New Testament Bible Authority

1.  Previously, in the lesson The Church
That Jesus Built, we looked at the
church/kingdom that He built and
noted that He built it exactly the way
He wanted it.
 We also noted that the Lord’s church
is called His body per Eph 1:22-23.
 Finally, we noted that according to
Eph 4:4 there is one body, which then
means the Lord built only one church.
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2.  In a number of lessons, we noted some of
the churches that men have built.
 We noted that the Lord’s church is also
called the house of God per 1 Tim 3:15.
 Ps 127:1 Except the LORD build the house,
they labour in vain that build it. KJV
 So, man-made churches and the religions
associated with them are built without the
authority of the Lord. They are vain or
empty and not acceptable to the Lord.
2

3.  This lesson will begin a 6 lesson series on
Authority.
 This is an important study and some might
say foundational to the proper
understanding of what the Bible says to us.
 In particular, what the New Testament says
and our responsibility in responding to it.
 We begin by noting the challenge to Jesus’
authority by the ruling religious authorities
of the day.
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4.  Matt 21:23-27 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? 24 And
Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one
thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what
authority I do these things. 25 The baptism of John, whence
was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with
themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say
unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?
26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold
John as a prophet. 27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We
cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what
authority I do these things.
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5.  There are two sources of authority per Jesus – from heaven
or of men.
 Matt 21:25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven,
or of men? KJV
 Acts 5:28-29 28 Saying, Did not we straitly command you that
ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled
Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's
blood upon us. 29 Then Peter and the other apostles
answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
KJV
 The religious leaders had no authority to prevent the apostles
from obeying what the Lord commanded them to do.
 It remains true today that we must always obey God rather
than men.
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6.  AUTHORITY - NT:1849 exousia
 3. the power of authority (influence) and of
right: Matt 21:23
 4. the power of rule or government
 a. universally: Matt 28:18
 b.specifically, of the power of judicial
decision
 (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic
Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by
Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
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7.  Matt 28:18-20 And Jesus came and spake
unto them, saying, All authority is given
unto me in heaven and in earth.
 19 Go ye therefore, and make disciples of
all the nations, baptizing them into the
name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit:
 20 teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am
with you always, even unto the end of the
world. ASV
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8.  Jesus received all authority upon His
resurrection from the dead.
 He tells us that His authority is complete,
that is, in heaven and in earth. He is
sovereign over both places.
 So, Jesus has the authority to command
those who are in either heaven or on earth
and it is up to those in either place to obey
what Jesus says.
 So, Jesus also has judicial authority.
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9.  The chief priests and elders did not believe
that Jesus had authority to teach what he
did without their approval and challenged
His authority in Matt 21. They refused to
acknowledge that His authority came from
heaven.
 In Acts 5:17-29 the High Priest jailed the
apostles for what they taught and tried to
stop them. Peter and the other apostles
noted that their authority to teach the
gospel came from God who they must obey.

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10.  MEN DO HAVE AUTHORITY
 John 19:10-11 10 Pilate ..said to Him, "You do not
speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority
to release You, and I have authority to crucify
You?" 11 Jesus answered, "You would have no
authority over Me, unless it had been given you
from above; for this reason he who delivered Me up
to you has the greater sin.“ NASB
 Mark 12:16-17 16 … he saith unto them, Whose is
this image and superscription? And they said unto
him, Caesar's. 17 And Jesus answering said unto
them, Render to Caesar the things that are
Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
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11.  Pilate’s authority to rule came from God.
The authority God gives to governments
and their officials is outlined in Rom 13:1-7.
 Basically, they rule to protect the innocent
and punish the wicked which includes
capital punishment. God does not authorize
them to punish innocent people.
 Paul acknowledges the authority of
government to execute capital punishment
upon an offender in Acts 25:11.
11

12. 12
 HOW DO WE DETERMINE THE SOURCE OF
AUTHORITY?
 1 Thess 2:13-14 13 For this reason we also
thank God without ceasing, because when
you received the word of God which you
heard from us, you welcomed it not as the
word of men, but as it is in truth, the word
of God, which also effectively works in you
who believe. NKJV
 The word of God contains God’s authority
to direct our behaviour and judge us for it.

13.  WHY IS IT IMPORTANT?
 Matt 15:7-9 7 Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias
prophesy of you, saying, 8 This people draweth
nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me
with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9 But
in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines
the commandments of men. KJV
 Titus 1:13-14 13 This witness is true. Wherefore
rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the
faith; 14 Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and
commandments of men, that turn from the truth.
13

14.  The religious leaders of Jesus’ day had no
authority from God to establish their own
doctrines and commandments. In doing so,
their worship was vain or empty as far as
God was concerned.
 Paul noted that the Jewish fables and
commandments of men existing then
turned men from the truth that God had
supplied to guide men to be sound in the
faith.
14

15.  Luke 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord,
and do not the things which I say?
 Matt 28:20 Teaching them to observe all
things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen.
 1 Cor 14:37 If any man think himself to be a
prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge
that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of the Lord.
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16.  The Lord rightfully asks the question why
do those who call Him Lord not do what He
says.
 The Lord Jesus sent His apostles out to
teach those they baptized to observe all
things that He commanded them. They did
so and wrote down what they taught as the
New Testament.
 Paul specifically identifies those things he
wrote in the NT as the Lord’s commands.
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17.  2 Cor 10:3-6 3 For though we walk in the
flesh, we do not war after the flesh: 4 (For
the weapons of our warfare are not carnal,
but mighty through God to the pulling down
of strong holds;) 5 Casting down
imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of
God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ;…..
17

18.  There is no authority from the Lord to force men to
obey Him at the point of a sword.
 Ephesians 6:10-17 teaches that the sword of the
Spirit is the word of God. We are to use God’s
words as written in the New Testament to engage in
spiritual warfare against spiritual wickedness in
high places per verse 12 of Eph 6.
 Per 2 Cor 10:5 the goal of the Lord is to bring into
captivity every thought of the individual to the
obedience of Christ. The reason being that all of
our actions begin with our thoughts and the Lord
holds us accountable for them at the judgment.
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19. 19
1 Thess 4:1-5 Finally then, brothers and sisters, we
ask you and urge you in the Lord Jesus, that as
you received instruction from us about how you
must live and please God (as you are in fact living)
that you do so more and more. 2 For you know
what commands we gave you through the Lord
Jesus. 3 For this is God's will: that you become
holy, that you keep away from sexual immorality, 4
that each of you know how to possess his own
body in holiness and honor, ….New English
Translation

20. Paul reminds the Thessalonians of the
instructions the apostles gave them on how to
live and please God.
They had commanded them that they keep
away from sexual immorality which is sexual
activity outside of marriage.
By obeying what the apostles had taught
them, the Thessalonians would know how to
possess their own bodies.
20

21.  1 Cor 6:19-20 19 What? know ye not that
your body is the temple of the holy spirit
which is in you, which ye have of God, and
ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought
with a price: therefore glorify God in your
body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
 The context above shows that our body
houses our spirit and we are to glorify God
in our body and in our spirit.
 The price paid for us was the blood of
Christ.
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22. 22
 Rom 6:19 I speak after the manner of men
because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as
ye have yielded your members servants to
uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity;
even so now yield your members servants
to righteousness unto holiness. KJV
 Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service.
KJV

23.  The idea here is that we choose what we do.
Due to our fleshly desires, we yield all the
parts of our body to uncleanness which
leads to sin and then more sin.
 Rom 6 shows that they had obeyed the form
or pattern of doctrine the apostles had
delivered, the gospel, and now were to yield
to righteousness which would result in
holiness.
23

24.  Gal 5:19-22 19 Now the works of the flesh
are evident: sexual immorality, impurity,
sensuality, 20 idolatry, sorcery, enmity,
strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries,
dissensions, divisions, 21 envy,
drunkenness, orgies, and things like these.
I warn you, as I warned you before, that
those who do such things will not inherit
the kingdom of God. ESV
24

25.  Gal 5 contains one of the lists of various
sins identified as works of the flesh, but is
just representative of “things like these” as
Paul says.
 Paul had warned the Galatians, as he did
others of these behaviors, that if continued
in would cause those doing so not to inherit
the kingdom of heaven.
 Remember that Paul had written in 1 Cor
14:37 that what he wrote were the Lord’s
commands.
25

26.  1 Peter 2:1-3 1 Wherefore laying aside all
malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and
envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn
babes, desire the sincere milk of the word,
that ye may grow thereby: 3 …
 2 Peter 1:5-6 5 And beside this, giving all
diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to
virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge
temperance; and to temperance patience;
and to patience godliness; KJV
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27.  Peter shows that the new Christian, having
been “born again” is like a new born baby.
 For the Christian, the sincere or pure milk of
the word is necessary for his growth and
what he must desire.
 This growth will necessitate laying aside
the previous worldly and sinful behaviors
that are listed.
 As one grows, it takes diligent effort to add
those things that make a mature disciple.
27

28.  Ezek 18:4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the
soul of the father, so also the soul of the
son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall
die. KJV
 Matt 16:26 For what is a man profited, if he
shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul? or what shall a man give in exchange
for his soul?
 Heb 12:16 Lest there be any fornicator, or
profane person, as Esau, who for one
morsel of meat sold his birthright.
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29.  2 Cor 5:10-11 10 For we must all appear
before the judgment seat of Christ; that
every one may receive the things done in
his body, according to that he hath done,
whether it be good or bad. 11 Knowing
therefore the terror of the Lord, we
persuade men; but we are made manifest
unto God; and I trust also are made
manifest in your consciences. KJV
29

30.  John 8:24 I said …ye shall die in your sins:
for if ye believe not that I am , ye shall die in
your sins.
 Luke 13:3 I tell you, except ye repent, ye
shall all likewise perish.
 Matt 10:32 Whosoever ..shall confess me
before men, him will I confess also before
my Father…..
 Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned.
30

31.  Jesus said the following per John 12:48 He
that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my
words, hath one that judgeth him: the word
that I have spoken, the same shall judge
him in the last day. KJV
 The Lord Jesus has all authority to specify
what we must do to be saved from the sins
we commit and He specifies that the words
He has spoken, which the inspired apostles
wrote down as the New Testament will be
the standard of judgment on the last day.
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