The Authority Of God

As a Knight you are subject to the authority of God.  God is our Sovereign and our KING and the ultimate authority in Heaven and Earth.  God has the right to be King because he is the Creator of all things. Rev 4:11   God has the power to be King because he possesses all power.  God has given all power in Heaven and in Earth unto Jesus Christ his Son.  Jesus is GOD's delegated authority in the earth.  Matt 38:18.

The Bible refers to God's kingdom as The Kingdom of Heaven.  In all kingdoms, the King has all the rights, and his subjects have only the rights that the King has chosen to bestow upon them.  God is the ultimate source of all the authority that each of us have and are subject to.  God has placed his authority in the earth, and commands not only that we submit ourselves to him personally, but also to his delegated authority wherever it is found. I Peter 2:13-24  Jesus Christ is the authority (or head) of "every man" making each and every man subject to and personally and individually accountable unto him,   I Cor 11:3 . 

 Before the death of Jesus, God used priests to sacrifice the blood of animals, in order to reconcile us to himself, but now we are reconciled once and for all, to God, through the shed blood of Christ, so that priests no longer need to offer blood sacrifices to bridge the gap between God and man. Heb. 9:22-28 Under the New Covenant, (the one ratified by Jesus' blood), we can all boldly come before the throne of grace because of the shed blood of Jesus, The Lamb of God. Heb 4:14-16 The LORD requires that each of us have a One-on-One personal relationship with him.  John 17:3

In I Corinthians  11:3 Paul wrote:  " Be ye followers, (imitators), of me, even as I also am of Christ".  Many have failed to understand that Paul was not telling us to follow him, but to follow Christ as he followed Christ:  He was saying, "Follow my example - Imitate me by following Jesus Christ as I do".  The scripture admonishes us in Heb 12:2 "to look, (place our focus), upon Jesus", not Paul, the pastor, a priest, or any other man.  We need to follow God placing our focus upon God and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.  We need to trust in God and not in man.  Proverbs 29:25. 

God commands us in the Bible to submit ourselves to and obey the authority he has placed over us in the earth, such as governments, church leadership, parents, or our boss at work.  Life takes on an exciting new dimension once we learn that when we submit to the authority that God has placed over us that we are actually submitting to God.  The Bible says that we are to do all things as unto the Lord.  Col 3:22-24  So when you work, work for the Lord, and obey those that he has placed in authority over you knowing that your service is to God.  Put your eyes upon Jesus when you go to church and look for what God has for you through his ministering servants, or through an anointed brother or sister.  Open your heart and your mind to God and let him be your constant companion.  Matt 28:20  Listen to God and follow Jesus, and he will keep you on the path that is right.  John 17:3-5

Joseph was an example of a man who submitted himself to GOD's authority on the earth.  The story of Joseph can be found in the Holy Bible starting at Genesis 37:2.  As a slave, Joseph found himself under the authority of Potipher and his wife.  Joseph submitted himself to their authority, (as GOD's Word says he should have done), and he served God by serving them.  God brought him into favor and he was promoted (on his job) to where he had control over all that his Master possessed. 

While in this exalted position, his Master's wife came to him and commanded him to have an adulterous relationship with her.  What should he do?  After all he was her slave.  He could have reasoned that God would hold her responsible instead of him as she was the person in authority: And that he would be innocent? "Surely God will understand."  But he knew that God did not want him to do this and so he choose to obey God even though he knew that he would pay a terrible price for this decision to follow God.

As a result of this incident, Joseph was thrown into prison for seven long years, but even in prison, God blessed him by placing him in charge of the entire prison.  Then when the time was right, God took him from prison and made him the ruler over the entire land of Egypt.  He had authority over everyone except the king.  God abundantly rewarded him for his faithfulness.  Even through the ungodly, God is able to exercise his dominion and authority over our lives, even as he did with Joseph. 

What about the priest and the pastor?  Do they represent the authority of God?  Yes:  We need to respect, honor, and co-operate with these  anointed servants of God knowing that it is God who empowers them to be able to minister to us in our times of need.  Pray for them and submit yourself unto God by submitting yourself to them.  But we need to remember that God is our source knowing that he is the only one who can truly meet our needs.  Phil 4:19  He is also your ultimate authority.  In cases where you feel that there is a conflict between what you believe God wants you to do, and what man wants you to do, (like in the case of Joseph), always choose to do what you know God wants.  God does not want us to blindly follow anyone. Matt 15:14  Listen to God, John 10:3-5 and submit to him, for he truly loves you and he will always act in your best interests.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a (good and) expected end.

So in conclusion, God expects us to first submit ourselves to him, and then to his delegated authority wherever it is found.   If we should find that these two realms of authority are in conflict, then submit to  God.  We need to submit to God first, and then to the authority that he has placed over us.  God does not want us to blindly follow anyone.  We need to keep our eyes on Jesus and follow him.

The authority of God is a subject that you could devote volumes to.  We have only scratched the surface here, but to learn more about this great subject, read your Bible and pray to its author: God, the ultimate authority in heaven and in earth.