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Most of us are aware that in the religious world today there are hundreds of different churches, each of which has its own distinctive religious doctrines and practices. While certain basic beliefs are to be found in various churches, the diversities are also quite numerous. It would be all but impossible to make a list of all the different religious doctrines which now confront mankind.

In the area of religious differences, how does a person determine what is right? Is it a matter of personal preference? Are all the different practices equally good—equally acceptable to God? Not according to Scripture.  The Lord prays for His disciples, and then adds:

I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent me (John 17:20-21).

This emphasis on unity indicates clearly that the Lord wished for His disciples to be one, rather than divided into different camps.

The same strong emphasis is found in the writings of the apostle Paul to the church at Corinth :

Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment (1Corinthians 1:10).

It would be difficult to write a sentence that would more emphatically state the Lord's desire for religious unity among His disciples. Paul then continued,

For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Christ’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.”  Is Christ divided?  Was Paul crucified for you?  Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? (1 Corinthians 1:10-13).

With this strong emphasis on unity, one wonders how to decide what is right and what ought to be believed in any given case.  What is the standard by which we are to measure the various beliefs? Where does the final authority lie in religion? It is to this last point that our attention is herein directed.

The Line of Authority

When one stops to think, it becomes obvious that God the Father has the final authority in religion, as well as in everything else.  In Genesis 1:1, we read: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The fact that the entire universe, including everything within it, originated in the mind of God and came into being by His creative power, establishes God's priority in every aspect of authority.

However, there was a time when God delegated this authority to Christ, during the period when He lived among men on the earth.  During Christ's ministry, in His final recorded message, He said: "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them...teaching them...and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:18-20). This is further borne out by His statements in the Sermon on the Mount: "You have heard that it was said...but I say to you ..." (Matthew 5:22).  In each of these cases He stated part of the Mosaic Law, then changed it as He declared the message of His own kingdom. At the end of that sermon there is the significant expression, "And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes" (Matthew 7:28-29). So, the line of authority begins with God, but moves on to Christ to whom God gave all authority in heaven and on earth.

The next step occurred when Christ left earth, announcing that in His place He would send the Holy Spirit or Comforter.  "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come" (John 16:13).  Christ plainly indicated that He would not leave His disciples alone, but would send them the Holy Spirit who would guide them into all truth (see “God the Spirit,” part III of God’s Provisions in the A Religion Library section of StudyJesus.com).

A careful study of Holy Scripture will indicate that authority always rested with divinity—God the Father, Christ the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Never does it rest with men.  On the other hand, men were the messengers or instruments through which the authoritative statements of God came to mankind. This is borne out in many passages, such as: "But you shall receive power, when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem , and in all Judea and Samaria , and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Witnesses and Spokesmen

Earlier, during His active ministry, Jesus said: "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you shall speak.  For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you" (Matthew 10:19-20).  Similarly, Christ told Peter, "… I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19).  The same message was delivered to all of the apostles: "Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 18:18).

Some have misunderstood these Scriptures, holding the view that our Lord was giving Peter a blank check, so to speak—that whatever Peter decided to bind would be recognized as the basis of judgment in heaven. This is not what the passage actually states.  A careful study of the verb tenses in the original Greek clearly indicates that the real meaning is, "Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven."  Similarly, "Whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven."  In other words, the things the Holy Spirit would guide Peter to teach had already been established in heaven, as the grounds upon which men would be judged. This is certainly reasonable. Peter, fickle as he was, could hardly have been given the authority to decide things based on his own whims.  It is much more logical to believe that God was letting Peter be His spokesman.  This interpretation runs parallel to all of the other Biblical passages on the subject of authority.

There is yet another verse that deserves our attention. On Pentecost, when the church began, it was obviously the Holy Spirit that guided the preachers. "And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:4). This is what happened, and it is exactly what the Lord had told them to expect. The apostles were God's messengers, declaring His will.  They did not have authority resting within themselves.  The apostles were inspired to write the Holy Scriptures—the authoritative statements of God Himself.  The apostles did not have the authority to originate the teachings or modify them. They were simply messengers, proclaiming that which God had established.

Other Authorities Must Be Rejected

This means that man's reason is not a safe authority to follow.  In our day it seems to be common practice for brilliant men with extensive theological training to make such statements as: "When Paul wrote this, or that, he was mistaken."  It is common to find such men rejecting certain passages of Scripture as inferior, while lauding others as worthy of acceptance.  They talk of the keragma found in Scripture—the central kernel of truth—yet they reject the idea that the entire body of Scripture is authoritative. This approach to Scripture is in error. It is not man's place to examine God's message and determine that which he will accept or reject.

Similarly, the feelings or emotional attitudes of men are not authoritative. We live in an age when much is said about existentialism. It is a comforting and satisfying doctrine to believe that whatever one feels within is ultimate truth. Obviously, there is a great difference of opinion as to what truth is actually ultimate truth.  In fact, seldom do two people agree.  Following one's feelings explains much of the problem within the tragically divided religious world.

Still another authority unworthy of believers is the idea that whatever our forefathers and ancestors have done becomes a tradition that we must keep. If it is God's message, we are to continue to do it, but if it is merely the tradition of our ancestors, we need have no loyalty to it whatsoever.

The opinions of men, whether individually or in councils, are not to be regarded as authoritative. The human creeds that have been written through the ages are likewise of no real significance in determining what is Biblically right or wrong. The majority vote that is sometimes used to decide whether a doctrine will be accepted or rejected is also a wrong approach. God's inspired Word is the only authority.  It is not ours to vote on or to change with creeds or to weigh by our feelings or intellects. It is ours to study with great care until we come to know the real meaning of God's Word. It is then our responsibility to accept it and obey without question.

Our Only Guide

The Bible is our only guide—our eternal guide.  For this reason it is encouraging to hear people say, “Let us have a “Thus says the Lord’” for all that we do in faith and practice.  It is also a good sign to hear men say, "Let us call Bible things by Bible names, and do Bible things in Bible ways." Still another way of saying it is, "Let us speak where the Scriptures speak, and be silent where the Scriptures are silent."  Each of these is a statement indicating acceptance of the authority of the Holy Scriptures, the Bible—God Himself!

At this point we examine two opposite positions on the matter of the authority of Scripture. Martin Luther championed the idea, "Whatever is not expressly forbidden in the scriptures is permissible."  Huldrick Zwingli championed the opposite idea, "Whatever is not expressly authorized in the scriptures is forbidden." Luther's view would open the door wide for all kinds of innovations. Such things as burning of incense, lighting of candles, use of images, etc., are nowhere expressly prohibited in the New Testament.  Christening ceremonies for infants is acceptable under such an interpretation. The Lord's Supper might have other elements added to the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine.  If it is permissible to bring into Christian worship anything not expressly forbidden, then infinite variety is inevitable. This is the main reason why the religious world is so divided.

Zwingli's point of view (only what is authorized is permissible), is stated in Holy Scripture.  Paul wrote: "But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.  As we have said before, so now I say again, If anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed" (Galatians 1:8-9).  This is strong teaching with an unusual stylistic emphasis—repetition of a sentence for double emphasis.  The Apostle John states the same point in these words: "Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son" (2 John 9).

In the final part of the final chapter of the final book of the Bible there is this emphasis:

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book: and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book (Revelation 22:18-19).

While this message primarily applies to the book of Revelation, the same general principle applies to the entire body of Scripture.  Anyone who adds to or takes from the Bible will have God's disapproval.

Three Avenues

We have access to three avenues of helpful guidance to help us determine what the Scriptures authorize.  First, there are direct commands.  The following verse of Scripture is a good example of a direct command: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).  There are many other such New Testament verses which are commands of God, all of which give us clear-cut unequivocal evidence of what the Lord expects His followers to do.

Second, there are approved apostolic examples.  We might use the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul is a good example.  Beginning in Acts 13 we discover that he was sent out by the church at Antioch , and he visited many places.  He preached and established congregations, and then returned to make a report to the Antioch church. The same was true of his second and third missionary journeys.  A separate organization was not established, such as a missionary society, to carry on the mission program of the early church.  Congregations selected men, sent them out, supported them, and received their reports.  This is what we should continue to do today.

The third avenue through which we can know the Lord's will is called necessary inference.  Each time God makes a commandment, He authorizes whatever is necessary to carry it out.  For example, when the Lord commands Christians to meet for worship, He necessarily authorizes providing a place for the Christians to assemble.  To meet together we need a location—someplace to assemble for worship.  It’s that simple.

Occasionally, even when folks are trying to do the Lord’s will, two or more positions on something in God’s Word come under consideration.  In such situations, it is extremely wise to always choose the safest and the surest of the two.  In other words, we ought to make every religious act as Biblically correct as we possibly can.  For example, consider the matter of the Lord’s Supper being eaten every first day of the week.  Another view is that it can be eaten quarterly, or even semi-annually.  So, how do we determine which one is the surest of three?  Passages like Acts 20:7:  “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them …” seem to indicate that the safest, surest position is to have the Lord's Supper each week.  Also, it seems reasonable to assume that we need this additional spiritual strength every week rather than less often.

When we attempt to interpret any individual passage of Scripture, it is wise to do so in the light of all other passages of Scripture on the same subject.  Sometimes we may be puzzled about what a particular sentence means.  When that happens it is most helpful to determine what the Holy Spirit guided the same writer to say on another occasion, or guided other writers in other books to say on the same subject. In this way, the Bible supplies spiritual understanding. “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

Conclusion

The most important life-consideration facing each of us has eternal implications.  It is our relationship with God—our religion.  Therefore, we ought to be absolutely Biblically certain about everything we believe and practice.  Pray that each of us will seek out and serve the church of the New Testament—the church that belongs to Christ.  Pray that we all will “be diligent to present” ourselves as Christian in the same manner that men did during the time of the apostles.  Let us “rightly divide the word of truth” as we worship the way they worshipped.  May we all desire to “present ourselves approved to God” and make sure the church is organized and governed as it was in the days when the Holy Spirit guided the apostles.  Then, and only then, can we be sure that we are on solid ground. These suggestions form an approach to understanding the source of authority in religion. They are offered in prayerful hope of bringing us closer together in unity, eliminating divisions that plague the religious realm.

(Bible text is the New King James Version.  Renderings from other translations are so noted.)