In Search of the Lord's Way
by Phil Sanders
Authoritative
When God gave us the Bible, did He speak with authority over our lives? Today, we're going to explore the authoritative nature of the Bible. We look to God, our Creator, for life and for every blessing.
James 1:17 says,
James 1:17 Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above; it comes down from the Father of lights [the Creator and Sustainer of the heavens], in whom there is no variation [no rising or setting] or shadow cast by His turning [for He is perfect and never changes].
We owe God our love, our respect, our obedience for all that He's done for us. That's why we must take the Bible seriously.
From the beginning of our lives, we're accountable for our actions. Children are accountable to their parents, students to their teachers, and citizens to the civil authority. When we broke the rules, we faced the consequences whether we liked it or not.
Human nature seems to have this rebellious streak that doesn't like rules or laws. We don't want anyone telling us what to do. All of history tells of man's relentless rebellion to authority. From the beginning, people have craved their own way and set aside the will of God. We all struggle in the war between our desires and our duties, between right and wrong.
The Bible provides God's written commandments. In words that were passed down through the centuries, we find His spiritual and moral laws. God spoke with authority when they were written, and they still have God's authority behind them today.
What God said, He said to all people in all places for all time. Time cannot change them; our culture can ignore them but cannot erase them. People can rebel and refuse to hear God's commandments, but God will have the last say in the matter. God is still God, still Creator, and still Judge.
Our reading today comes from the words of the Lord Jesus at the end of the Sermon on the Mount.
Matt. 7:24 "So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish (stupid) man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great and complete was its fall."
Jesus spoke these words to be heard. God is theauthority! He has all authority and is the ultimate authority above all others.
When God speaks, no one can overrule Him. Without His consent no one has any authority. He has all authority because He is our Maker, our Creator. He gave us life and provides every blessing that we enjoy. As our Maker He has every right to have complete control over our lives and our souls.
God gave all authority to Jesus Christ. John 3:35 says,
John 3:35 The Father loves the Son and has given and entrusted all things into His hand.
The authority of Jesus cannot be removed, edited, or annulled. No one can overrule the Lord Jesus. He is our Creator; He is "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16).
In Matthew 28:18 Jesus said,
Matt. 28:18 "All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
Paul said that God
Eph. 1:20 ... raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion [whether angelic or human], and [far above] every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and world but also in the one to come. Eph. 1:22 And He put all things [in every realm] in subjection under Christ's feet, and appointed Him as [supreme and authoritative] head over all things in the church, 23 which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills and completes all things in all [believers].
Jesus is the only head of His church, and there can be no other. People can ignore and rebel against the Lord Jesus in the present, but the time will come when no one can ignore Jesus.
Philippians 2:9-11 says,
Phil. 2:9 For this reason also ...
Because Jesus obeyed and so completely humbled Himself,
Phil. 2:9 ... God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father.
Regardless of what we think today, one day we will face the Lord Jesus, and that will be on Judgment Day.
II Corinthians 5:10 says,
II Cor. 5:10 For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad.
That is, each will be held responsible for his actions, purposes, goals, motives—the use or misuse of his time, opportunities and abilities. You cannot escape this appointment; you can't delay it, no matter who you are. Those who are right with God will long for the judgment, and those who are not right with God will dread it.
The Lord Jesus, on Judgment Day, will judge us all by His teaching. He said,
John 12:10 For we [believers will be called to account and] must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be repaid for what has been done in the body, whether good or bad.
There is a last day, a day of reckoning and judgment, on which the Lord, the righteous judge, will bless the righteous, but He'll condemn the unrighteous.
Hebrews 4:12-13 says,
Heb. 4:12 For the word of God is living and active andfull of power [making it operative, energizing, and effective]. It is sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating as far as the division of the soul and spirit [the completeness of a person], and of both joints and marrow [the deepest parts of our nature], exposing and judging the very thoughts and intentions of the heart. 13 And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account.
On the last day, the Lord will judge us by His Words (John 12:48). According to Matthew 23:34 Jesus sent forth prophets, wise men, and scribes with His message, with His Words. The scribes were there to write down the teaching of Jesus that it might be preserved for all time. At the great white throne on Judgment Day, the Lord will consult what the Holy Spirit moved men to write in the Scriptures.
We will be judged by what is written in God's books. Revelation 20:12 says,
Rev. 20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the Book of Life; and the dead were judged according to what they had done as written in the books [that is, everything done while on earth].
What the Lord said in the first century, His Words, will judge us on the last day. God will have the last word on every spiritual and moral matter. Only God will decide what is right and wrong, and He will judge us by His written words, found in the books.
We won't be judged by what people think, by oral traditions of the early church fathers, by opinion polls, by the councils or the ancient creeds of men, or by some man-made document. The last and final words that judge our souls and decide our eternal destiny are the same words that Jesus spoke in the first century. We will be judged by the words of Jesus found in the New Testament that the scribes wrote down. For this reason, we need to know what the Bible says, don't we?
Wouldn't it be sad to face judgment and not know what God said, or not know about the grace of God? Wouldn't it be sad to face judgment and never know that the gospel of Christ could have saved us and given us eternal life?
The Lord Jesus said,
Luke 9:25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world [wealth, fame, success], and loses or forfeits himself? 26 For whoever is ashamed [here and now] of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the [heavenly] Father and of the holy angels.
If the Lord Jesus has the final say about your soul and your destiny, shouldn't you focus your attention on Him? If His Words are going to judge you on the last day, what advantage would you have by being ashamed of what He taught?
Some think challenging the authority of God in large matters is rebellious, but we shouldn't fear to challenge the Lord in smaller things. The Lord Jesus, however, wants us to
Matt. 28:20 ... observe everything that I have commanded you; ...
James argued,
James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole Law but stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of [breaking] all of it. 11 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you have become guilty of transgressing the [entire] Law. 12 Speak and act [consistently] as people who are going to be judged by the law of liberty [that moral law that frees obedient Christians from the bondage of sin].
We can't pick and choose which commandments of God matter and which don't. We're not judges of God's commandments; God's commandments are judges of us!
Martin Luther understood this and he recognized that every commandment of God mattered. He said,
"Well, if I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition every portion of the truth of God except precisely that point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I'm not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing him. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battlefield besides is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."
Some think the Bible is too old or too strict or needs changing. Some politicians think Christians ought to change our religion to permit their political agendas. But there is no changing of the Bible. What it said when it was written is what it will say on the last day!
The Lord Jesus said,
Matt. 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."
It's foolish to think that we can edit out God's moral law or rewrite His doctrine.
There is but one gospel, and Paul said,
Gal. 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we [originally] preached to you, let him be condemned to destruction! 9 As we have said before, so I now say again, if anyone is preaching to you a gospel different from that which you received [from us], let him be condemned to destruction!
God will not permit anyone to change what He's taught; and our task is to abide in the words Jesus spoke.
The Lord Jesus said,
Matt. 7:21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me on that day [when I judge them], 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and driven out demons in Your name, and done many miracles in Your name?' 23 And then I will declare to them publicly, 'I never knew you; depart from Me [you are banished from My presence], you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands].'
It's not talking religion or doing religious things that make us right with God. A true Christian is one that hears and does the will of the Father who is in heaven.
The many people who said, "Lord, Lord," truly thought they were right with God. When He rejected them, they argued with Him. They thought they were acting in His name. You can imagine how shocked they were to find out that they were rejected and lost.
These were religious people who talked and acted like good, religious people; but Jesus refused to let them enter heaven because they did not follow God's teaching. They were lawless and ignored what God taught. They did what they wanted and taught what they liked. They followed what they thought was popular; but they do the will of God.
They were never right with God to begin with. They were religious but not righteous! They were spiritual, but not obedient. Lawless people are not interested in pleasing the Lord by keeping His commandments; they're interested in their own ways.
What about you? How do you measure up with the written word of God? Even if you think you're better than somebody else, how do you measure up with the Scriptures, with the authentic, true, genuine teaching of Jesus? We might justify ourselves, but will God justify us?
Paul said,
I Cor. 4:4 I am aware of nothing against myself and I feel blameless, but I am not by this acquitted [before God]. It is the Lord who judges me. 5 So do not go on passing judgment before the appointed time, but wait until the Lord comes, for He will both bring to light the [secret] things that are hidden in darkness and disclose the motives of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God.
The Pharisees thought they were righteous but stood condemned. They added many oral traditions to the Law of God. When people change the gospel or any of God's instructions to the church, they too will find themselves at odds with God. They may think they're right with God, but find that they're really in spiritual jeopardy.
Why does all this matter? It's simple and clear: when people challenge God by disobeying His commandments, they condemn themselves. When they obey God, they enjoy His promises.
God told a rebellious Israel,
Isa. 1:18 "Come now, and let us reason together," Says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, They shall be like wool. 19 "If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the best of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken. They shall be like wool. 19 "If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the best of the land; 20 But if you refuse and rebel, You shall be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
This principle, from Isaiah's words, is still true. You cannot live in rebellion to God and expect God to bless you eternally. You cannot ignore or rewrite His words to suit yourself and imagine that God approves of it. God's Word is settled in heaven; it's God's final authority and cannot be broken or undone. Isn't it better to obey the Lord than to presume that you can do what youwant and everything is okay? Obey the Lord!
God is the Creator, and we are the created. Occasionally people contradict God's word and say, "I don't believe ... (then they'll mention some sinful behavior) ... I don't believe that's wrong." They're expressing their judgment. But in matters spiritual and moral, people's feelings aren't the final authority.
We will be judged by what God has written in His books. What God has said matters. So, we ask, what say the Scriptures? Galatians 6:7-8 says,
Gal. 6:7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked ...
He will not allow Himself to be ridiculed, nor treated with contempt nor allow His precepts to be scornfully set aside;
Gal. 6:7... for whatever a man sows, this and this only is what he will reap. 8 For the one who sows to his flesh ...
His sinful capacity, his worldliness, his disgraceful impulses,
Gal. 6:8... will reap from the flesh ruin and destruction, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.
You are indeed accountable for your actions, your words, your thoughts, and your choices. God will have the last say and really the only say about matters of right and wrong.
If you love God, you want to keep His commandments. You want to please Him. You'll pay attention to God's Words so you know the truth. You would rather follow God's truth, even if it's difficult and unpopular, and go to heaven than to join the world in sin and lose your soul. It's better to search out God's will from the Scriptures than presume what somebody thinks is so. Respecting God means being careful and diligent to obey His Words.
To become a Christian, put your faith in Jesus Christ, repent of your sins, confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and be baptized into Christ. What Peter told the people at Pentecost is what we need to obey. He said,
Acts 2:38 "Repent ...
That means to change your old way of thinking, turn from your sinful ways, accept and follow Jesus as the Messiah.
Acts 2:38... and be baptized, each of you, in the name of Jesus Christ because of the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Why not do what God says today to become a Christian. Don't assume that you're saved; be sure of it by hearing what the Scripture says.
