QUESTION #1: How does the Bible explain the term “authority”, and in what other areas of life do we see this concept mentioned in Scriptures?
Answer:
Dave Kistler:
“There are three extra words in the Greek language that are used in the New Testament to describe authority or power and they are the words exousia, dunamis and arche. Exousia is the word that describes jurisdictional authority for example in Matthew 28:19 and 20. Jesus said, “All power is given to me in heaven and in earth” or all authority. It’s the Greek word exousia. All jurisdiction is given to me in heaven and in earth. Otherwise God is sovereign control of everything.
Then the word dunamis is the word for power or authority but it’s an explosive power. For example, when the Scripture says the gospel is the power of God unto salvation. It’s the word dunamis. By the way, we get the English word dynamite from that word. Then the other word that’s used to be translated into the word power or authority is the word arche. The word arche is actually the word from which we get the word archeology. It literally means arche from the beginning or a great synonym would be preeminent. So, when we talk about God’s authority, He is the preeminent one. He is first and foremost in exercising rule and governorship and authority.
…The other areas where we see the term authority used is in the concepts of self-government, family government, church government and then civil government. It’s an amazing thing to me. Every aspect of life has authority and an authority structure attached to it. If you don’t learn submission to authority on the self-government level, then above you is family government. You need to learn submission to authority there. If you don’t do that, there’s a thing called the church where government is structured in there and tragically those who will not learn submission authority in one of those first three areas- at the end of that is civil government i.e. the police and so on. So, every aspect of life has authority attached to it and submission to that authority.”
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