We all are very familiar with authority. We use it every day of our lives. If we have jobs, then we have bosses and managers that we submit to; when we were young, we always submitted to what our parents said. So we are very in tune with how authority works and see in our lives many times how it is necessary. The Bible tells us that we have free will while, but this does not necessarily mean that we can live life in any old way we want.
Paul preached to the Athenians that God had created man from one blood, and determined his preappointed times and boundaries. It was for this reason that man should seek the Lord (Acts 17:26-28). He would go on to say of himself in another place, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul understood submission, and we can as well.
When it comes to the preservation of our souls (and everybody has one of these), there again is a certain authority we must follow. Solomon, a man who had every physical treasure in this world, wrote toward the end of his life, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter, fear God and keep His commandments, for this is mans all” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).
Part of God’s authority is that we must follow Jesus. Those who submit to Christ’s authority will be given eternal life (Hebrews 5:9). When you went against the authority of your parents, you may have been spanked or grounded. Your boss may have deducted your payor issued a minor suspension. However, if we go against the authority of Jesus, we have a much greater consequence — eternal damnation (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9; Romans 6:23)! How are you taking care of your soul today?
Scott Vanderwood
