From Heaven or From Men?

by Ken Weliever

    Though it happened years ago, I will never forget driving into the parking lot of the High School where I lived and seeing for the first time a bumper sticker that challenged: “Question Authority.” I’m guessing it wasn’t on a teacher’s car. Since then, I’ve seen and heard it many times.

     This slogan was popularized by the late, controversial psychologist Timothy Leary who was known for advocating the use of LSD and psychedelic drugs.  

     Questioning authority is nothing new.

      In the final week of Jesus’ life when he came to Jerusalem, the Jewish religious leaders constantly questioned Jesus trying to trap him. They were fed up with Jesus. He healed on the Sabbath. Associated with sinners. Forgave sins. Condemned their traditions. Overturned the tables in the temple. And generally disrupted and disturbed their comfortable lives.

     By what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?” They demanded.

     But Jesus turned the tables on them by asking, “The baptism of John — was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me.” If they could answer, then he would answer their question.

     They were caught in a perplexing dilemma of their own devising. They realized, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ However, they could not say it was from men, because “they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed.”

     “So, they answered and said to Jesus, ‘We do not know.’”

     Jesus responded, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mark 11:27-30).

     “From Heaven or from men.” That’s a good question. When we seriously examine our religious beliefs and practices, are they of divine or human origin?

      Authority is necessary for every area of life. The government. The home. The church. Societal order. Imagine driving where there is no respect for the rules for the road. No regard for speed limits. No agreement on the purpose of a red or green light. No recognition of a stop sign. Without authority you have chaos.

     Religiously speaking it is possible to become like the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus’ day and be guided by tradition instead of Truth. When asked “by what authority do you do these things,” some respond, “We’ve always done it that way.” Or “that’s what my church teaches.” Or may even admit, “that’s just our tradition.” But is your practice “from heaven or from men”?

     Furthermore, subjectivism diverts us from divine authority and leads us into justifying ourselves with reasoning that begins with subjective statements like “I feel.” “I think.” “I don’t believe God will ______” (you fill in the blank). And the ever-popular “That’s not my truth.”

     It’s disconcerting to hear Christians hurl pejorative epithets that disparage the Lord’s church, gospel preachers, and Bible authority. Often on Facebook I read statements that scorn the apostolic examples recorded in the New Testament. Or poke fun at the idea of a commonsense Biblical inference. And even outright reject the plain, simple commands of Scripture.

     I want to ask those inclined to ridicule authority, what is your Biblical hermeneutic? Your method of interpretation? Your approach to understanding Scripture? I would like to know, “Is it from heaven or from men?”

     It is well to remember that the church is not democracy. It is not our place to change God’s Word. Some vote to amend their doctrine. Or sanction an alternative lifestyle condemned in the Bible. Or eliminate from Scripture that which they find offensive and not politically correct. Is it fair to ask, as Jesus did, “Is it from heaven or from men?”

     Finally, what directs our personal lives? Our morals? Ethics? Behavior? And habits? Is it based on popular opinion? Political correctness? Or fleshly desires? Jesus has given us a standard to live by. The Bible says, “Be not conformed to this world” (Rom. 12:2). “Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul” (1 Peter 2:11). “Be holy for I am holy,” says the Lord. (1 Pet 1:16).

     Jesus’ question to the Pharisees was not difficult. But it was painful to ponder.

What about you and I? How will we answer? “Is it from heaven or from men?”

The Four Gospels can be Trusted

By Jeff Curtis

    Matthew’s, Mark’s, Luke’s and John’s accounts of the life of Jesus have been considered part of the inspired New Testament since the early days of the church – and only these four accounts have been included.

    Except for a few fragmentary statements [found in other books of the New

    Testament], the authentic records of [Jesus’] life are contained in the four 

    Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, which have been regarded as

    canonical by the Christian church from the earliest period of its history.

    Although there were numerous other Gospels which purported to recount facts

    concerning His life that are not recorded in the famous four, the apocryphal

    Gospels, as they are called, are generally of later date and of doubtful reliability.

    They contain little information that is not a duplication of what the canonical

    Gospels impart and much of what the add is obviously fanciful and legendary.

    Furthermore, they often betray the views of some particular sect…”

    As we write this article about the Gospels of Christ, it is important for us to realize that we can depend on the four accounts God gave us.

    One of the greatest American lawyers of the past was Simon Greenleaf, who

    wrote one of the most important works on the law of evidence ever to appear in

    the English language. His book, A Treatise on the Law of Evidence, was

    unsurpassed on the subject for nearly one hundred years. It ran through sixteen

    editions. When he was a mature lawyer at the age of sixty-three, just seven years

    before his death, Simon Greenleaf published a volume in which he examined the

    testimony of the four evangelists to Jesus Christ. He used the same laws of

    evidence employed in the courts of justice in the civilized world. He said, “Our

    profession leads us to explore the mazes of falsehood, to detect its artifices, to

    piece its thickest veils, to follow and expose its sophistries, to compare the

    statements of different witnesses with severity, to discover truth and separate it

    from error.” In this book, which ran to 543 pages, Simon Greenleaf came to the

    conclusion that the Gospels are absolutely trustworthy and that the four

    evangelists could not possibly have lied about Jesus Christ, for their testimony

    rings true.

    Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are exactly what they claim to be: true accounts of the greatest life ever lived! You can trust your life – and your eternity – to these books. Paul put it this way: “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1Timothy 1:15).

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Address Fear with Faith in God

by Joe R. Price

1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; Whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; Of whom shall I be afraid? 2 When the wicked came against me to eat up my flesh, my enemies and foes, they stumbled and fell. 3 Though an army may encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; Though war may rise against me, in this I will be confident (Psalm 27:1-3).

Fear has gripped many. Fear of disease, civil unrest, enemies, the future, and more has settled into countless hearts, filling souls with uncertainty, anxiety, and doubt. The psalmist David turned to the Lord in moments of fear and dread. We can and must do the same. With eyes of faith, David saw the Lord God as his light, his salvation, and the strength of his life (v. 1). David put his confidence in the Lord in the face of wicked enemies. While darkness drives many to be uncertain and fearful of life’s path, Jesus Christ continues to be the light of the world (John 8:12). As many trust wealth, political parties, and even violence as a means of deliverance, true salvation from evil is only found in Jesus Christ (Luke 19:10; Acts 4:12). Pride leads us to trust in our strength and power, even when experience shows us trusting in the flesh ultimately fails (Jer. 17:5-10). God gives power to the weak who live by faith (Is. 40:29-31; 2 Cor. 12:9-10). Whatever evil forces arise in your life, the answer to enduring them and being victorious over them is in the Lord. Put your faith in God, love Him, and keep His commandments (1 John 5:3-5).