Authority and Unity
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4:11-14).
The authority of the scriptures must be primal as we seek to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. All authority comes from Christ (Matthew 28:18). Christ has given apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers for the church to remain united under His authority. The roles of apostle and prophet produce the authoritative scriptures. The roles of pastors and teachers hold us accountable to the scriptures. Evangelists bring others to the scriptures. With these roles fulfilled, we have unity with one another in the body of Christ.
However, when we dismiss the authority of the scripture, we bring disunity and division to the body of Christ because we will no longer have one standard by which to determine what is right or wrong. We will be children tossed and carried by every wind of teaching. We will be prey for the sleight and craftiness of men, and we will succumb to their deceit. What happens when we dismiss the authority of the scriptures? We lose our anchor to Christ and His church. May we respect the authority of the scriptures. God bless you, and I love you.