Who Authorized You to Say That?

 

Who Authorized You to Say That?

If we insist that a person must be qualified to speak on a topic, then generally we would expect a great deal of agreement from the public. With scientific, medical, psychological, law, and even software there are legitimate requirements to be considered a competent professional and quite familiar with those fields before officially addressing an area. We even have entire departments devoted to wording a document or making a formal statement correctly and leaving the ‘right’ impression on the public. There seems to be a reason for such requirements.

However, at the same time there are situations where we dismiss this requirement altogether. We listen to reporters sharing news on various subjects on which they are not experts. On Social Media platforms we subscribe to a view merely because they agree with our position, are popular, they belong to our political party, or they say what we like hearing. In a liberal college classroom, our professors espouse a questionable idea or even an acceptable concept and very few students are equipped to see through the ridiculous propositions. Movies and songs tend to conflate and confuse real cultural issues in a similar manner often villainizing the views they disagree with. A strategy of some reporters is to capture a celebrity’s opinion on the record regardless of whether the person is a real authority on that topic. Many will legitimize an idea because of ‘who’ said it. We often, without any fair questions accept a person (and their views) because they are the ‘right’ color or have assimilated the accepted ‘talking points.’ Even though we say this is our position and we respect others for having a different view, we are not really listening to the arguments that could possibility change our minds.

Perhaps we need to ask again why is anyone qualified to speak on that subject? What makes them such an expert? Has the advisor enjoyed personal success following their own advice? These types of questions are generally good if you accept experience or academic affirmations as the basic criteria. But what if the person had no personal experience but addressed the topics anyway? It even sounds foreign saying it…it feels unsafe and flatly reckless! But this happens all the time. But have we judged too soon? The perspective of numerous pioneers would be silenced if we required experience before they could speak on the topic. Many inventions and life-enriching discoveries have been made by non-academics! Going further…what if those pioneers spoke on a topic with authority that came from God and not necessarily their experience or academic prowess?

I suspect that would change the conversation significantly. ‘Thus saith the Lord’ would take on new meaning and gravity or we would be forced to ignore His counsel, opting for mere human experiences, accreditations, or opinions. In the final analysis people will answer to God for what He stated about a matter regardless of whomever they subscribe to. It behooves us to represent His views accurately because we cannot escape accountability with Him. Certainly, we must observe correctly, interpret precisely, correlate responsibly, and apply truth appropriately. We know no one will do this perfectly every time, but one can be consistently correct. Ultimately the Bible’s (KJV) statements come from God, He is the primary Author and Source of all truth. 

Matthew 21:23, says, “And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?” The same thought is echoed in Mark 11:28, stating, “And say unto him, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?” Again Luke 20:2, repeats this notion stating, “And spake unto him, saying, Tell us, by what authority doest thou these things? or who is he that gave thee this authority?”

Yes, even our Lord Jesus faced the questions of supposed religious leaders examining His actions, to which he countered by ultimately refusing to reveal His own source and highlighted His holy prerogatives. Beloved, if the statement came from God, then it should be accepted as the standard…the truth.