By
What Authority?
10 Claims on God’s
Authority
by
Charles J. Peterson
Matthew 21.23: And
when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the
people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By
what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this
authority?
Introduction
Ever
since
Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, his
resurrection, his
appearance to his
apostles and disciples, and his
subsequent ascension into Heaven, Christians have made claims on God’s
authority to act in his
name. Most Christians would
agree that Jesus Christ, who in the beginning possessed and continues to
possess the keys of priesthood authority on this earth, passed that
authority on to his apostles, and that they held that authority while
they ministered among God’s children on the earth. But what happened after the martyrdom of the apostles?
Who held, and more relevant to us today, who holds that authority
in these latter days?
At the outset, let’s
explore the concept of authority, or the authority given by God and Jesus
Christ to mankind
to act and be recognized and rewarded by God for those acts.
Christians all want to go to heaven, live with God through the
eternities, and receive the highest reward for living the truly Christian
life. How does the Christian
attain this final reward? Or
in other words, who has the authority, recognized by God, to conduct God’s affairs
on earth according
to his will on behalf of his
children?
What does it mean to
have authority? It
means that God recognizes or accepts the acts (ordinances, sacraments,
rituals, practices), thoughts, and desires of individuals and the acts
(ordinances, sacraments, rituals, practices) of spiritual leaders on
behalf of God’s followers.
Peter puts it well when
he says in I Peter 2:5, speaking of converts to the Church of Jesus Christ
in the meridian of time:
Ye
also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ.
What are these
spiritual sacrifices? They
consist of the acts, behaviors, ordinances, sacraments, rituals,
practices, and the sacrifice of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.
These must be acceptable to God and Jesus Christ.
Any ordinance, sacrament, ritual, or practice that is not
acceptable to God and Jesus Christ (or recognized by God and Jesus Christ)
is at best meaningless, perhaps even detrimental,
to the eternal salvation of the individual.
For example, I
frequently climb a mountain near my home.
One morning I came to the summit of the mountain just as the sun
was rising. I noticed a
couple standing on the top, facing the rising sun and
chanting something that had a religious ring to it. The question in my mind as I witnessed this ritual was:
“Will God accept this chanting to the rising sun as a valid spiritual
sacrifice, or is it just
ritual created by man that will not help these people live with God once
again?”
Ten
Claims on God’s Authority
Ten
claims on God's authority are extant
in the Christian world today.
A claim
on God’s authority is an assertion made by Christians that what they
believe and what they practice will ultimately be recognized by God as
sufficient spiritual sacrifice for receiving God’s greatest eternal
reward, i.e., life with God in Heaven.
The following claims on
God’s authority will be described with no attempt in this section to
present any evidence of validity.
-
Apostolic
Succession
-
Reformation
-
Apostasy/Restoration
-
Authority of the
Bible
-
Priesthood of All
Believers
-
Divine Direction
-
Born Again/Saved by
Grace through Faith
-
Salvation of the
“Good”
-
Many Roads to
Heaven
-
Universalism
1.
Apostolic
Succession
Most Christians would
agree that Jesus Christ established his church during his
earthly ministry. He had the
requisite authority or priesthood to save souls and to bring God’s
children back to God’s presence,
or to Heaven. Most would
agree that He passed this authority on to the apostles during the Meridian
of Time.
The apostolic
succession claim asserts that the authority or priesthood was passed down
through a succession of Church leaders from the time of the apostles to the
present. Consequently, the
leaders of these churches carry the authority to act in God’s name to
this day as part of this claim. Thus,
the sacraments, ordinances, and rituals they perform on behalf of their
congregations are acceptable to God. And individuals who partake of these ordinances and live
according to the teachings of the Church’s leaders will take their
places with God in heaven.
The Roman Catholic
Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches make this claim,
as do a few of the Protestant churches.
For further explanation
of apostolic succession, refer to the following web page:
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostolic_succession
2.
Reformation
As part of the
reformation claim, it is generally agreed that Christ had the authority
and passed it on to the apostles. The
authority was then passed on to other leaders, but after a period of time
the leaders took the Church off the correct path, while retaining the
authority. After a lengthy
period of being off-track, reformers risked their lives and reputations to
bring the Church back on track. This led to the formation of new churches designed to correct
the doctrinal and ritual detours of the Mother church, while still
retaining the authority through the apostolic succession (called lineal
authority) through the centuries.
Some of the Protestant
denominations make the reformation claim.
In conjunction with some of the claims below (authority of the
Bible, priesthood of all believers, born again/saved by grace through
faith) the reformation brought the doctrine and spiritual sacrifices back
in line with what God will accept, providing these churches with the
authority to conduct God’s work on earth.
For a further
explanation of this claim, refer to the following web page:
http://logosresourcepages.org/reformation.htm
3.
Apostasy/Restoration
Those who espouse the
apostasy/restoration claim acknowledge that Christ held the authority and
passed it on to the apostles during his
ministry. When the apostles
were martyred, the keys (the authority to delegate priesthood authority)
to the authority or priesthood was not passed on to any other Church
leaders. It was lost.
Some time later
heavenly messengers appeared to a prophet of God and restored the proper
priesthood authority. From
that point on, the priesthood keys were passed on to a succession of
individuals called prophets.
Thus, ordinances and
spiritual sacrifices performed by the prophet and his delegated agents are
recognized and accepted by God. And
those individuals who follow the leadership of the prophet, partaking of
the accepted ordinances and living according to the prophets’ teachings,
will be given a place in heaven with God the Father.
The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) subscribes to the
apostasy/restoration claim.
For further explanation
of the apostasy/restoration claim, refer to the following web pages:
http://www.mormon.org/learn/0,8672,1083-1,00.html
http://ourworld-top.cs.com/mikegriffith1/id75.htm
4.
Authority
of the Bible
Those who make the
authority of the Bible claim accept the fact that Jesus Christ held
God’s authority during his
earthly ministry and passed it on to his
apostles. These apostles and
other disciples wrote as inspired by Christ himself and by the inspiration
of the Holy Ghost. Consequently,
their writings, known as the Holy Bible (including the writings of the Old
Testament prophets), are the final word or final authority.
It follows then that any of God’s children who adhere to the
teachings of the Bible will find their spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God and will be
entitled to eternal salvation.
Many evangelical and
Protestant churches and individuals today hold the claim that the Bible is
the ultimate authority by which their members find acceptance with God.
For further explanation
of authority of the Bible, refer to the following web pages:
http://www.thebiblespeaks.com/Authority/bible.htm
http://www.wtcoc.com/Sermons/s194.html
5.
Priesthood
of All Believers
According to those who
espouse the priesthood of all believers claim on God’s authority, all
who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior hold the priesthood.
They base their claim on basically two scriptures (among others)
that address the issue of priesthood.
I Peter 2:5: “Ye
also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ.”
I Peter 2:9: “But
ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; ….”
See also Romans 12:1-8.
Assuming that these
verses address every member of Christ's church during apostolic times, the claim is
made that priesthood authority is vested in the individual church member.
Therefore no priestly class is required to perform intermediary
sacraments on behalf of individuals.
Belief and faith are sufficient to reap God’s greatest rewards.
For further details on
priesthood of all believers, check out the following web page:
http://www.gracevalley.org/articles/Priesthood.html
6.
Divine
Direction
Those
who claim divine direction as their authority profess to have been spoken
to by the Spirit or even spoken to by God (or Jesus Christ) himself. They
feel that God has directed them to start a ministry to help God’s
children achieve the level of spirituality they need to be acceptable to
God. They may provide
ordinances, sacraments, teachings, or rituals to others as directed by God
and the Spirit. Thus, because
they were directed by God, their spiritual sacrifices on behalf of others
are accepted by God. As long
as the spiritual leaders’ directions are followed, these followers’
sacrifices are acceptable to God and they
are entitled to their heavenly reward.
No particular
educational or denominational requirements are necessary since God has
directed them in their spiritual missions.
Many non-denominational churches have had their roots established
in an individual who claims such divine direction.
For further explanation
of divine direction, check out the following web page:
http://www.victoirechretienne.com/divine_direction-1.htm
(from google cache)
7.
Born
Again/Saved by Grace through Faith
Those who claim God’s
authority through being born again or saved by faith in Jesus Christ
believe that God accepts those who accept Jesus Christ as their savior.
Some believe that they must confess this belief or faith in Jesus
Christ to a recognized spiritual leader.
And then God accepts their spiritual sacrifice.
Others believe that they must have God “speak to them” by the
Spirit to convey the message that God accepts their spiritual sacrifice. No earthly spiritual leader is necessary in this process.
Many in the evangelical
movements of the world believe in this claim on God’s authority.
They may combine their claim on authority with the authority of the
Bible, being born again or saved by faith, or priesthood of all believers,
or divine direction.
For further explanation
of born again/saved by grace through faith, refer to the following web
page:
http://www.born-again-christian.info/how.to.be.born.again.htm
8.
Salvation
of the “Good”
According to a survey
published in 1996, the Barna Research Group
found that 57% of people claiming Christian religious beliefs felt that
all “good people” will go to heaven, no matter what religious
affiliation they retain, and no matter what religious devotions they
practice in their lives. Therefore, if this claim is true, God accepts the
“goodness” of people as sufficient spiritual sacrifice for being
awarded their place in Heaven.
People who are good
neighbors, good spouses and parents, kind to others, generous with their
time and financial resources, contributors to their communities, and
believers in God will once again live with him. No
particular religious membership or sacraments are required.
9.
Many
Roads to Heaven
The many
roads to heaven
claim could be placed under the salvation
of the good
claim on God’s authority. As
long as a person is a practicing Christian, striving to live Christian
principles, the person is guaranteed a place in Heaven no matter what
denomination he belongs to. God
will accept the spiritual sacrifices of anybody who strives to live the
Christian life, no matter what sacraments, rituals, or practices he
believes and adheres to. What
really matters is what’s in the person’s heart.
God will accept a person in Heaven if he or she has the right
intentions and practices Christian principles.
For further explanation
of many roads to heaven, refer to the following web page:
http://www.heavensgates.org/
10.
Universalism
Some people feel that
God will eventually save all people no matter how faithful or unfaithful
they are to Christian belief and practice.
They believe that all will pay for their sins in some way, but that
after a purgatorial period, God will admit them into Heaven.
Thus, God accepts all his
children into his presence
once they have
paid the price for their sins. They
have exhibited their spiritual sacrifices, even if in the hereafter.
The Unitarian Church
believes this claim on God’s authority.
For a further
explanation of universalism, refer to the following web page:
http://www.allsoulskc.org/sermons/000813.html
Priesthood
Authority
Priesthood authority,
according to each of these claims on God’s authority, is vested in the
following individuals or combination of individuals:
God, and thus Jesus
Christ, is the ultimate priesthood authority.
This authority is his alone and can
be given to mankind only by
him.
Thus, he is ultimately,
and was originally,
vested with the authority to raise his
children to an eternal life with him.
In turn, He delegates priesthood authority to either church leaders
or to individuals to act in his
name in bringing about eternal life among his
children.
The first four claims
(apostolic succession, reformation, apostasy/restoration, and divine
direction) require that God delegate priesthood authority to church
leaders. Vested with
authority, these leaders provide ordinances, teachings, and rituals recognized and
accepted by God to his
other children on earth. As
long as God’s children under the direction of these leaders follow these
leaders’ teachings, as given by revelation and through the scriptures
and also follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, they are entitled to
eternal life.
The last six claims on
God’s authority (authority of the Bible, born again/saved by grace
through faith, priesthood of all believers, salvation of the “good,”
many roads to heaven, and universalism) require that God has vested in the
individual the authority to do something or be something that is
acceptable to God for achieving eternal life. No church leader, or earthly priesthood leader, is ultimately
required for a person to attain God’s greatest reward.
Scriptural
evidence for the Apostasy/Restoration Claim on God’s Authority
As members of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we believe that God has
vested church leaders with the keys to the priesthood authority necessary
to bring God’s children back into his presence. These
church leaders are called prophets. The need for prophets
is clearly
stated by the prophet Amos (Amos 3:7):
Surely
the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his
servants the prophets.
And what is God’s
secret? It is the means by
which the children of God may come back into the presence of God,
including the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
Thus, all that is required and accepted by God for entrance into his
presence is given to the prophets. These
prophets, in turn, are given the responsibility to teach and provide the
saving ordinances of the gospel to God’s children.
However,
after the passing
of the apostles
from their
earthly missions, no prophet existed on the earth to provide these saving
ordinances and to
teach the people
how to conduct their lives in a manner acceptable to God.
Consequently, no priesthood authority acceptable to God existed on
the earth from the time of the apostles’ deaths.
This apostasy was prophesied on many occasions in the New
Testament. (See Matt.
24:9-12, Acts 20:29-30, Gal. 1:6-9, 2 Thess. 2:1-11, 1 Tim. 4:1-3, 2 Tim.
1:15, 2 Tim. 3:1-5, 2 Tim. 4:2-4, 2 Pet. 2:1-3, Rev. 2, Rev. 3:14-17, Rev.
13:6-7)
With the loss of the
priesthood authority from the earth, a restoration of priesthood authority
in the latter days was required. (See
Isa. 2:2-3, Dan. 2:26-45, Mal. 3:1-3, Mal. 4:5-6, Matt. 24:14,
Acts3:19-21, Eph. 1:10, Rev. 14:6-7)
The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints proclaims to the world that the priesthood
authority has been restored to a prophet of God in these latter days.
In fact, the authority was restored by the very persons who held
the keys to priesthood authority during and immediately after the mission
of Jesus Christ, who ultimately holds these priesthood keys.
The Levitical
Priesthood (see Heb. 7:11) or Aaronic Priesthood was restored to the
Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery on May 15, 1829.
As contained in the book
Doctrine and Covenants (D&C), chapter
13, John the Baptist, who held the keys to the Aaronic Priesthood,
appeared to them and conferred the Aaronic Priesthood upon them.
Upon
you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood
of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the
gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of
sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth, until the sons
of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.
Of this sacred and
historic event, Oliver Cowdery
wrote to his friend and fellow worker in the gospel,
W.W. Phelps:
“The Lord who
is rich in mercy and ever willing to answer the consistent prayer of the
humble, after we had called upon him in a fervent manner, aside from the
abodes of men, condescended to manifest to us his will.
On a sudden, as from the midst of eternity, the voice of the
Redeemer spake peace to us, while the veil was parted and the angel of
God came down clothed with glory and delivered the anxiously looked for
message, and the keys of the gospel of repentance.
What joy! what
wonder! what amazement!
While the world was racked and distracted—while millions were
groping as the blind for the wall, and while all men were resting upon
uncertainty, as a general mass, our eyes beheld—our ears heard.
As in the “blaze of day”;
yes, more—above the glitter of the May sunbeam, which then shed its
brilliancy over the face of nature!
Then his voice, though mild, pierced to the center, and his
words, ‘I am thy fellow-servant.’ dispelled every fear.
We listened, we gazed, we admired!
‘Twas the voice of the angel from glory—‘twas a message
from the Most High, and as we heard we rejoiced, while his love
enkindled upon our souls, and we were rapt in the vision of the
Almighty! Where was room
for doubt? Nowhere;
uncertainty had fled, doubt had sunk, no more to rise, while fiction and
deception had fled forever. But,
dear brother, think further, think for a moment what joy filled our
hearts and with what surprise we must have bowed, (for who could not
have bowed the knee for such a blessing?) when we received under his
hands the Holy Priesthood!”
Shortly
thereafter, Peter, James and John bestowed the
Melchizedek Priesthood
upon Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery (see Heb, ch. 7). The exact
date is not known (after May 15, 1829 and before June 6, 1830), but Joseph
refers to it in his history of the events that surrounded the restoration
of the gospel as found in Joseph Smith—History 1:72:
The messenger who
visited us on this occasion and conferred this Priesthood upon us, said that
his name was John the Baptist in the New Testament, and that he acted
under the direction of Peter, James and John, who held the keys of the
Priesthood of Melchizedek, which Priesthood, he said, would in due time
be conferred on us, ….
Joseph
Smith also speaks of this ordination in an epistle to the members of the
church, as contained in D&C
128:20:
And again, what
do we hear? …. The voice of Peter, James, and John in the wilderness
between Harmony, Susquehanna county, and Colesville, Broome county, on
the Susquehanna river, declaring themselves as possessing the keys of
the kingdom, and of the dispensation of the
fulness of times!
Conclusion
Thus, after the long
period of apostasy in which no priesthood authority existed on the earth,
a prophet of God was given this priesthood and the keys to delegate
priesthood authority to men on the earth once again.
The priesthood, the authority to act in God’s name, was once
again restored to the earth. This
priesthood authority exists in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, and the keys to delegate the authority is held by God’s prophet
on the earth today who is the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints.
Consequently,
the apostasy/restoration claim to God’s authority as espoused by The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gives its leader (the prophet,
seer, and revelator, and President of the Church) the right to act in his
name. Thus, those who follow
the prophet’s guidance (as given through revelation from God) and
partake of the ordinances of the Church will find their spiritual
sacrifices acceptable to God and will inherit eternal life in the presence
of God.
The
difficult question arising from this discussion is: “How shall I know
which claim on God’s authority is right?”
The scriptures tell us that spiritual knowledge can
be gained only
by spiritual means. We could
inundate you with scripture after scripture providing evidence of the
apostasy and ultimate restoration of the Holy Priesthood in these latter
days (see the scriptural citations above).
Some would call that Bible bashing.
But, in the end, anybody interested in the truth must gain truth
through spiritual means.
Paul,
writing to the Corinthians, explains how spiritual knowledge is gained.
Speaking of the ultimate rewards due those who love the Lord he
says in I Corinthians 2:9-14:
9.
But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have
entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them that love him.
10. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit
searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11. For what man knoweth the things of a man, but the spirit of man
which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the
Spirit of God.
12. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit
which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to
us of God.
13. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom
teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things
with spiritual.
14. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:
for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because
they are spiritually discerned.
Knowing
which claim on God’s authority is the true claim can only be spiritually
discerned. And the spiritual
means by which it is discerned is through the Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost,
whose role it is to testify of the truth to God’s children on earth.
The
process is best stated in the Book
of Mormon. Referring to the truthfulness of that
book, the prophet Moroni wrote
(Moroni
10:4-5):
4.
And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would
ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are
not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent,
having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the
power of the Holy Ghost.
5.
And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.
You
can know which of the above claims on God’s authority is
valid by following
Moroni’s description of the spiritual means for finding spiritual truth.
It takes study, real intent, faith, and prayer to receive a witness
through the Holy Ghost to know the truth of the claims on God’s
authority.
May
you find the truth.
Notes:
George Barna, Index of Leading Spiritual Indicators (Dallas, Word Publishing,
1996), p. 75.
Oliver Cowdery, Attachment to Joseph Smith—History, Pearl
of Great Price, p. 59.
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