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The fact that salvation is by faith recognizes the supreme authority of the
Saviour. To the extent that a man trusts in his own power, he feels no need
of a Saviour and sets himself up as authority.
Salvation by faith denies human authority in religion and marks all reliance on such authority as wicked presumption. Such presumption has always been the occasion of every perversion of true and revealed religion. "O Jehovah, I know that the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jer. 10:23 ASV). "Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding: in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths" (Prov. 3:5-6 ASV). God must first be accepted as "over all, and through all, and in all" (Eph. 4:6 ASV). "...Without faith it is impossible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Heb. 11:6). God is the Almighty Creator. He made man upright. Nothing is more natural than that God gave him the power of speech and understanding and that He revealed His will to man. It is only as man trusts God and obeys Him that he remains upright. It is in lack of trust and seeking good by his own inventions that he becomes corrupt and estranged from God. "Behold, this only have I found: that God made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions" (Eccl. 7:29 ASV). Religion is essentially divine and revealed. It grows out of man's natural relation to God. True religion is manifest when man humbly obeys God. Enoch is an example of faith, because he "walked with God" (Gen. 5:24, Heb. 11). Abraham became the "father of the faithful," because he acted on his assurance that "what he [God] had promised, he was able also to perform" (Rom. 4:21). He did this when natural obstacles made the promises appear impossible of performance. His descendants were utterly devoid of such faith, and showed the height of presumption when they danced about a golden calf, even as Moses descended from the mount with the tables of stone in his hand. The binding force of revelation is indicated when God warned Israel, "What thing soever I command you, that shall ye observe to do: thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it" (Deut. 12:32 ASV). Nadab and Abihu, although sons of Aaron and princes in the assembly, were struck down by fire from heaven for presuming to offer to God in worship something "which he had not commanded them" (Lev. 10:1-2 ASV). Nothing whatever can be said in defense of men who pervert the gospel and ignore New Testament teaching regarding the church — its organization, doctrine, and worship. Every departure from New Testament teaching is a direct affront to divine authority and as great a sin as that which drew down fire from heaven to devour Nadab and Abihu. "But he answered and said, Every plant which my heavenly Father planted not, shall be rooted" (Matt. 15:13 ASV). Such human plants are not of faith, because their roots are embedded in the soil of human authority. These human plants are the traditions and commandments of men and the institutions in religion which propagate them. Jesus was caustic in dealing with certain religionists of His day. "This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men. Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men" (Mk. 7:6-8 ASV). God spoke to the fathers in ancient times, and He has spoken to us in these last days. "God, having of old time spoken unto the fathers in the prophets by divers portions and in divers manners, hath at the end of these days spoken to us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things" (Heb. 1:1-2 ASV). On the Mount of Transfiguration in the presence of Moses and Elijah, God made it clear that Jesus Christ was to be the source of all authority in these last days. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Matt. 17:5). He was "declared to be the Son of God with power...by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4). His death on the cross fulfilled the law and abolished it (Col. 2:14). "He taketh away the first that he may establish the second" (Heb. 10:9). It is by this "second," which is the gospel, that we are sanctified (Heb. 10:10). The gospel is backed by the full authority of Jesus Christ. It was after His resurrection that He gave the great commission, the Magna Carta of salvation. "And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth. 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: teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you" (Matt. 28:18-20 ASV). Jesus Christ now has, in fact and in act, all authority. He chose the apostles as His ambassadors and baptized them in the Holy Spirit on Pentecost to qualify them to speak for Him. He went to heaven and was seated as King on David's throne in fulfillment of the covenant promise that God made to David (Acts 2:29-36). It is clear from the Scriptures that when a sinner accepts the authority of Jesus Christ he will repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Mk. 16:16; Acts 2:38). He will then continue "steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine" (Acts 2:42). Should he appeal the case to his own reason or judgment and decide baptism to be nonessential, he would repudiate the authority of Christ. Naaman, of old, did something on that order when he rebelled against the command of the prophet to dip seven times in the river Jordan that he might be cleansed of his leprosy (2 Ki. 5). He could not see why the rivers of his own country would not be even better. In fact, he saw no logical place in the situation for any river. It was a question of authority. To ignore the command was to impeach the authority of him who gave it. Naaman was healed when he dipped. A man who refuses to be baptized rejects the authority of Jesus Christ. He is a rebel and cannot be saved. "And why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" (Lk. 6:46). Paul states that certain "precepts and doctrines of men...have indeed a show of wisdom in will-worship" (Col. 2:22-23 ASV). It is such "will-worship" when men presume to go beyond the things that are written in God's Word. Some men will have their own way, regardless of what the Lord says. The spirit of "will-worship" is capable of setting aside or perverting the terms of pardon found in the gospel; of substituting religious sects for the church; creeds for the New Testament; and adding to or taking from the prescribed worship according to the will of the worshipper. There can be no return to original gospel faith and practice until the authority of Christ is fully accepted. The will of the Lord must have the right of way. |