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the bunker mentality...
By Michael Bunker
The Doctrine of Authority
“When the righteous are in authority,
the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule,
the people mourn.” (Proverbs 29:2) “For the leaders of this people cause
them to err; and they that are led
of them are destroyed.” (Isa 9:16) The Doctrine of
Authority centers completely on the personhood and the Godhood of Jesus
Christ. All authority exists in Jesus
Christ, and all authority proceeds from Him.
So we will begin our study with the authority of Jesus Christ, and we
will follow this authority as it is bestowed and utilized on His behalf. The Authority of Jesus Christ The Bible, the
only accurate written record we have of God’s authority as He works out His
purposes on this planet, places Jesus Christ in the place of supreme authority
in the universe. We will see this to be
true from beginning to end: “In the beginning was the Word, and
the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that
was made.” (John 1:1-3) So we see that
in the beginning Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word, made all things. He made them for Himself. The whole of Holy Writ establishes this fact,
and teaches about the authority of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament in its entirety looks
forward to His coming, and His Kingship and government is the object of all of
creation. The Bible teaches that “all
things” were made by Jesus Christ, and teaches us plainly that whoever created a
thing has all authority to do with it what He likes: “Hath not the potter power over the
clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour,
and another unto dishonour?” (Rom God is the
first cause of all things. “The LORD hath made all things for himself” (Proverbs 16:4a). He is the ultimate cause of everything that
comes to pass. He has appointed the
place and the reason for everything.
Everything that comes to pass is the MEANS that lead towards an
inevitable END. Means always precedes
the desired end, and all the actions of God are means by which He will acquire
His desired end. All of
scripture is focused on one central Truth.
That Truth is Jesus Christ. His
ultimate Kingship is predestined. As it
was in the beginning, so it will be in the end: Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to
God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority
and power. For he must
reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death. For he hath put
all things under his feet. But when he saith
all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which
did put all things under him. And when
all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be
subject unto him that put all things under him, that
God may be all in all. (1 Cor We are to
understand this not to say that Jesus will be surrendering all authority to the
Father in that subsequently He will have none – but rather the Son will give
account (show subjection) to the Father for his mediatorial
work towards the kingdom. And all
creation will see that (as Jesus said on earth) that He has willfully been in
subjection to the Father and His conduct has been perfectly in alignment with
the stated perfect will of the Godhead.
So Jesus will have completed the work assigned to Him, and will have
finished that which He was sent to do – therefore this position will have been
completed and placed under the power and authority of the Father, though Christ
be co-equal with the Father and the Spirit, and is eternally the God/Man, Jesus
Christ. So Jesus will
be seen as the final authority, and the one who bore all authority on earth on
our behalf. NOTE: The Old Testament bears witness to the authority of
Jesus, as He Himself said in the
Gospel of John – “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye
have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” (John 5:39) John the Baptist bore witness to the authority of
Jesus, as we see in Luke Chapter
3: “…I
indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of
whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy
Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into
his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.” (Luke 3:16-17) Our Heavenly Father bears witness to the authority
of Jesus, in Matthew Chapter 17
verse 5 (and in other places): “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye
him.” Jesus claimed to have authority. In an
awesome display of authority in the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus claiming
that HIS SPOKEN WORD had the same authority as HIS WRITTEN WORD (The
Bible): In Matthew Chapter 5 verses; 22,
28, 32, 34, 39, and 44, Jesus says, “But
you have heard…” followed by the incredible words, “BUT I SAY UNTO YOU”, and in dozens of other places – he emphasizes
his authority by saying “I SAY UNTO YOU”. Jesus even more bluntly declares His
authority in Matthew the 28th Chapter, “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” (Matt.
28:18). This word POWER in Matthew 28, is the Greek word EXOUSIA, which is translated elsewhere
in the King James Bible as AUTHORITY. I will not go
into the hundreds of places in the New Testament where the Apostles also bear
witness to the Authority of Jesus. Our
purpose here is to follow and understand how this authority now works itself
out on earth. Now, in
contrast to what the Charismatic movement or many of the modern-day prophets
will imply – when a ruler is an “absentee” ruler, He has not “given up” one
shred of the authority that He holds.
The liars and heretics in the prosperity movement teach that since Jesus
has “given up” authority to rule on this earth to man, then Jesus cannot
operate here with our permission. This
is not only blasphemous and heretical, it is also stupid. The Bible clearly teaches that when a ruler
bestows authority, and then goes away, He will return and expect that His
commands and wishes have been followed.
His authority stays, even after He has gone. His decrees MUST come to pass, and His
commands MUST be obeyed. Here is where
the modern day understanding of Authority falls apart. When Jesus left to go to a far country (Mark Who is it that
we RECEIVE, in order to know the MIND of Christ? Why it is the
Holy Spirit, is it not? This great
mystery is unveiled to us throughout scripture, but it is particularly clear to
us in the Gospel of John: 1)
John 14:15 If ye love me, keep my commandments. (So we see
that HIS command is still binding on us, that we obey Him while He is gone) 2)
John 3)
John 14:17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world
cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth
with you, and shall be in you.
(Note that the Spirit is the Spirit of TRUTH,
that we may wield His authority in TRUTH and not in error. Note also that the WORLD cannot receive Him,
nor can the WORLD know the TRUTH, nor has the WORLD received His authority, nor
could they wield it in TRUTH if they had it, because the WoRLD
seeth Him not.) 4)
John 5)
John 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall
live also. (The WORLD
cannot see Him spiritually, only physically.
We are IN HIM, and He is IN US.
We have HIS mind, and operate on the bases of LIFE and not DEATH.) 6)
John 14:20 At that day ye shall know that I am in
my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (Having received the Holy Spirit, we will
truly know the mystery of the Godhead, that Jesus is IN the Father, and IN us,
and we are IN Him. So the mystery of
authority is made known through the Spirit, and it does not contradict the
absolute authority of the Godhead.) 7)
John 14:21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my
Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. (So we know who has received this authority,
we are commanded to examine ourselves and one another by the fruit. We cannot love (agape) the Son, unless the
Holy Spirit has shown the Son to us. He
must be unveiled to man by the indwelling Holy Spirit, so that we can love
Him. Our loving Jesus is EVIDENCE that
we are loved by the FATHER, and that we have subsequently had the SON manifest
to us through the SPIRIT.) The Authority of Scripture The Word of God
(and by this I mean the real Word of God, and not these latter day mockeries
that masquere as the Word of God) is the absolute
authority over our spiritual and physical lives here on earth. The manifold claims of this authority we must
come to know, so that we do not slight the Word of God in favor of emotions,
opinions or the ever tragic, “I THINK”. The Word of God
(who was manifest to us in the person of Jesus Christ) has been given to us
physically in the Holy Bible. The Bible
claims to be authoritative. If that is
true, and the Bible IS the authority, then it is the Christian who will change
if they happen to see that their beliefs contradict those that are set forth in
the Scriptures, and they find their life does not conform to the commands of
God in His Holy Bible. So let us examine this issue: 1.) “All
Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness: That the man of God may
be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2Timothy 2.)
2Pe 1:19 “We
have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed,
as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until
the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the
Scripture is of any private interpretation.
For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men
of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
(2Peter 3.)
Peter, who
just claimed that the Scriptures were authoritative, also extends this
authority to the New Testament which was written in the majority by the Apostle
Paul, “And
account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved
brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are
some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable
wrest, as they do also the other
Scriptures, unto their own destruction.” (2 Peter 3:15-16) 4.)
Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12 says, “For
the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing
asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and
intents of the heart.” (Heb 4:12) We should know that the “Word of God” spoken
of here is JESUS CHRIST, and He was known to the Hebrews as THE WORD OF GOD, as
it also says in Hebrews Chapter 1 verses 1 and 2, “God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things…”. So I ask you, where else are we at this very
late date to find the words SPOKEN TO US by the SON? Why, we can only find them in the Holy Bible,
as it has been preserved for us through time by the protection of God Himself. So the Bible itself
confirms to us its authority, and that authority is confirmed still again by
the FRUIT of the Bible: 1.) Its ability to
Transform lives, as evidenced by those who use this means of Grace to come to a
fuller knowledge of God and his desires for us. 2.) Its ability to cause unity in the hearts of very
different people, and to knit those hearts together through mutual submission
to its teachings. 3.) Its ability, as one of several MEANS OF GRACE, to
call elected sinners unto God, without human intermediary, without preaching,
teaching or other Means of Grace. 4.) Its ability, unlike any other book, to stand the
test of time unscathed; and to stand tests put upon it by Billions of people,
by critical thinkers, by archeologists, historians, and other so-called
“experts”. So we confirm and believe in the absolute authority
of the Bible, and confirm with the Apostle John, that, “…these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ,
the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John
20:31) We also believe that if a
professing believer submits not to this truth of the Bible, then it can be
declared that they have believed another who, “preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not
preached”, and that subsequently, they would have “received another spirit”, by the means of “another gospel”, which we ourselves haven not accepted (2 Cor. 11:4). Know this as an absolute truth, the human mind is
NOT CAPABLE (in Truth) of elevating itself above the Truth of Scripture, so
that the carnal mind sits in judgment on Scripture, so as to determine (either
from bad Bibles, or from other texts) what is to be believed and what is not to
be believed. If you think you can take
what is patently a BAD BIBLE (and there are many such out there), and determine
with your fallen brain what part of it is Truth and what part of it is a lie,
then you are in a terrible and possibly fatal error. When we declare, along with the Reformers, SOLA
SCRIPTURA, we are not saying that Bibles are to be worshipped in the
place of God. What we are saying is that
the Holy Bible is to be used to measure all things, and to know what is of God,
and what is of the devil. We do not use
the cloth to measure the ruler. We measure
all things by God’s Word, and we reject that which does not line up with
it. We affirm that the Bible is perfect,
and without error, and that it has been preserved for us by God Himself. We are of the opinion that if you read
English, you should have and read a King James Bible or an earlier translation
(such as the Geneva Bible) that was accepted by the real The
Authority of the Holy Spirit God has given us Holy Writ as a witness to the
words of Jesus Christ and His Holy Apostles that we are to obey. He has also not left us without a second
witness, and that witness is the third person of the Trinity – The Holy Spirit. Just as the Holy Spirit confirms to us that all
authority is in Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit confirms to us that the Holy
Bible is the very Word of God, both the Holy Bible and Jesus Christ confirm to
us that the Holy Spirit has authority (as a part of the Godhead) and is to be
obeyed: 1)
The Holy
Spirit IS God! This fact is alone is
denied by many who claim to be Christians, but the Bible is not even vague on
the subject. We will go into great depth
on this subject in our discussion of the Doctrine of the Trinity. But here is some discussion for now. Paul alternatively uses these terms to
describe power: he speaks of “the power of God” (2 Corinthians 4:7), “the power of Christ” (2 Corinthians
12:9) or “the power of the Spirit of God”
(Romans 2)
Jesus says
that both He and the Father will send the Holy Spirit to the believer, “I will
pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom
the world cannot receive…” (John 14:16-17)
Jesus also says, “But when the
Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth,
which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of
me” (John So, as God, the Holy
Spirit is to be obeyed, is to be seen and obeyed as having all authority, and
will confirm what the Scripture says about Jesus Christ, without contradicting
the Bible, or adding to it. This is how
we are to “try the spirits” (1 John 4:1),
as we are commanded to in Scripture. We
know that the Holy Spirit will testify of Christ (John The Authority of the Believer So Jesus Christ and the Father have sent the Holy
Spirit to the true Believer. Not as a
source of mysticism and magic, but as a source of TRUTH and of POWER, as the
scripture affirms, “For God hath not
given us the spirit of fear; but
of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind…” (2Tim 1:7). Let’s examine the mystery of Authority in the life
of the believer: “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father
of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may
know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his
inheritance in the saints, And what is
the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the
working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him
from the dead, and set him at
his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name
that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And
hath put all things under his
feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his
body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all.” (Eph. 1:17-23) We see in these Scriptures that God gives unto the
believer, “the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him”, which leads to our understanding being
enlightened, so that we come to know that we are called, and come to know and
see the riches that He has bestowed, and will bestow upon the Saints. We come to know that the same power which
raised Jesus Christ from the dead, and placed Him in dominion over all things,
is the power that is working on our behalf to bestow wisdom and understanding
of God’s mysteries to us. This power,
this AUTHORITY, is being used by the Holy Spirit in us to show us the glory and
power of God Himself. Jesus said in Mark 13:34 “… the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded
the porter to watch.” In the form of
a parable, Jesus claimed that He gave authority unto His servants, and that
this authority was over “His house”, and specifically of this authority, John
says, “But as many as received him, to
them gave he power to become the
sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name” (John 1:12). So how does
this “authority” now manifest itself? You will
remember that awhile ago we read what John had to say about the giving of the
Holy Spirit. John quoted Jesus as
saying: “…I will pray the Father, and he shall give you
another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; Even the Spirit of
truth; whom the world cannot
receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth
with you, and shall be in you.” (John 14:16-17) Now Jesus has plainly declared that He gave
authority unto His servants, and that His authority was over HIS HOUSE. Jesus has also declared that He has NOT given
the Holy Spirit to the WORLD, in fact they CANNOT
receive the Holy Spirit, because they can neither see Him, nor know Him. So clearly we can see that the secular,
unsaved World has NOT received authority over the House of God, which is His
temple, his church (assembly of called-out ones). Jesus claimed that His Kingdom was not of this
world (John “And this is the will of him that sent me, that
every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him,
may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6:40) It is the commanded will of the Father that we
believe on the Son. Those of us who are
given the gift of belief, will believe, and will enter into the Kingdom. Now what is it to be ushered into the Kingdom if it
is not so that we will no longer be under the authority of this world? Scripture says Jesus: “…gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver
us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father”
(Gal 1:4). Jesus told the fallen world that the “ APPLICATION 1)
We are to obey
the spiritual authorities that God has give us. The Holy Spirit will unveil who they
are. They will not “lord it over us”, as
the scripture says: “And he said unto them, The kings of the
Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon
them are called benefactors. But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you,
let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.” (Luk 22:25-26)
And again in Hebrews, “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves:
for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do
it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” (Heb. 13:17) 2)
We are only
submit to the ordinances of man in certain instances: a)
If those
ordinances or commands allow us to fulfill the command of Christ. (Ex. If we
are compelled to walk with a man one mile, we should walk with him two). b)
If our
obedience allows Christ to be seen in us.
(If a man sues you at the law, give him what he asks) c)
If our
obedience does not cause us to disobey the commands of God or the Scripture. So Godly authority is not wielded like the false
preachers and teachers claim. We do not
speak things into existence by magic powers.
Our authority rests in Christ’s authority. We speak what we know to be true, and we
command, not knowing that we will be obeyed here on earth, but knowing that God
in heaven will both reward obedience, and punish disobedience. Among ourselves, we are each to be submitted to the
Father as the one who calls us, to Jesus Christ as our Prophet, High Priest and
King and the one who purchased us. We
are to be submitted to the Holy Spirit in our actions and our words, as the one
who gave us Life. We are to be submitted to the Holy Scriptures as our
legitimate rule. Children should be submitted to their parents, and wives to their husbands – even as husbands and
fathers are submitted to Christ.
Submission to righteous and legitimate spiritual authority ought to
pervade our very lives. We should be
known by it. The ungodly world should be
in terror and awe of it. Authority is central to the theme of the Bible. Rebellion is central to the theme of the World. The World is in rebellion against God, may we stand
firm against it. Your servant in Christ Jesus, Michael Bunker DISAGREE? Discuss or Debate this: Forum Read more like this: Bunker Mentality Archives Proceed back to the Homepage...
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