring peace to the people, and the little hills, by righteousness. 

4 He shall judge the poor of the people, he shall save the children of the needy, and shall break in pieces the oppressor. 

6 He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass: as showers that water the earth. 

7 In his days shall the righteous flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. 

12 For he shall deliver the needy when he crieth; the poor also, and him that hath no helper. 

13 He shall spare the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the needy. 

14 He shall redeem their soul from deceit and violence: and precious shall their blood be in his sight. 

This is not the place to discuss the best form of government, I think it is sufficient to say that whatever the form, this is the goal: righteousness, judgment, protection. I am aware that many people seek government position for the power and riches, while others misuse and exploit this authority, and abuse those under them - we do live in a fallen world - but the truth remains, God has established authority in government and we have a responsibility to that authority.

What does the Lord expect of me regarding the government? (This is fun.) Romans 13

1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 

5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 

6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 

7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

I’m not crazy about this either, but it is rather plainly spelled out. Guess what word that Be subject is? Yep, submit. Happily he spells out what this submission looks like: 2 don’t resist; 3 do that which is good; 7 tribute [taxes] to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

He mentions this again in Titus 3:1 Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work. Once again, subject is the word submit. And he adds, obey. Yep, submit to and obey governmental authority.

This is a common theme among the apostles, Peter speaks to this as well in 1 Peter 2

13 Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake: whether it be to the king, as supreme;

14 Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well. 

15 For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: 

16 As free, and not using your liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but as the servants of God. 

17 Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.

Here it is again, submit to every ordinance or institution of man, which he spells out: kings and governors. Just as a reminder, submit means to bring yourself under the authority of.

What does he mean, For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men? “The heathen were keen to charge the Christians with any crime after Nero set the fashion.”¹ (Nero accused the Christians of burning Rome.) They may say all manner of things against us, but with our well doing, obeying the laws of the land, we prove their charges to be false.

the king as supreme – “It is not the divine right of kings, but the fact of the king as the outstanding ruler. Peter here approves no special kind of government, but he supports law and order, as Paul does.”¹

I can only draw two conclusions from these passages:

(1) God has ordained governmental authority²

(2) Our responsibility is to submit to this authority and to obey the laws of the land as much as possible. We want to be good citizens. Paul and Peter assume the government authority is the minister of God to thee for good. I confess, this is difficult for me. I grew up in the 60s, when you didn’t trust The Establishment and took a real dim view of the government. But I must remember, They were living under the imperial power of Rome; heathen, ungodly, immoral, idolatrous, anti-Christian Rome, and they still said, Submit to the king.

Of course we know where the line in the sand is drawn: When the law of the land conflicts with and contradicts the law of God, we must obey God. And this is when the fight starts. I mean persecution.

 

NEXT: Authority at Work

 

¹ Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament, A.T. Robertson

² I know there are things I am leaving out - I don’t want to go too long. I encourage you to read 1 Timothy 2:1-6, Acts 23:5, Matthew 22:21. I think the passage in Timothy is the most important. Paul is very clear, the top priority for a church is prayer. Not just, “Lord, bless this service”, but corporate prayer for the people he mentions.

Authority in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus

 

This is Part 2 (of 7) of my series, Kingdom Principles: Authority.

Jesus understood authority, and he operated under the authority of the Father. I will simply go through the gospels and note what he said about authority. Sometimes exousia is translated power, sometimes authority, sometimes there is just the idea of authority.

First, Jesus has authority

Matt 9:6 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.The objection the Jews had to Jesus forgiving sins was only God can forgive. Yet here Jesus says he has received authority to forgive sins.

Matt 21:23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? 

Who gives you the right to teach in the temple and heal the sick? They didn’t really want an answer, as proven by their failure to answer his question, so he didn’t answer (v 24-27). From the rest of his teachings we know his answer, The Father gave me this authority.

Mark 1:27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.

Jesus demonstrated the kingdom had arrived by casting out demons. This also illustrates authority, the unclean spirits had to obey him.

John 3:34-36 

34 For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him. 35 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. 36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

The word authority doesn’t occur here, but is clearly declaring that he was walking under authority – the Father has given all things into his hand.

John 5:19-23

19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.  20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.  21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.  22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:  23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

The word authority doesn’t occur here either, but you don’t need it. The Son can do nothing of himself. He only does what he sees the Father do. He has authority to quicken (that is make alive) whom he will; and the right to judge has been given to him. The Father did this so that all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.

John 5:26-30

26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Again, life and judgement. But this time it is also raising the dead. Such authority!

John 10:18 No man taketh it 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 have I received of my Father. 

The Father gave him power over his own life. “They didn't take His life from Him / He gave it willingly.”¹ This commandment have I received of my Father.

John 17:2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 

He was given the power to give eternal life to all who come to him.

Matt 28:18 And Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

After all the authority mentioned in his ministry, this is the climax, this is the apex, after the cross and resurrection, he says, All authority is given unto me. Jesus.Is.Lord.

Second, Jesus gives authority to his disciples.

What power did he / does he give to his disciples? Here’s the summary: power to cast out unclean spirits, power to heal sickness and disease. (Verses at the end of the post.)

Here’s the very best one, John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become children of God, even to them that believe on his name:

To those who receive him, who believe on his name, Jesus gives power, the right, to become children of God, part of the family of God!

 

NEXT: Authority in Government

 

¹ Randy Matthews, Didn’t He

The power or authority Jesus gave his disciples: 

Matt 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

Mark 6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

Luke 9:1 Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases.

Luke 10:19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

What is authority?

 

In May of 2023 I did a seven part series on The Kingdom Principle of Faith. In August of that same year (Aug 28-Sept 1) I did a five part series on The Kingdom Principle of Repentance. I thought it was time for another kingdom principle and settled on Authority. I started working on it last Spring, but then stopped for 3 months. Two reasons: (1) when I began working on it I realized this is much bigger than I thought – it runs like the mighty Mississippi through the Scriptures! (2) I also realized there were areas where I was falling short in my own life, I didn’t want to be all, “This is how this works in our lives” and it’s not in my life. But then I had a revelation – We read and study the Word in order to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, not to blow our own horn, “Behold how good I am!” So I pressed on through and finished.

Let’s start here: What is authority? Authority in the New Testament Greek is the word ἐξουσία (exousia; pronounced ex-oo-see'-ah). According to Thayer it means: power. But this is not power in the sense of strength, or might. It is the power to do, power of choice; the power of authority (influence) and of right; the power of rule or government.¹

Bill Mounce defines it as authority, power, the right to control or govern; dominion, the area or sphere of jurisdiction; a ruler, human or supernatural; power, ability; authority, rule, dominion, jurisdiction.²

It is a fairly common word in the New Testament, occurring 103 times. And it is a big word, with different shades of meaning. You can see why I said this was a bigger task than I thought, but with the Lord’s help, I believe we can get the basic understanding.

Authority begins with God: I mean, He is God. He is Lord. He is King. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite. (Psalm 147:5) God is the Supreme Authority. He is the absolute Lord. Right here you can see why repentance and faith are two key kingdom principles, because it is this very authority we rebel against.

However, as the Supreme Authority, God is not a tyrant, throwing his weight around like a heavenly bully. He protects and provides for his creation: “In respect of his power; he is Lord, in respect of his love, he is Father.”³

He also delegates authority to mankind, allows men to exercise authority in the world. It is the purpose of God that those in authority should, like him, provide protection and provision for those they have authority over. This is going to be important as we go through this – nobody is to be a tyrant, a bully, an oppressor.

The response to authority is linked to two words, two attitudes, two behaviors: submit and obey. If the principle of authority is hard to swallow, folks will really struggle with submit and obey. I say folks, I struggle! Why? One word – sin. I want to do what I want to do, and I don’t want anybody else telling me what to do. That’s why this kingdom principle of authority is so important – it helps identify this sinful attitude and deliver me from the power of sin.

So, How do I relate to the authority of God? I submit and obey

James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Romans 1:5 we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith [literally, for obedience of faith] among all nations

This introduces another spiritual principle, expressed in Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

I know, submit and obey sounds like such drudgery. Where’s grace and faith and love? Oh it’s there! Just look at v 16 in context. Romans 6 begins with our being buried with Christ in baptism and rising to walk in newness of life, and continues with deliverance from the power of sin because we are not under law but under grace. And how does this operate in us? From knowing, reckoning, yielding ourselves unto God, and obeying him. And all this is the explanation of the declaration in Romans 5:20-21 …where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Which can be traced back to Romans 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Amen! It’s all part of the same grace! And we experience this grace when we bring ourselves under the authority of God, that is, when we submit and obey.

This is just the introduction! My plan, in the next six posts, is to look at Authority in the Life and Ministry of Jesus; Authority in Government; Authority at Work; Authority in the Church; Authority in the Home (1&2). These will be posted on Tuesday and Thursday over the next three weeks.

NEXT: Authority In The Life And Ministry Of The Lord Jesus

¹ Joseph Thayer (1828-1901), Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament

² William Mounce (B. 1953), American scholar of New Testament Greek, For An Informed Love of God https://www.billmounce.com/greek-dictionary/exousia

³ Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book V, chapter 17

Joy in my heart, yet sorrow in my spirit

 

I have mentioned to a few folks that I am singing my way through Hymns of the Christian Life, the hymnal of the Christian & Missionary Alliance. I am somewhat surprised that I know the majority of them. Caleb Saw the Lord was one of the hymns this morning. I love this hymn. And when I was languishing in the hospital the summer of 2021, my daughter Anne often sat with me and sang from this hymnbook, including this one.

What a joy it is to sing these hymns! What a message they have, how rich they are. Since this is an Alliance hymnal, so many of these songs are full of the message of the Alliance: Jesus Christ: Savior, Sanctifier, Healer, Coming King. Amen!

We affiliated with the Christian & Missionary Alliance way back in 1978, when we began attending Alliance Bible Church in Memphis, TN. I’ve been singing these hymns since then: attending Alliance Bible Church, pastoring Brent Alliance (Pensacola, FL), First Alliance (Macon, GA), Bible Covenant Community Church (York, SC); District Conferences (in what used to be the Southern & South Atlantic Districts), and Annual Councils. I witnessed the transition from the Blue book (my personal favorite) to the Red book (nobody’s favorite), to the Burgundy book. No wonder I’m fluent in our hymnology!

Such joy in my heart, to not only worship the Lord and revel in His marvelous, matchless grace as expressed in these songs, but to also be carried back to those good days of yesteryear. Such sweet fellowship and good friendships. Of course, not every moment was a highlight, but I overlook the sad times, and dwell on the good times. What a treasure. In fact, it reminds me of something the Lord said, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. (Matthew 13:52) These are my old treasures.

Ah, as I sing my way through the hymnbook, there is a certain sorrow in my spirit. Sorrow? Yes. These songs aren’t sung anymore (in my circles). There is a generation that not only doesn’t sing them, they’ve never seen them, or even heard of them. This is a day that’s never coming back. I’m not throwing rocks at anyone, I played a part in this transition. We transitioned to choruses, today it is modern worship music. (Speaking of sorrow, even the choruses we used to sing are now forgotten!) So I’ve been on both sides of this. I love the choruses and appreciate modern worship music, but I’m here to testify, there is a depth in the hymns that contemporary worship music simply doesn’t have. A richness. A fulness. It also saddens me that we no longer sing our theology.

So yes, I have a measure of sorrow of heart as I sing. But, as Isaiah wrote, and we used to sing (!!), Therefore the redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. (51:11) Amen!

Let me end this on another high note. The image below is two pages from the blue Hymns of the Christian Life (1935): Lilly of the Valley on the left and Caleb Saw The Lord on the right. We sang these two quite often and, as you can see from the notations, I marked the chords so Mary could play the autoharp while we sang. Bless thou the LORD, O my soul. Praise ye the LORD. (Psalm 104:35)

 

The Christ of Colossians chapters 2&3

 

I thought it would be cool to go through Colossians and point out what Paul says about the Lord Jesus Christ. Or, as I call it, The Christ of Colossians. Since this is a blog and not a book, I cannot provide a detailed study, instead I will highlight and briefly explain the passages which speak of Christ. 

The Christ of Colossians chapters 2&3

2:2  to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;

We see two truths here:

(1) A reminder that the Father and the Son are two separate persons. This is part of what we call the trinity, the tri-une nature of God.

(2) The mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ – there is something about God and Christ that was not fully understood by the saints in the Old Testament, which the Gospel reveals and Paul sets forth in this epistle.¹ I believe in v 3-9 he reveals this mystery:

2:3  In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge

2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

“All the fulness of the Godhead dwells bodily in Christ! This is a powerful statement! The Greek word for Godhead is "θεότητος (theotetos), deity, that is, the state of being God" (Thayer's Greek Lexicon). Who is Christ? Emmanuel, God with us. Paul adds in the very next verse, 10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power; “because only Christ, being God and man, is most perfect, and passes far above all things, so that whoever has him, requires nothing more.” (Geneva Study Bible)

This is what he was saying in 1:15-20! This is the mystery of God and of Christ, that Christ is the very Son of God, the image of the invisible God; all fullness of the Godhead dwells in him; he is the Creator himself; the firstborn, the preeminent One; and this is the One who through the blood of his cross reconciled us to Himself! They knew Christ was coming but they didn’t know or understand all this about him. O that our hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God and of Christ.”²

 

3:4  When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.

Hallelujah! Christ himself is our life. And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. (1 John 5:11-12)

3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 

3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

3:11  Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.

What is he talking about, old man and new man? This is a powerful teaching. Paul is not talking about “old nature…new nature” “old self…new self”. The word is man. So, who is the old and new man?

Paul talks about this in Romans, 1& 2 Corinthians, Ephesians, and here in Colossians. He is teaching a revolutionary truth – there are two races of men in the earth. Those who are born into Adam and those who are born (again) into Christ. As he said in 2 Corinthians 5:17, If any man be in Christ he is a new creation.

Adam is the head of a family. This is the old man, all who are in Adam. This is laid out in Romans 5:12-21. In Adam we inherit sin, death, and condemnation. Christ is the head of the new race or family. In Christ we inherit forgiveness, justification, and we reign in life by Christ. Paul says we have put off the old and put on the new. How do we put off the old man and put on the new?

Romans 6:6-10

6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him…

9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. 

10 For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.

Christ bore our sins on the cross, that we might be forgiven. Not only that, when he was crucified, the old man was crucified with him; when he rose again he created a new man. This is what baptism is all about: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)

Now, to get back to Colossians, in this new creation, Christ is all, and in all. Amen, and Amen, and Amen again!

 

All in all forever, Jesus will I sing

Everything in Jesus, and Jesus everything³

  

¹ “Simply put, a mystery is a truth previously hidden which is now fully revealed.”

This is from the introduction of my 2023 series, Mystery in the New Testament, which you can find here

² This is from my blog post in 2023, Mystery in Paul’s Epistle to Colossians, which you can read here

³ Himself, A.B. Simpson (1891); founder of the Christian & Missionary Alliance