He gave them authority

The Bible has a lot to say about authority, which is not surprising since authority is at the basis of all human interaction. By definition, authority is “the right to: give commands and enforce obedience to those commands, take action, or make final decisions.” But there is a powerful and essential component of authority that this definition leaves out, which is the fact that all authority exists for a purpose. Anyone who holds a position of authority has been given that position in order to accomplish a purpose. Ultimately, the purpose of all authority is to assure that the will of God is accomplished in the earth.

There are a number of passages in the Bible where authority is pictured as a gift from God. In Numbers 27:18-20 God told Moses to lay his hands on Joshua and “Put some of your authority on him.” In 1^st Samuel 15:28 Samuel told King Saul that God had torn the kingdom from him and given it to David. In 1 Kings 11:11, God said that he would take the kingdom from Solomon and give it to his servant. And, in Daniel 2:37 Daniel informed the king of Babylon that it was God who had given him the kingdom.

In Daniel 7:14, Daniel relates a vision he had in which he foresaw Jesus being presented before the Ancient of Days, where he was “given dominion, glory and a kingdom.” And, in Luke 19 Jesus Himself referred to this by means of a parable, in which he is pictured as a nobleman who “went to a distant country to receive a kingdom.” Later in this same parable, Jesus said this nobleman “returned, after receiving the kingdom.”

In Luke 12:32, Jesus told his disciples, “Your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom” – indicating that God delights in giving his faithful servants the right to exercise the authority of his kingdom in the earth. And in Luke 19, Jesus declared by means of another parable that those who had been faithful in their use of the gifts that God had given them would be rewarded with positions of authority over entire cities.

In Luke 3, after Jesus came up from water of the Jordan River at his baptism, the Holy Spirit came upon him, and The Father said, “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) Then, after being led by the spirit into the wilderness, where he was tested for 40 days, Jesus returned “In the power of the Spirit.” (Luke 4:18) Having been approved by His father, Jesus was entrusted with the both the power and the authority, that is the right and the ability to exercise his father’s will on the earth.

Some time later, Jesus called his the 12 disciples together and we are told that “He Gave them power and authority” to do all that he Himself had been doing. And in Luke 10:19 he told them, “I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.” Then, just before ascending to heaven, Jesus again called the twelve apostles together and told them, “All authority has been given unto me, in heaven and on earth, therefore, you go…”

Since God himself is the source of all authority, the only legitimate authority that exists is authority that has been given by God, whether directly or indirectly through others who have already been authorized by God. Psalm 75:3 informs us that ultimately promotion to authority does not come from man but from God. And throughout scripture God has established some clear qualities that he looks for before he gives anyone a position of authority over others. These qualifications include: humility, submission to Godly authority, faithfulness, a fear of God, and a love for people.