ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON EARTH

By Barry Shaw

No one likes to be told what to do or how to live life. Since the Garden of Eden, man has been in rebellion against authority and particularly against God. Rebellion against God is basic sin.

Man’s rebellion against God intensified in the late 18^th century when “modernist” philosophers such as Friedrich Nietsche wrote that the “autonomy [self-will] of the individual is the dominant philosophical ideal before which all other concepts including the existence of God, must be eliminated...[T]he ideal figure is the ‘superman’...who creates his own values and who is answerable to no one but himself.” Boice, Foundations of the Christian Faith.

Nietsche declared that “God is dead.” In his view, there is no authority over our individual lives other than our own. What chaos! What a hopeless world-view!

If left to his own will, man rejects goodness and chooses evil. Look, for example, at the actions of a two year old if left unsupervised!

“Let all divine restraints be removed and man be left absolutely free [of God], and all ethical distinctions would immediately disappear, the spirit of barbarism would prevail universally, and pandemonium would reign supreme.” Boice, ibid, citing Pink, The Sovereignty of God.

The Apostle Paul wrote about the depraved condition of man in Romans 1:18-32

Self-will has never worked. Adam defied God and declared his own authority over his life to be supreme. The result: eternal separation from God which led to depravity and death. Even worse, Adam’s defiant act, original sin, has been imputed to us all. Romans 5:12

Contrary to modernist world-view, there is and can be only one Authority that is truly in control of the universe. (See Daniel 5:21) As the creator and upholder of all moral order in the universe, it was God’s intent that we be subject to His will, not our own. God reserved “...all authority in heaven and on earth...” for His Son Jesus Christ. Matthew 28:18 We may think we have “free will” or authority over our own lives, but in reality it is God’s Will that determines the course of our lives. I had no say over when I was born nor when I am going to die.

It was and is God’s Will! “...by the grace of God I am what I am...” 1 Corinthians 15:10

But, do I have any say in my own life?

Yes, God gave me a choice: His will or self-will. “The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6 I can acknowledge that as a rebellious offspring of Adam, I am a sinner. Without God, our lives will be like Adam’s - hopeless. But in faith, we can repent (change direction), ask Jesus Christ into our lives and pray for His forgiveness of our sins and that, by His grace, He save us from eternal separation from the love that is the glory of God.

Barry Shaw writes from Applegate Valley, Oregon.