John 7:16-18
So Jesus answered them, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. If anyone's will is to do God's will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own authority. The one who speaks on his own authority seeks his own glory; but the one who seeks the glory of him who sent him is true, and in him there is no falsehood.
Tag: Christians Speak with Authority
When the Jews challenged Jesus about His teaching He revealed to them that His authority for His teaching came from God. God was the authority of all the truth Jesus spoke. Therefore, He did not back down from their challenges. In the above text Jesus makes it clear that when we speak outside the context of God's Word we are not speaking to give God the glory but we are speaking to get glory ourselves. The author of a book (one he or she creates in his or her own mine) is the "authority" of that book. Jesus is saying they seek their own glory because they speak on their own authority. Jesus did not come to seek His own glory. He cam to seek the Glory of God and therefore spoke Words from God. The concept is easy to see but hard to practice. When we share the gospel with others we are giving them the authority of God's Word. When we talk to them about things contrary to God's Word we are sharing with them our opinion and we ware seeking our own glory. The point of the teaching in the above passage is that we can believe Jesus' words because He was speaking on behalf of God; and, when we speak to others we need to give them God's Word. Those who reject "our" speech and words have a right to question their authority. But, when we speak God's Word they have no right to question the authority of them, because they come from God. Give people God's Word.
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