“Where do you get off telling me what to
do?” “Who are you to force your opinions
on someone else?” “What makes your
beliefs any better than anyone else’s?”
These are valid questions, and they are
questions that Christians sometimes face as they testify to God’s truth. There is nothing new about this push-back. Jesus Himself was asked in Luke 20:2, “Tell
us by what authority You do these things, or who it is that gave You this
authority.” And that is really what is
at the heart of the questions above:
authority.
In today’s world the ultimate authority
is self. My opinion, my feelings, or
what works for me are really what are central to people’s barometer of
authority. This is why something can be
“true” for you that is not “true” for me.
This attitude enables people to read the Bible and decide, “I like that
part about not judging others, but I don’t like the stuff that says sex is
reserved for marriage.” They can decide,
“I really like prayer. It makes me feel
good.” But at the same time deny that they are sinners in need of
forgiveness.
In the end, this authority-of-my-opinion
is only idolatry. It may be that we
worship ourselves, our comfort, or our ability to reason, but what is not at
the heart of such a life is God. Check
out Isaiah
45 where multiple times the LORD says,
“I am God. There is no other.” He is the authority in our lives, and He
speaks authoritatively to us in His Word.
This is very important because the same
authority that God possesses to say, “You are a sinner. The wages of sin is
death,” is the same authority by which He says, “Your sins are forgiven. Take and eat.
Go in peace.” We undermine God’s
authority whenever we cast doubt on His Word, and, in so doing, we bring
uncertainty to our salvation. It is only
by the Word that we can know God’s love and salvation.
In this world people’s words can often
be un-trustworthy. We always want to
“trust but verify.” God’s Word, however
is always true, as Revelation
22:6 tells us. And, truly, it says
that God so loves you that He gave his only begotten Son to redeem you and give
you life.
Lord, help me hear and trust You in Your
Word. Amen.
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