One of the most powerful moments in scripture is recorded in John 6. Jesus had taught something that many of his listeners found offensive. Many of His disciples stopped following Him. Jesus, seeing them turn away, turned to the twelve apostles and asked them if they would also leave Him. Peter responded, “Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life and we believe and are sure that thou art the Christ the Son of the living God” (Jn. 6:68-69). When it comes to religious authority, it is imperative that each of us can accurately answer Peter’s question: to whom should we go?
We could go to many different sources for religious authority. Many base their beliefs on the opinions of the majority. So many people couldn’t be wrong, right? If you had followed popular opinion in the days of Noah, you would have perished in the flood – only eight souls believed the truth and were saved on the ark. Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14 that most people will not make it to heaven. This is a hard teaching, but a true one. We cannot allow our judgment to be clouded by what most people think.
We could listen to our preacher, priest, or pastor and accept his opinions on the mandates of God. A “person of the cloth” could surely be trusted, many believe. Paul warned about preachers of false doctrine, reminding us how easy it is to be misled (2 Cor. 11:13-15). Consider also that there are thousands of contradictory belief systems held by hundreds of thousands of different preachers. They can’t all be right.
We could listen to our feelings, but the Bible warns against trusting feelings over all else. Proverbs 14:12 states, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the ends thereof are the ways of death.” Jeremiah 10:23 agrees that “it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.”
If these all too common standards are not sufficient, then where should we turn? Jesus said He was “the way, the truth and the life” (Jn. 14:6). But Jesus no longer walks the earth. How can we go to Jesus to receive the answers to our questions regarding life and godliness? We must turn to the apostles of Christ. He promised that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth (Jn. 16:12-13). To receive the apostles is to receive Jesus (Jn. 13:20). But the same problem remains with the apostles, they have been gone a long time.
We must turn to the New Testament. It contains all things that pertain to life and godliness (2 Pet. 1:3). The New Testament has preserved for us the teachings of Christ and the apostles so that we might have understanding (Eph. 3:3-5). We must hold fast to these teachings like that first group of Christians in Jerusalem (Acts 2:42). Only the Bible contains the knowledge we need and the standard we must meet to be pleasing to God.
-Ross Haffner