All authority was given to Christ in Matthew 28:18. Not partial authority. Nor “most authority”, but every bit of authority.
This authority is one of the foundational building blocks of the church as well as the church government. The way the church is structured follows the outline and command given by Christ. We as Christ’s bride must follow this outline.
How many people in this world act as if Christ has no authority? Even people who claim to love Christ and follow what He has to say.
This is true when speaking about many denominations who build religion in their image rather than Chrsists. they decide that their traditions and teachings of men are more important than what Christ had to say about how His church was to be structured.
Matthew 28:18 is an all-inclusive statement outlining the authority of Christ.
What we need to constantly be aware of is the tendency to build religion in our own image. We often want to ignore what Christ has to say because we want to do it our way. This is not the way we were called to live. We have to submit to Christ’s law even when it is inconveneint or we would rather do something else.
We have to submit ourselves to His laws and precepts. And very importantly we have to submit to His strucutre of the church. It is His bride, He gets to create it how He wants.
When choosing a church to attend, make sure that the church follows Christ’s prescription. Does it mean the model provided in the New Testament or does it add a bunch of concepts that you don’t find in scripture? Or perhaps that church takes away multiple requirements of the church, such as regularly partaking of the Lord’s Supper or refusal of the essential nature of baptism.
Whatever you do, make sure you do it in the shadow of the cross. Respect the authority of Christ in all things.
