How Does Jesus Communicate His Authority To Us Today?
In our last study we learned that Jesus possesses all authority in heaven and on earth. If that is true, then an important question naturally follows:
How does Jesus communicate His authority to us today?
God has always revealed His will. He spoke directly to Adam and Eve. He spoke through Moses to Israel. He sent prophets to call His people back to Him. Finally, He spoke through His Son.
The writer of Hebrews begins by saying:
"God... has in these last days spoken to us by His Son." (Hebrews 1:1–2)
Today, we do not learn God's will through new prophets or new revelations. We learn it through the teaching Christ gave His apostles and prophets, which has been preserved for us in the New Testament.
Jesus prepared His apostles for this work. He promised that the Holy Spirit would remind them of everything He had taught them and would guide them into all truth (John 14:26; 16:13). Because of that promise, the New Testament is not merely the opinions of faithful men. It is the written record of Christ's authority.
Peter wrote that God's divine power has given us "everything we need for life and godliness" (2 Peter 1:3). Paul reminded Timothy that the Scriptures are able to make us wise for salvation and thoroughly equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:15–17).
This means we do not have to guess what God wants. We do not need later traditions, modern revelations, or human opinions to complete what God has already revealed. Our responsibility is to understand and follow what He has said.
But another question remains.
When we read the New Testament, how does it actually communicate Christ's authority?
Does it teach only through direct commands? Does it also teach through approved examples and necessary conclusions? How do we recognize what the inspired writers intended us to understand?
That is the subject of our next study.
Continue Your Study
BA-03 — How Does the New Testament Communicate Authority?
God has revealed His will through Christ and His inspired apostles. But how does the New Testament communicate that will? We'll examine the different ways Scripture teaches and how careful readers recognize them.
Related Bible Studies
SB-02 — What Is Context?
SB-03 — What Did the Author Intend?
SB-06 — How Do We Build Sound Doctrine?
Companion Video
How Does God Reveal His Will?
Read First. Conclude Later.