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Basis of Authority
Everyone has a basis of authority in their lives. This basis of
authority becomes the foundation for that persons thinking and doing.
Sometimes people are ignorant of the fact they have such a thing as a
basis of authority, but whether it is simple or complex, we all - without
exception - have one.
For example, a believer in a non-Christian religion such as Islam accepts the
teachings of that religion, including its writings. If that person is a
true disciple of the religion he will seek to live according to its
teachings. He would reject Christianity because its teachings are
incompatible with what he has accepted as his basis of authority.
Take an atheist, for example. His basis of authority is that God does
not exist. Operating within this basis of authority the atheist then
acknowledge no revelation from a divine being nor does he seek or find his
code of ethics in an external authority. If he is wrong in his basic
belief then his entire system of doctrine would have to be changed. And
the atheist must believe - in other words he must have faith, he
must trust - because he cannot prove that God does not exist.
Or take the agnostic - the one who says we cannot know if God
exists. This basic belief is the frame of reference in which the agnostic
operates. Again, his entire shipload of theology would be capsized by the
ability to know, but he believes that knowing is impossible, so
this becomes the agnostics basis of authority.
The liberal also has a basis of authority and that resides within
himself and in his reasoning process. The liberal says the Bible is the
product of human reasoning and contains mans thoughts about God, the
world, and himself. It is the story of man's development of his religious
beliefs and not a message from an omniscient God.
Within the sphere of Christendom, the Roman Catholic Church sees the
Roman church as the basis of authority. They believe the Bible, certainly,
but the Bible must be interpreted, they say, by the Church. This makes the
Church the final authority and its pronouncements are binding on its
members.
But the evangelical Christian - oh, I am so happy to be able to say
what marvelous freedom God gives us - has his basis of authority within
the revelation of God. That revelation includes the Bible, but it also
includes various other ways in which God has revealed Himself, such as in
nature, in the course of history, in special providential actions like
miracles and visions, but chiefly in the Bible and in Jesus Christ. The
Bible, then, becomes the basis of authority in our lives. God revealed it,
we believe it, that settles it. Our mind must always operate within the
framework of the revelation of God as principally revealed in the Bible.
While some may regard this as a type of "straightjacket thinking" where
we put our minds on the shelf and just blindly accept what God has to say,
precisely the opposite is true. As we approach the Bible humbly accepting
what God has revealed, we find our minds are opened to all sorts of new
and exciting possibilities. We are opened up in our thinking to thoughts
and ideas which previously seemed impossible or incomprehensible. The
Bible also changes our perspective, so we begin to see the world the way
God sees it, and we develop a world view that makes sense.
If you have doubts about operating within the basis of authority of the
revelation of God as contained in the Bible, why not try it anyway? Let
the Bible speak for itself before you judge. An honest judgment cannot be
rendered until all of the evidence is heard. But know this: God intends
for you to understand the Bible. This does not mean you will comprehend
all of its teachings on first reading, but you can expect to learn a great
deal. Read it in a normal, literal sense, just as you are reading this web
page. Take it that God means what He says. If you have difficulty,
remember that God's Holy Spirit will help you to understand. You'll be in
for both an exciting and rewarding time. If you have not read the Bible
before, a good place to start is in the New Testament in the Gospel of
John.
If you would like to download my Worldviews
Chart then right-click here and choose
"Save Target As." The chart is in Adobe Acrobat PDF format, so you will
need the free
Adobe
Viewer to read it. Get the Adobe Viewer
here.
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