We ignore it but God’s gift of authority is the only reliable explanation for authority in society. The source of authority is not nature. Authority comes from God. Authority comes from above, not from below. People when they vote or when they acclaim, recognize authority rather than investing anybody with authority.
This doesn’t mean that there are no hierarchies in nature for men will naturally fall into an order. Man will instinctively recognize various powers or abilities that are evident in other men, but this is not what I mean by authority. Hierarchies that proceed from nature are real, but they are not the grounds for exercising authority. It is not evil to recognize these hierarchies either. We should seek expertise and leadership from men with great capabilities. But expertise and leadership are of a different nature than authority or rule.
The Meaning of Authority
I am using authority in a very technical sense. Authority is the right to give judgment. To give judgment is to discern between good and evil. By their invested authority men may also punish others. Authority is not expertise. Experts give advise, but they may not give judgment. Only those invested with authority may give a command or a decree.
If we use the word authority in this sense, we can see that all authority belongs to God. “Vengeance is mine:” God says this several times in the Bible. He says it both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. God is demonstrating that the taking of human life, the punishment of any crime, belongs to him. He shares that with mankind by grace.
The gift of Authority
Man does not by nature have the authority to discern between good and evil. God must invest man with this authority. This can already be demonstrated in Genesis 1 where Adam and Eve may not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The tree is a gift from God that is not theirs yet. Knowledge of good and evil is not found in the nature that they have been given. The knowledge of good and evil is the same thing that Solomon asks from God in the book of 1 Kings. When Adam and Eve ate from the tree they took authority for themselves that had not yet been given by God. They took upon themselves the discernment of good and evil. Whereas, God should have been the one to give that gift.
The Selection of Authorities
And God does give that gift. He gives that gift to Moses, who makes judgments among the people of Israel, and Moses gives that gift to men among the people of Israel.
Everything in scripture points to God investing authority in individuals, not in all individuals. God chooses Moses, various judges, such as Ehud and Gideon, Kings, such as Saul and David, and prophets, such as Isaiah and Ezekiel.
God’s does not limit his selection of civil servants to Israel. Through the prophet Elisha, he anoints King Hazael. We know this from the book of 2nd kings. God gives visions to King Nebuchadnezzar in the book of Daniel which demonstrate that God has given Nebudchadnezzar his place as king over the nations. In the book of Isaiah, God claims that he has delegated similar power to the Assyrians and to Cyrus, king of the Persians.
God’s gift of authority is not limited to the time of the Old Testament. In Romans 13, God claims that he has given the same authority to the civil magistrate. We can argue from the 5th commandment that God has given such an authority to parents as well, which is an authority that demands obedience from young children as we know from Ephesians 6. The civil magistrate’s authority does not come from the people and the parents’ authority does not come from a biological relation. Both the parent’s authority and the civil magistrate’s authority continues to exist in the New Testament, but now under the authority of Christ.
The authority of the Individual
Does this mean that there is no room for private, or vigilante, justice? Is every individual invested with authority? In the New Testament, there is an argument for this. Every Christian has the anointing of Christ. However, this does not give every Christian the right to decree punishments over their fellow man, except in their entrance into heaven, where they will reign with Christ. The Christian also exercises this judgment when he comes before God in prayer but he does not decree punishments in prayer. However, the individual Christian does not bear the sword. That belongs to the civil authorities. They have the right to decree life or death and that authority comes from God to specific individuals. We see that in Romans 13.
There is an institution in scripture, which, arguably, is a type of vigilanteism. In the scripture, we see an institution called “the avenger of blood,” which exists alongside the judges and elders that God has established. This seems to be a family institution. This is suggestive. The aggrieved family has authority to invest one of their own with the authority to chase after the man, but that is balanced by the fact that God has established places where the killer may seek justice from the civil magistrate. The authority of the civil magistrate and the “avenger of blood” are in balance with one another.
We need to begin by discerning the fact that this is not actually vigilante justice. God has declared at the time of Noah. That if man sheds the blood of man, by man his blood shall be shed. The “avenger of blood” is an institution that developed out of this gift. The “avenger of blood,” though a familial institution, was publicly recognized. More importantly, God recognized it.
The Limits of Authority
All authority comes from God. I would argue that this is the teaching of scripture. The simple fact that we hear the truth that Christ has all authority and power, that God is the one to whom vengeance belongs, proves where the authority of fathers, mothers, judges, and pastors comes from. But this does not necessitate blind obedience to such authority. Neither, does it protect authority from all criticism or from losing their authority. In the end, however, it will be God that takes away their authority. He gave authority and he has the right to take it away. It is possible that he will do that through other authorities here on earth.
1. How do we determine whom God gives authority? One way is to accept traditional rights and responsibilities in our society. We need to recognize God’s hand in history in setting up our historical institutions. Of course, that should not give these institutions any comfort, particularly in today’s world. These institutions are exercising God’s authority very poorly. Another way is the acclamation of the people. The acclamation of the people is not a source of a leader’s authority, but a proof of it.
2. How do we guard against the abuse of such authority? The author of their authority guards against abuse for their authority is bound up in God’s authority. Paul tells us that they are servants of God. This is because any authority, all authority, on earth is bound to obey Jesus Christ and to exercise authority in his name.
3. How do we resist an abusive authority? One way is through exercising our own authority in the sphere that God has given us. If civil authorities directly interfere with our sphere, we may resist. Nullification is a biblical principle. As one who is invested with authority, you may reject a law if it is not within the calling of those who are in authority over you.
God may raise up a leader as he raised up Jeroboam and Jehu. Those are not exemplary men, but God did raise them up against legitimate kings. Jehu, of course, had the direct word of God to kill the king. We have the full word of God today, therefore we do not look for direct visions from God in order to discern whether we may destroy a governing authority. Jeroboam set up an alternate legal system, which would have been legitimate if he hadn’t set up an alternate cult as well. God calls us to do this with wisdom always seeking for peace, rather than revolution.
Another way is through persuasion. We can convince the king to look to God rather than man for the way forward. We should seek to speak the truth to the king humbly and winsomely.
4. May we kill the king (understanding “the king” here as any tyrannical civil governor)? Only in extraordinary circumstances. Which extraordinary circumstances? I don’t know; because it’s a very difficult question. David did not kill Saul because he knew that it was in the hands of God to take away the office he had given the king.
Many questions remain but it is good to know that the one who has all authority and power is good, just and merciful. Therefore, as we figure out how best to exercise our authority, we can hope and trust in him.