Authority
A radio station once broadcast, “You used to fight the authorities, but now you are the authority!”
As individuals, we generally have certain authorities, e.g., as citizens, as parents, etc. However, we are also very much subject to the governing authorities (Romans 13:1). Sometimes we try to carry over our authority into the church. While we certainly have some say-so here, we have to be careful that we do not modify or ignore what is stated in the Bible. So by what authority does the church operate?

When it comes to church and “authority,” there are at least four different types:
1. ex-cathedra where God speaks directly to individuals, e.g., to Moses, to Noah, etc. (Exodus 32:16 & 33:11). In the Catholic church, the Pope often claims ex-cathedra authority.
2. God breathed/inspired (2 Timothy 3:16) where God gave the idea/information, and the Bible writer then put it down in his own words.
3. Advice given as opinion which is clearly stated as opinion only and is not ex-cathedra or directly inspired by God (Romans 14). Some of Paul's views on marriage, for example, in light of the difficult times in that day, are stressed to be only his own views and advice (1 Corinthians 7).
4. Strictly personal, extra-Biblical opinion, where people start to reinterpret the Bible according to their own culture and the current times. Here “offensive passages” such as ones on homosexuality, divorce, etc. are either omitted or reinterpreted to fit specific viewpoints.

The first two types of authority should be infallible when it comes to God's intent and meaning. As Christians we need to be careful to not impose our own authority on the message of the Bible or change the teachings of the Bible if they do not agree with our present-day culture or the Western worldview currently in vogue (Galatians 1:8-9).
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