question authority, part 2
About 1200 years ago Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne, a Frankish king, King of the Romans, Imperator Augustus. This was a direct challenge to the Roman Throne that was in Constantinople. This eventually led to something called the Holy Roman Empire, which interestingly enough was not Holy, Roman, or an Empire. Nonetheless, the response to this event was not solely political, it was also philosophical.
A question arose after the coronation of Charlemagne. Some began to ask, “Who is more powerful? The King or the Pope that has given him his power?” (I mean, could you imagine living in an empire where Church Leaders tell their people who the right political leader is?) Over the course of time there were many arguments over who had more power, the Pope or the Emperor … many would agree the papacy won. The title of the pope, Pontifex Maximus, (Latin for High Priest) comes from the title the Roman Emperor’s used for themselves.
Hundreds of years later many agree that the Pope was the more powerful precisely because he gave the power to the Emperor. In many great power struggles the papacy won out. They had the power.
I wonder if we have changed all that much in 1,200 years. Today, it seems as thought it is the people who give the Bible its authority. We speak of the Bible as being authoritative, the last and best word, and the chief and final authority on all matters of which it speaks. The funny thing is the Bible never ever speaks of its authority.
True, Paul says its, “… useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” But he does not say this because he is pointing toward its authority. He says this because he wants Timothy to understand, “… that that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
So often we say the Bible is authoritative, yet do not fully grasp what we mean. Yet the way we live out this belief reflects what we want it to mean. We say the Bible is authoritative often times when we need to win an argument, defend a belief, or to cling to our soapboxes. We tell people, “The Bible is the final authority!” Then we drive home slightly smug because once again we have won another battle with the sword of the Spirit.
This more argumentative side of authority is a hang over from the Reformation. During that time there was a council that met at Trent. The role of Scripture and Tradition was discussed. The debate got heated only further polarizing both sides. So the Reformers walked away saying things like nothing else but the Bible, no tradition, nothing but the Bible (which over time has become a tradition). So if the only thing you have is the Bible, then it has to be authoritative, because if it is not then your very beliefs may be false.
This may not be the idea of authority that we should be walking around with. We must begin admitting that the Bible was not God-breathed for us so that we could bury others with convincing arguments - it was given to equip us for good works.
The Bible’s authority like the Emperor’s does come from without, but not from us. The Bible is authoritative because it is the vehicle through which the Holy Spirit speaks. The Bible never speaks of its own authority, but it does speak consistently of God’s all encompassing authority. The Bible has authority because the words in the Text are the words God breathed, and the words through which he still speaks to his people.
The Bible is not a science book, a stately volume filled with propositional truths, nor is it a complicated book filled with formulas. The Bible is a story about a God who loves his kids. It tells of murder, adultery, stealing, battles, drunkenness, prostitutes, sinners, tax collectors, deception, and the list could go on. When we come to this book believing that it is our weapon with which we can demolish opponents in a black and white world we just may be missing something. Stories cannot function like this … maybe it is something more.
If we are still long enough to listen, we will hear that still small voice speaking to us through those words and those stories. A voice that calls us not to demolish, but to form and grow. A voice that gives what is needed to do good work in our world … and not a world that is black and white, but a world that is Technicolor.
A question arose after the coronation of Charlemagne. Some began to ask, “Who is more powerful? The King or the Pope that has given him his power?” (I mean, could you imagine living in an empire where Church Leaders tell their people who the right political leader is?) Over the course of time there were many arguments over who had more power, the Pope or the Emperor … many would agree the papacy won. The title of the pope, Pontifex Maximus, (Latin for High Priest) comes from the title the Roman Emperor’s used for themselves.
Hundreds of years later many agree that the Pope was the more powerful precisely because he gave the power to the Emperor. In many great power struggles the papacy won out. They had the power.
I wonder if we have changed all that much in 1,200 years. Today, it seems as thought it is the people who give the Bible its authority. We speak of the Bible as being authoritative, the last and best word, and the chief and final authority on all matters of which it speaks. The funny thing is the Bible never ever speaks of its authority.
True, Paul says its, “… useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” But he does not say this because he is pointing toward its authority. He says this because he wants Timothy to understand, “… that that all God's people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
So often we say the Bible is authoritative, yet do not fully grasp what we mean. Yet the way we live out this belief reflects what we want it to mean. We say the Bible is authoritative often times when we need to win an argument, defend a belief, or to cling to our soapboxes. We tell people, “The Bible is the final authority!” Then we drive home slightly smug because once again we have won another battle with the sword of the Spirit.
This more argumentative side of authority is a hang over from the Reformation. During that time there was a council that met at Trent. The role of Scripture and Tradition was discussed. The debate got heated only further polarizing both sides. So the Reformers walked away saying things like nothing else but the Bible, no tradition, nothing but the Bible (which over time has become a tradition). So if the only thing you have is the Bible, then it has to be authoritative, because if it is not then your very beliefs may be false.
This may not be the idea of authority that we should be walking around with. We must begin admitting that the Bible was not God-breathed for us so that we could bury others with convincing arguments - it was given to equip us for good works.
The Bible’s authority like the Emperor’s does come from without, but not from us. The Bible is authoritative because it is the vehicle through which the Holy Spirit speaks. The Bible never speaks of its own authority, but it does speak consistently of God’s all encompassing authority. The Bible has authority because the words in the Text are the words God breathed, and the words through which he still speaks to his people.
The Bible is not a science book, a stately volume filled with propositional truths, nor is it a complicated book filled with formulas. The Bible is a story about a God who loves his kids. It tells of murder, adultery, stealing, battles, drunkenness, prostitutes, sinners, tax collectors, deception, and the list could go on. When we come to this book believing that it is our weapon with which we can demolish opponents in a black and white world we just may be missing something. Stories cannot function like this … maybe it is something more.
If we are still long enough to listen, we will hear that still small voice speaking to us through those words and those stories. A voice that calls us not to demolish, but to form and grow. A voice that gives what is needed to do good work in our world … and not a world that is black and white, but a world that is Technicolor.