The Authority of King Jesus

Rejection by Rebels Doesn’t Change Christ’s Authority

Introduction

In 1994, American teen Michael Fay was convicted of vandalizing cars and street signs while visiting Singapore. The world was outraged when Fay was sentenced to the same penalty as a Singaporean citizen: caned six times. Despite the outcry, Singapore held by its authority to enforce its laws. In the Singaporean court, Fay’s rejection of this authority only deepened his condemnation.

When confronting unbelievers, Christians often lay aside the authority of God’s word, arguing the rebel’s rejection necessitates a neutral ground. Yet, what neutral ground can there be between those who hate God and God? There is only one path of reconciliation, and He is Jesus Christ.

As Christ’s ambassadors, it is treason to lay aside the authority of our “blessed and only Sovereign” (1 Tim. 6:15) to rebels. His Great Commission includes “teaching them to keep all that I commanded you” (Matt. 28:20). When the unbeliever rejects the authority of God’s word, we must do as the Apostle Paul instructs, and “take every thought captive to obey Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5), speaking God’s word into every area of life.

In this article, we’ll examine how the fallen nature of man affects their rejection of God’s authority, our presentation of God’s word, and why, in spite of this, we must eschew pragmatism in favor of faithfulness.

Reaching Fallen Man

Original Sin & Total Depravity

Any discussion on God’s authority must begin with mankind’s relationship with God. The Bible teaches that all humans are fallen sons and daughters of Adam (Rom. 5:12-14)—a concept known as Original Sin. As a result, every part of us is corrupted by sin, a state referred to as Total Depravity. This means our nature is wholly sinful and unwilling to obey God (Rom. 3, 8:1-9), affecting even our ability to think and reason.

Understanding humanity’s sinful nature highlights why human autonomy cannot serve as a neutral ground. Without the Holy Spirit to give us new life, the spirit of man is dead in trespasses and enslaved to sin. Seeking a “neutral” ground appeals to man’s sinful nature, because such “neutral” ground is not neutral at all; it is an appeal to man’s desire to be free from God’s authority. When we accept the unbeliever’s presuppositions, which are hostile to God, we are ourselves appealing to their unbelief.

Dr. Greg Bahnsen aptly noted in his book Always Ready that “Christian believers must not walk, must not behave or live, in a way which imitates the behavior of those who are unredeemed; specifically, Paul forbids the Christian from imitating the unbeliever’s vanity of mind.” Bahnsen refers to Colossians 2:8, which reads, “See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”

He continues, “Christians must refuse to think or reason according to a worldly mind-set or outlook. The culpable agnosticism of the world’s intellectuals must not be reproduced in Christians as alleged neutrality; this outlook, this approach to truth, this intellectual method evidences a darkened understanding and hardened heart.”

Imago Dei: Point of Contact

Despite our sinfulness, humans are created in God’s image (Imago Dei), providing a point of contact for engaging with unbelievers. Our capacity to think, reason, communicate, and uphold moral standards testifies to God’s reality. Romans 1:18-32 reveals that God’s attributes are evident within all humans, leaving them without excuse for their unbelief.

Romans 1:18 states, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” The testimony of Scripture isn’t that anyone lacks knowledge of God, but that in our unrighteousness, we suppress the knowledge of God. Whether this suppression is conscious or subconscious, it is a result of our fallen nature. Christ’s words in John 3:19-20 emphasize that man in his natural state hates God and refuses to come into the light for fear of his evil being exposed.

Romans 1:19-20 further asserts, “because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, both His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.” Our ability to think, reason, understand abstract ideas, and identify moral absolutes testifies to God’s existence. These in-built evidences are clear, and all of creation testifies to God’s existence, so much so that humanity is without excuse. This justifies God’s righteous wrath against all who suppress the truth.

Romans 1:21 adds, “For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Separated from the source of all wisdom and knowledge, the unbeliever’s intellectual, philosophical, and ethical pursuits are frustrated. The Psalmist writes, “The fool says in his heart ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 14:1). This is a moral assessment of the unredeemed.

Thus, a Christian seeking the mythical ground of neutrality is, as Paul writes in Colossians 2:8, being taken captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men and the elementary principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Abandoning the authority of Scripture is to seek after these elementary principles and to reject Christ’s lordship in our thinking.

Ultimate Authorities

Authority of the Word

Scripture offers no positive examples of God’s authority being abandoned to reach unbelievers. Every biblical engagement with unbelievers presupposes God’s ultimate authority. Whether it was Elijah confronting the priests of Baal (1 Kings 18), Daniel addressing the pagan kings of Babylon and Persia (Dan. 2), or Paul confronting the idol-worshipping Athenians at Mars Hill (Acts 17), God’s word was proclaimed without compromise.

Bahnsen, in By This Standard, asserts “[a]ll of life is ethical, and ethics requires a standard of right and wrong. For the Christian, that yardstick is found in the Bible.” Christians must resist the temptation to abandon or substitute Scripture for a message, or authority, more palatable to unbelievers. In doing so, we are joining the unbelievers in their unbelief, doubting the power of God’s word. That which saves is not our convincing arguments, but the power of God (1 Cor. 2:5). The measure of success for a man or woman of God is not in how many accept their message, but in how faithful they are in delivering it.

By acknowledging God’s word as the ultimate authority, we affirm the truth of Scripture. This requires courage, especially in a world that often rejects or mocks our faith. Our responsibility is clear: to uphold and proclaim God’s word in all areas of life, trusting in its sufficiency and power.

Authority of God

God, as the Creator, Sovereign, Lawgiver, and Judge, embodies the ultimate authority by which all other authorities are measured. He is self-sufficient and self-supporting, needing no higher standard for validation. Scripture supports this, as seen in Hebrews 6:13 (LSB):

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself.

Claiming God’s word as insufficient undermines His supreme authority and suggests other authorities are equally valid. Yet, a sovereign’s authority isn’t diminished simply because a rebel refuses to recognize it.

Parable of the Vine-Growers

Jesus illustrated this principle in the Parable of the Vine-Growers (Matthew 21:33-46, Luke 20:9-18). In this parable, a landowner plants a vineyard and leases it to vine-growers. When he sends servants to collect his share of the harvest, they are beaten, killed, and stoned by the vine-growers. The landowner sends more servants, who receive the same treatment. Finally, he sends his son, thinking they will respect him, but they kill the son to seize his inheritance.

Jesus asks, “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” The response is that he will bring them to a terrible end and lease the vineyard to others who will pay him the proceeds.

Despite the repeated rejection of the landowner’s servants, they do not relent in issuing the demands of their master. They continue to uphold His authority, as did the prophets and apostles, and so should we. The ultimate rejection of the landowner’s authority is demonstrated in the murder of His own son. Yet, even this does not deter the landowner, who comes Himself and judges the vine-growers for their treachery.

As noted in Matthew 21:43, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation, producing the fruit of it.” As Christians, we are called to be that nation, producing the fruits of the kingdom by faithfully proclaiming and adhering to God’s word. Let us not be found guilty of failing to uphold His authority.

Faithfulness, Not Pragmatism

Often, we focus too much on whether the unbelieving world will accept the message of Scripture. However, God does not hold us responsible for making our message convincing but for making it faithful. Paul exemplifies this in 1 Corinthians 2:1-2,4, stating,

“And when I came to you, brothers, I did not come with superiority of word or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the witness of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified… my word and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (LSB).

1 Corinthians 2:1-2,4

God is glorified in the faithful proclamation of His word. In 2 Corinthians 2:15-16, Paul wrote, “For we are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing; to the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life” (LSB). God is glorified when sinners repent, in the display of His just wrath, and in the offering of mercy to those who hate Him.

We see this exemplified in Romans 9:22-23,

“[W]hat if God, wanting to demonstrate His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much patience vessels of wrath having been prepared for destruction, and in order that He might make known the riches of His glory upon vessels of mercy, which He prepared beforehand for glory” (LSB).

Romans 9:22-23

By deciding that God’s word is ineffective, we impose our reasoning over God’s. Failing to deliver His message in full brings disobedience on ourselves. God is most glorified when we faithfully and obediently proclaim His word without censoring or filtering it.

Conclusion

When facing a world that rejects the authority of Christ, it can be tempting to seek a more palatable option. However, as those who bear the name of Christ, we must steadfastly resist. If we are to be rejected, let it be standing on God’s word. We cannot only claim Christ as Lord but live it too. To abandon the authority of God’s word is to abandon solid ground. Stand firm on the foundation of Christ and His word.

In our next article, we’ll explore the Biblical support for why Christians should be concerned with unbelievers obeying God’s law — indeed, they are its primary audience. Logically, this responsibility to disciple and teach the nations is intimately tied to the doctrine of the Priesthood of All Believers. A cornerstone of the Reformation was restoring this important facet of Christian life. As ministers of the New Covenant, every believer has a responsibility to prophetically proclaim Scripture to a dying world. That includes defending, not abandoning, Scripture when engaging with the unbeliever. Finally, we’ll delve into practical application, as it’s hardly a matter of just “shouting the Bible” but applying and defending it.

Questions For Reflection

In the meantime, what are your thoughts? Did this article challenge you? Can you share experiences of standing behind God’s word?