This writing is taken from the book “Genuine Spiritual Authority” by David W. Dyer, “A Grain of Wheat Ministries” publication.
God is the source of all authority. This is because He is the ultimate authority. He is the one who is sitting on the throne of the universe and it is He who is has complete power over all things. Any authority which exists in the universe has been set up by Him or at least is permitted to exist by Him.
The kind of authority which governments and other human rulers have is called “delegated authority”. As we have seen, God is the possessor of ultimate authority. But He has chosen to delegate or give this authority to other individuals who are supposed to act as His representatives. Once God gives us authority, it then belongs to the person to whom it was given.
Transmitted authority is exercised when a person is simply transmitting the authority of God. The person involved here is only a vessel, an instrument through which the divine authority flows.
They do not have their “own” authority, but simply are responding to the directions of the Most High. When He speaks to them for others, they speak. When He directs them to take some action, then they move. But they never take this authority upon themselves. No matter how often they are used by God to transmit His authority, they never become this authority.
Delegated authority operates only in the natural, physical realm. It is heard by ears of flesh, producing reactions which are human. It is the means by which men control one another in this physical world. The authority which is thus exercised by parents, police and other authorities does have its place. It is a necessary part of this world. But it is of no use in building up the body of Christ. Many have tried over the centuries to use such positional authority to build the church. But alas, it has been a dismal failure.
Although delegated authority can be used to produce some visible effects on the lives of some Christians, these results are not eternal. They are not true transformation. Such changes are only earthly and temporary. They work from the outside in, instead of from the inside (where the spiritual man resides) out. These changes are not the result of spiritual growth, but human earthly pressure. These folks have been conformed to a pattern but not transformed into the image of Christ.
One desire which is deeply rooted in the heart of God is that His people would be infinitely responsive to Himself. He yearns to be the Supreme ruler over His own. Ultimately, it is His wish that each person would become intimate with Him and be able to follow His leadership individually. His thought is that there would be no obstacles interposed between Himself and His people.
God chooses individuals to transmit His authority and thereby lead the others in the right direction. These chosen vessels He first prepares and then anoints to use as special conduits of His authority.
Such men and women must first be broken by God so that they become afraid of ever exercising their own authority. Then God begins to use them to transmit His authority to His people. They become mouthpieces through which God speaks in situations where the others are unwilling or unable to hear for themselves. God’s objective in doing so is to bring the other believers into the intimacy with God which He desires.
There are two basic kinds of authority in the world today. There is the superficial, earthly kind called delegated authority which God uses to exercise some control over those who do not know and follow Him.
There is also spiritual, transmitted authority which has always been God’s choice for governing His people. One is for the world, the other is for what today would be called His church. One functions somewhat independently of God while the other does not, and in fact cannot function, unless God is speaking and moving.
As inhabitants of this world we must subject ourselves to the earthly authorities. We should obey them (I Peter 2:13). Concerning our interaction with this world, it is very clear that their delegated authority applies to us. But concerning our functioning in the church, these same two varieties of leadership are also available – human authority and spiritual authority. One kind of authority is set up by man and supported by all the usual props of title, position, vestments, etc. The other is established by God and is confirmed by His Spirit.
In the body of Christ, we do have a choice. On one hand, we can learn to recognize and submit ourselves to God’s authority, both when He speaks to us personally and when His will is being transmitted through one of His vessels. On the other hand, we can subject ourselves to some sort of human, delegated authority which is established and recognized by man. We have before us today both the earthly and heavenly way.
It is without question that Jesus Christ desires to exercise his rightful authority over His church. The doctrine of His headship over all things (Eph. 1:22), His preeminence (Col. 1:18) and His complete control over every aspect of the church is not an obscure teaching. The fact that every member of the body is intended to develop an intimate relationship with Him which enables them to increasingly sense His leadership in their lives should come as a surprise to no one.
It is His will for us all to be priests (I Peter 2:5). It is not His will that any human being be interposed between us and Himself. God yearns to personally rule each individual so that His people as a whole express the fullness of His purposes and will. This has always been and still is one of the focal points of His dealings with man.
There certainly is a need for authority in the church. No doubt God uses men to be both leaders and examples to the others and draw them into a relationship with Christ. But what sort of authority should this be? Is it an authority which is derived from a “position” in the assembly? Does it come from an appointment to be an elder, minister, deacon or some similar thing? Does a title or “office” qualify a man to lead God’s people? Is this responsibility conferred on someone by other men who also possess some entitling, education or position? Does it come by some kind of vote of confidence by the majority? Or is this honor taken upon oneself by virtue of being the strongest personality in the group? All of these are just earthly ways which can only serve to be a hindrance to God’s purposes and bring others into bondage!
We desperately need men who will speak when God speaks to them, who will lead according to His direction and who will manifest His revelation. The great necessity of the hour is not for those who have been schooled, elected or appointed to positions of authority but for those who are intimate with God and through whom He can freely transmit His will. There is a tremendous difference between this kind of authority and that which is exercised by the flesh.
Genuine spiritual authority does not come with an appointment to a position or “office”. In fact, the word “office” used in I Timothy 3:1 in the King James version represents no word in the original Greek language but is the invention of the translators. Although certain men in the New Testament acquired labels such as “elder”, “deacon” or “apostle” their authority did not emanate from holding some “position”. Exactly the reverse is true.
These designations came as a result of the inner spiritual work which God had done within them. They were a means of describing their special functions in the body. In some unique area God had prepared these men to be conduits of His authority. These names were used to identify these areas of service, not to qualify them for it.
Untold damage has been done to God’s people through the misunderstanding of this principle. All too often, men are appointed to a “position” by other men with the thought that some kind of authority is needed in the church. Tremendous injury and loss has been experienced by God’s people through this kind of practice.
When we establish earthly, delegated authority in God’s church, we thereby offer a substitution for the true authority! When we elect or appointment according to human reasoning or perception, we establish a variety of authority which is foreign to God’s plan and which will only be a hindrance to His perfect will.
The reason for this is that no matter how “scriptural” it may be, positional authority can never produce spiritual results. Nothing which originates on the earthly level can achieve God’s designs. The Bible is quite clear: “The flesh profits nothing” (John 6:63). Please do not misunderstand this – human efforts, backed by natural authority, may be able to accomplish many notable things in the religious world. “Revival” campaigns, membership drives, fund raising and building projects all can be carried out by strong human leadership.
But let us remember that “success” is not the measure of our spiritual accomplishments. No matter how grandiose or impressive our works appear, if they have been constructed with the wrong substances – earthly materials instead of supernatural – they will be destroyed on judgment day. Only that which is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit will survive the test.
One of the main problems we encounter when speaking about transmitted authority versus positional authority is that Jesus today is invisible. We cannot see him with our physical eyes. But the natural man has confidence in things which are tangible, things which he can see, hear, feel or taste. For him, invisible things are difficult to perceive and understand and therefore he considers them unreliable.
A consequence of this is that for new believers and those who have not grown spiritually, it is much easier for them to gravitate toward earthly, positional authority. They do not easily understand things which are spiritual. For many of them, a person with a title and position of authority who directs their lives is much simpler and safer than the thought of needing to hear from and follow someone invisible.
Our relationship with the living, resurrected Jesus is by faith. Through our faith we understand and perceive things which are invisible. Included in these things is the presence of and the leadership of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible to know Him and follow Him without faith. Simply following biblical instructions will not be sufficient. We must through faith enter into a personal intimacy with Jesus, learn to know His voice and follow Him. In this way, He can lead us into all of His will.
We must be willing to obey Him in whatever He says. If we do not have this heart attitude, we will certainly end up not only rejecting human authority but in fact all authority. Our condition will be that of independent rebels who are of little use to God. The truth is that if we cannot submit to the Lord speaking through our brothers and sisters, we are not really submitted to Him at all.
The obvious question which arises from all this discussion is: “How can we know the difference between the authority which is spiritual and that which is of the earth?” The answer is very simple but not at all easy. The only way to distinguish between these two kinds of authority is to have spiritual discernment. Outside of the revelation of the Holy Spirit, there is no way to tell. The natural man is not able to differentiate between the two. Only those with spiritual sight will be able to know what is from God and what is not. It is something which must be discerned.
Therefore it is essential that every child of God cultivate an intimacy with Him. Each one of us is responsible to develop and maintain a spiritual relationship with our Lord. No one else is going to do it for us. We cannot rely upon some kind of “king” to carry the burden.
God’s desire is still the same. In His heart , He yearns for us to allow ourselves to be drawn into a deep love relationship with Himself. From this position, leaning on Jesus’s breast (John 13:23), we will understand all that He deems it necessary for us to know.
0 Comments