Far too many believers today are guilty of a very dangerous practice of usurping authority that does not rightfully belong to them. As an apostle, Paul was given an elevated level of authority. As expressed in his writings, Paul understood that his authority differed from that of the other believers in Corinth. It is important to recognize that the apostles’ authority ended with their deaths. Believers only have the authority given to them in accordance to the holy scriptures. Unfortunately, many well-meaning Christians attempt to claim authority that belonged only to a special group of men that lived during the church’s infancy. This authority was given to them in order to confirm the word (Mark 16:14-20). Authority today resides within the word itself.
The world is not short on teachings. Men have commandments. Some of these are decent and harmless, while others are dangerous. The problem comes when men elevate their doctrines or teachings to the level of God’s word. This is exactly what the religious leaders did during the Lord’s earthly ministry. They elevated their own writings, thoughts, and opinions to the level of the word of God until they would eventually give more reverence to their commandments than to the scripture. This is the propagation of false doctrine. Even now, there are multitudes of people propagating the commandments of men as though they are the words of God.
