AUTHORITY

What Is the Biblical Understanding of Authority?
The most popular Greek word for "authority" is exousia (sometimes translated as "power"). The term, with various usages, is found 102 times in the New Testament. The word, together with some parallel terms, are employed of: 

  • The authority of God (Lk. 12:5; Rom. 9:21; Jude 25). God's authority is his sovereign right to do anything consistent with his nature and will. 
  • Divine authority was exercised by Christ (Mk. 2:10; Mt. 28:18). 
  • Jesus bestowed a certain authority to his apostles (Lk. 10:19; cf. Mt. 19:28). 
  • A measure of authority is granted to the civil rulers to maintain order in society (Rom. 13:1-7). 
  • There is an order of authority resulting from the creation of man and woman. Man is the "head" of woman (1 Cor. 11:3), who must acknowledge his "authority" in church worship (1 Cor. 11:10; cf. 1 Tim. 2:12). 
  • There is a chain of authority in the home; the husband is the "head" of the wife (Eph. 5:22ff), and children are to obey their parents (Eph. 6:1). 
  • In churches where men are qualified (1 Tim. 3:1ff; Tit. 1:5ff), elders (pastors, shepherds, bishops) exercise a certain persuasive level of authority (1 Thes. 5:12; Heb. 13:17). The notion that there is a successor to the apostles (a pope), who exercises authority over the church on earth, is contradicted by Scripture (Mt. 28:18; Eph. 1:22-23). 
  • The Holy Scriptures, inspired by God and buttressed with abundant evidence as to their divine origin, likewise carry an authoritative force (1 Cor. 4:6; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Tim. 4:1ff).

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Adapted from the book "Bible Words and Theological Terms Made Easy" by Wayne Jackson