It’s NBA season: lots of basketball, lots of the LA Lakers… lots of attitude. A couple of years ago there was a commercial with Kobe Bryant where the announcer asks, “Who you gonna listen to?” - and then answers (in a rather demeaning sneer), “how ‘bout yourself!” And I wonder, do advertisers sit up at night thinking of ways to annoy pastors?
“How ‘bout yourself?” Give me a break. Somewhere between entering elementary school and one’s first kiss (which for me, unfortunately, spanned about two decades), most people realize that you cannot always trust “yourself.” “Listening to yourself” as the final authority on how you will live your life guarantees both a life that is repulsive to God, and a life which ultimately will be repulsive to everyone around you.
An “authority” is something or someone which commands, no, demands our attention and obedience. There are a number of legitimate authorities in our lives – parents, society, government, spouse, employers. But each of these “authorities” has a limited sphere of influence. That is, your employer is a legitimate authority in matters of your work, not your faith or your family. Government appropriately commands obedience in civil affairs; parents and spouses in familial situations. But over all these limited authorities, there is one ultimate Authority, and, no Kobe, it is not “yourself”.
The Almighty God is our ultimate authority. It is to Him and Him alone that we swear unswerving obedience and loyalty. He speaks, and we listen/obey.
Now it is true that God speaks through various means – through our parents, society, government, employers, etc. But, the ultimate way we hear from the ultimate Authority is through the Scripture. The Bible derives its authority from God and God alone. It is virtually impossible to overemphasize the role of the Scripture in our lives. Because of its divine origin, the Bible is rightly called God’s Word; and as such, it carries overwhelming authority.
It’s important to note the connection drawn above. Lots of things have authority in our lives for lots of reasons. Consider our U.S. Constitution. In reality, it is only a bunch of words on faded parchment. But, it carries great authority in our land precisely because we grant to it that authority – we voluntarily commit to submit to its laws and direction. The TV has authority over my life only because I voluntarily plant my rump in front of it. Your employer’s authority is also based upon your voluntary submission to his/her direction. Of course, failure to respond to the authority of the state or your employer has negative ramifications; but the authority relationship is voluntary.
Not so with the Scripture. It has authority, not because we voluntarily decide to follow its commands as with the Constitution, but because its origin is found in God. God spoke authoritatively in the Bible; hence, its authority over us is derived from God himself.
Of course, the trick is to learn to listen to the Bible, to be obedient to what we hear there. God has mercifully preserved us from only having earthly and fallen things/people to listen to. “Who you gonna listen to?” May God grant us the grace to listen faithfully to His Word.
