God’s Authority in Religion Today

We abide in a world that serves itself above God and wants personal satisfaction within worship instead of using worship as a time to glorify God. Personal preferences have caused deviation from God’s truth. Instead of holding firm to the foundation of God’s Word, churches have begun to accommodate and adapt to a changing world. And in the process, they have abandoned morals and values that once held communities together.

 

Our religious culture has strayed so far from God that it’s barely recognizable in today’s world. Churches have transformed into buildings with more emphasis on glorifying oneself than on the God who created the world. 

 

When we start to define what is wrong and what is right, it diminishes the authority of God. And when we grant ourselves the authority to render the legitimacy of the Bible, the lines become blurred. And when the lines become blurred, new religions become accepted as the truth, and the truth becomes nothing but a watered-down version—a personal declaration of a forever-changing belief system.

 

There is an undeniable movement where churches that once stood firm to God’s unwavering Word are now evolving and succumbing to the world’s desires. Once one small compromise incurs, the barriers that hold up the foundation are weakened and give way for additional settlements, contradicting what is known as pure and right.

 

Religions have begun to rationalize the means of diluting right and wrong simply because the ends are justified by bringing someone closer to Christ. God included in his Word everything we would need that pertains to life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). If there is something we feel that God left out, it doesn’t give us the jurisdiction to fill it in with something that benefits us better. Or if we see passages that contradict the world, we don’t possess the power to eliminate them to better integrate into society. 

 

God’s Word isn’t required to assimilate into today’s society to have power. God’s Word is powerful because it has authority. 

 

Proverbs 30:5-6 reminds us that adding to God’s Word is prohibited and, in turn, belittles the supremacy of the words he provided. 

 

“Every Word of God is pure;

He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.

 

Do not add to His words,

Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”

 

When we alter His Word, we pronounce that we know better than God– “the giver of life, breath, and all things” (Acts 17:25). God’s Word is tested, refined, and is continuously applicable in our world today. In an ever-changing world that constantly questions religion, biology, and fundamental freedoms, I put my faith in an eternal promise that has remained the same for generations and will endure forever.

 

Other times, religious people will choose to leave out certain aspects of the Bible. Just because it may feel uncomfortable or exposes the imperfections of a fallen world doesn’t mean it’s an excuse to eradicate specific passages.

 

Revelation 22:18 warns us that “if any man takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

 

The innate design of humanity needs authority at its core. Without the enforcement of earthly laws, there would be no distinction between good and evil. Right and wrong. However, these types of authority must come from the right sources. If a law were arbitrarily put in place by a person, not in a position of power, there would be no execution to abide by it under today’s legal system.

In Matthew 21:23, it is shown to the chief priests and elders during Christ’s reign on earth that Jesus’ authority comes from His heavenly Father. God reveals His authority through His Son, who then gives that power to the Holy Spirit and the Apostles.

 

In this same passage, where Jesus’ authority is questioned, He asks the chief priests and elders whether or not they believe His authority comes from heaven or men. If they say it comes from heaven, they will have that they falsely denied John the Baptist. But if they say from men, they will go against the majority of the community who believe in John the Baptist. 

 

There should be no question about where Jesus’ authority comes from. Still, just like the elders and chief priests of Jesus’ time, we have religious people today who contradict and probe the authority and conviction of the Bible. But no matter what they pick out and challenge, God’s Word is assured and resolute. 

 

What would be the point of putting your faith in something constantly subject to change?

 

We must not let our human tendencies to serve ourselves get in the way of serving the almighty God. When we appoint ourselves dominance over God’s spoken Word, we lose sight of who God is. It dismisses the Majesty of Our Lord and the promises he’s given us. It removes the gravity of God sending His Son to save us from inevitable destruction. God’s Word remains the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And that’s all we need to participate in God’s will for our lives.