Authority, Position and Life

What is Authority?

Authority is not based on position, though it may seem like it is. According to the Scriptures, authority is based on life, not on position. The people of Israel recognized the authority of Aaron because they saw that Aaron's rod budded-the budding of the rod represents resurrection life.

Authority without resurrection life is useless. This is the authority in the church: to the degree that the resurrection life of God is in you to that degree will be your authority.

You can't boast about position, for any position in the church is based on life and life does not boast in self. We shall know them by their fruit. In the world, position is not based on life, but by any means necessary without considering of God's will. This is easily proven by seeing men go to jail who had positions of authority in the world.

David submitted to Saul even though Saul was unsaved. Saul lacked life even though he had the position of a king. He tried to kill David many times, but David did not try to kill Saul, because David submitted to the authority of Saul, except on the matter of murdering him. Saul may have been saved later, but at the time of his attacks against David, he was certainly not saved. He actually had a complete absence of life; however, Christians, though we don't have absence of life, we may lack it.

Election is not a matter of life, for we all know the majority is often wrong. People elect wrong officials all the time and collectively make absolutely bad decisions, not for the greater good.

True authority lives by example and does not lord it over others (1 Peter 5.3).

You can't just say you have authority. Authority is exemplied by love so that the love of the children of God will obey from their hearts. May God have mercy on us by giving us good examples in the Church.