“27 They came again to Jerusalem. As He was walking in the temple complex, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came 28 and asked Him, “By what authority are You doing these things? Who gave You this authority to do these things?”

29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. 30 Was Johns baptism from heaven or from men? Answer Me.”

31 They began to argue among themselves: “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why didnt you believe him?’ 32 But if we say, ‘From men — ‘ they were afraid of the crowd, because everyone thought that John was a genuine prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, ‘We don’t know.’

And Jesus said to them, ‘Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.'”

Mark 11:27-33

—

We all have our favorites. I pick and choose things that I like over other things that I may or may not like to the same degree. But my liking them isn’t what made them good. My not liking something doesn’t make it bad. Eggplant is not bad simply because I don’t care much for it. Dark chocolate isn’t good simply because I think it is. But these things are subjective. 

Truth and authority are not. The truth of Scripture and the authority of God did not come into being when I recognized them for the first time. They don’t need me to call them what they are, they simply are what they are. These religious leaders in Mark 11 didn’t want to admit to a truth that would convict them, but in struggling with the answer, we find them already convicted. And so they chose to ignore the truth that was staring them in the face because it made them uncomfortable. If they examined it, they would have to make a conscious decision to change and to admit their error. 

We cannot pick and choose what we want to believe from the Bible. We cannot decide that God has authority. The Bible is an encapsulated whole, truth that is inseparable from itself and must be examined in its fullness. God has authority whether we recognize it or not, His rule and reign do not shift with opinion. These things are not subjective. 

For example, Jesus told us to go and make disciples, baptizing them and teaching them to obey His commands. I cannot ignore either part of my commission to GoLove others or choose to emphasize one part over another. The truth is that they have both been given to us in a command from God’s authority, and so I must heed them both. To only teach and never baptize or to only baptize and never teach would be to create my own definition of discipling outside of the clear instruction of Jesus. 

As we look throughout the whole New Testament, we do not find one example where either component is left out or treated as optional. Everyone is taught, everyone is baptized. They are essential. There is even one instance of a correction because this was done wrong (Acts 19) and so they were properly taught and properly baptized. We don’t get to decide or make a call on this. This is what we have been told, in the authority of Christ, to do, and so we do it obediently and respectfully. My opinion doesn’t weigh in here as a deciding factor otherwise if it differs (which it does not) on this or any other example I could have come up with from Scripture.

When we GoLove others in Jesus’ Name, we do it recognizing the truth and authority of Him who sent us, and so we obediently conform to His will and truth. I don’t want to present anything contrary to the gospel or put something else of my own making in its place. I do not have the authority to create truth or manipulate God’s authority. He simply is authority and truth. He doesn’t need me to confirm it for Him.