“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’ Amen.” – Matthew 28:18-20

The great commission at the end of Matthew’s record of the gospel rests on one thing, Christ’s authority. Christ begins this command with the recognition that He has “All authority.” The great commission is not the only thing that relies on this fact; all of scripture’s validation exists upon the foundation of this truth. To understand scripture we must first arrive at the understanding of Christ’s statement, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”

The concept of authority is understood by society in various situations. Throughout the world positions of authority are seen. We as citizens must submit to this authority. It is recognized that punishment and discipline are sufficient consequences for failures to submit. Authority is also noted within simpler situations. Positions of authority are present in the family. The father, although not always in the present society, is the head of the house. The wife submits to the husband, and the children submit to both. Even without biblical principles this structure is recognized by most people.

Jesus said, “All authority has been GIVEN to Me…” A question arises from the statement; who gave Christ authority? God has life in Himself and therefore has all authority. He gave His son, Jesus, authority to judge man, “because He is the Son of Man” (John 5:26-27). Christ accepted the authority given Him by the Father and therefore reigns over us all (Ephesians 1: 20-21). We are all subject to Christ’s authority! Why then do people refuse to heed the authority of Christ in the Bible? It is difficult to understand why a situation exists in which this question arises. Regardless of the situation, this question has a simple answer.

People understand the need to submit to governmental authority. They understand that the law exists and we as citizens must obey it. Of course there are those who are not law abiding citizens, but they receive their just punishment. However, when the category is religion it seems the understanding of authority is missed. People claim to be servants of Christ when in reality they are serving themselves. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). The only way to Heaven is by fully submitting yourself to Christ! People don’t like to be told what they’re doing is earning them a one way trip to hell. This attitude results in a twisting of scripture, or even completely leaving scripture out of the discussion, to find themselves approved. The idea of tampering with scripture to make it suitable to your own ideas is preposterous! Christ did not ask for your opinion and He did not give you more than one path to take to heaven! Jesus says, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way which leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt. 7:13-14). There are two paths you can take, but only one leads to heaven. The “difficult way which leads to life” is one paved by submission to Christ’s authority.

In Matthew the 17^th chapter we read of the transfiguration of Jesus on the mount. Peter, James, and John were there to witness Jesus’ face shine like the sun and Moses and Elijah appear. Peter, in great humility, offered to make “three tabernacles: one for You (Jesus), one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While Peter was in the midst of his proposal, God’s “voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’” Moses, representing the old law, and Elijah, representing the prophets, were no longer the ones to hear. God said to hear Jesus! He did not say to hear what you want from Him, or hear only what He says on a certain matter, but “Hear Him!” This statement leaves no room for doing anything other than what Jesus says.

It is hard to understand why there are people in the world that claim to love Jesus and His word when they are not in full submission to His authority. John, in his first epistle, explains love in this simple way, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:2-3). In order to love God and Christ we must submit to their authority and obey every last one of their commandments.