Quotes about Authority-God

1

The word command carries the idea of authority. The most basic meaning of the word is “to direct with authority.” A command does not just give guidance that one may accept or reject; a command implies that the one giving it has the authority to require obedience and the intention of doing so. This is true of the commands of God. As the Sovereign God of the universe, He has the authority to require obedience and He does insist that we obey Him.

2

God did not inherit His authority—there was no one to bequeath it to Him. God did not receive His authority—there was no one to bestow it on Him. God’s authority did not come by way of an election—there was no one to vote for Him. God did not seize His authority—there was no one from whom to steal it. God did not earn His authority—it was already His.

3

The outworking of God’s authority in Scripture: It is not derived authority bestowed by humans; rather, it is the original authority of God. It does not change with the times, the culture, the nation, or the ethnic background; rather, it is the unalterable authority of God. It is not one authority among many possible spiritual authorities; rather, it is the exclusive spiritual authority of God. It is not an authority that can be successfully challenged or rightfully overthrown; rather, it is the permanent authority of God. It is not a relativistic or subordinate authority; rather, it is the ultimate authority of God. It is not merely a suggestive authority; rather, it is the obligatory authority of God. It is not a benign authority in its outcome; rather, it is the consequential authority of God.

4

To reject the authority of God is the height of arrogant wickedness. To do so is to imitate the works of Satan, and there is no excuse for it. God is holy and just. His word is true and trustworthy. He does not deceive or speak with a forked tongue. When He commands us He commands us for our good and His glory. As His adopted children and subjects, we are called to submit to Him. We are called to trust Him and obey Him.

5

God speaks by the Church (the true Church we mean); but He speaks nothing by her but what He speaks in the Scriptures, which she does only ministerially declare to us; and therefore the authority of God and His law is above hers, who, though she publish, yet did not make it, but is herself subject to it.

6

The very word authority has within it the word author. An author is someone who creates and possesses a particular work. Insofar as God is the foundation of all authority, He exercises that foundation because He is the author and the owner of His creation. He is the foundation upon which all other authority stands or falls.

7

The authority by which God governs all things is His autonomous authority. To say that God’s authority is autonomous is to say that God is a law unto Himself. He is not bound by some abstract system of law that exists outside of Himself or independent from Him (ex lex). Nor is God under some external law (sub lego); rather, He is a law unto Himself. This does not mean that He acts or behaves in an arbitrary manner. Rather, God’s activity is directed by God’s own character. And His character is completely righteous. All that He does flows out of His own internal righteousness. His external authority comes from His internal righteousness. In this sense God’s authority is intrinsic. It is found within Himself. It is not borrowed, delegated, or assigned from any other source.

8

A sacred regard to the authority of God ought to lead us to reject an error, however old, sanctioned by whatever authority, or however generally practiced.

9

Are we under His authority, or our own? You can’t “yes, but” to Scripture. He said it, or He didn’t say it. And we either obey, or we do not. It is not we who have the authority. It is the Lord. His name is Jesus and His title is “the Christ.” And He has it all. He will share it with no one.

10

People love God everywhere except on His throne.

11

We live in a culture that despises authority at every level. Whether the authority of police, or of government, or of parents, or a husband’s authority in marriage, or pastoral authority in our churches – our culture has programmed us to despise authority. We find it hard to think positively about authority for one very simple reason: We are sinners who want to be in charge of our own lives. We want to be captains of our own destiny. We want to govern our own futures. And here, one of the lessons of the Trinity is that God loves what we despise; namely, God loves, exercises, and embraces rightful authority – submission relationships. God loves this authority-submission structure because God embodies this very structure in His Trinitarian relations of Persons.

12

A God with whom we are on…easy terms and whose reality is little different from our own…who is merely there to satisfy our needs – has no real authority to compel and will soon begin to bore us.