Read: Luke 20

By: Pastor Jarren Rogers

“The reason some of us are such poor specimens of Christianity is because we have no Almighty Christ. We have Christian attributes and experiences, but there is no abandonment to Jesus Christ.”

– Oswald Chambers

At the beginning of Luke chapter 20, the authority of Jesus is questioned by the chief priests and the teachers of the law.

“Tell us by what authority you are doing these things,” they said. “Who gave you this authority?” (Luke 20:2).

It almost seems like such a silly question to modern Christian readers. He’s God after all. What do you mean by whose authority?

The fact of the matter is that Jesus’ authority was questioned that day and it continues to be questioned by His followers and enemies alike.

Jesus had and has the authority to save. We offer Him thanks for the sacrifice that He made on the cross and the grace that God sheds upon us so that we may have eternal life. But sometimes I feel like we question the authority of the price that Jesus paid.

Christ died once and He died for all. For every sin, for every shame, for every scrap of guilt and sliver of evil, Christ died so that it could all be wiped away.

He died for you and He died for me. He died for your greatest friend and your greatest enemy. He died for that cashier you said only a few words to and to that lady who works at the bank. He died for everyone you have ever or will ever meet.

But do we live like it? Do we live like Christ’s death and saving power had and continues to have authority over our lives and the world we live in today?

Your greatest sin, your greatest shame, your greatest slip-up, your greatest mistake – Christ’s death has authority over every single one these things!

All it requires is that we lay it at His feet. Christ has authority over every person, everything, and every sin. So, surrender that which burdens you, that which weighs you down, under the blanket of His authority.

Because we are ruled by Christ and He is King over our heart and life, we too carry the authority of God. When we are in the center of His will and we are following the path He has set before us, we go with authority.

That authority does not come from man or by title. Instead, our authority comes straight from heaven. It comes from an Almighty God who loves us and cares for us and desires the best for us.

That is the kind of authority I wish to live my life under: a loving God, a selfless Savior, an ever-present Spirit.