Submitting To God’s Word Aligns Us With Reality
By Anne Kerhoulas
Authority is a difficult word for modern ears to process. It often makes us want to push against it, rebel, and assert our own authority. But when it comes to the authority of Scripture, John Mark Comer argues that it is a different kind of authority altogether.
Comer, on his Teachings Podcast, explores what biblical authority is, why it is difficult for people to grapple with, and how submitting to the authority of the Bible is really about coming into alignment with reality.
In Genesis 3, the serpent deceives Eve by calling into question whether God’s word is trustworthy and true. Sin, therefore, arises when we don’t believe that God’s words will lead to our flourishing, and we follow and obey another voice. When Jesus is tempted by Satan in the wilderness, he turned to Scripture not only for his framework for addressing Satan’s temptations but also in an act of trust that what God says is true. His trust in God’s words as true led to the healing and redemption of all humanity. So the ways in which we do or do not submit to the word of God and live in accordance with what it says will either produce more sin or bring about renewal in line with the Kingdom of God.
Though our culture is more and more individualistic, there are still authority structures in which we must participate. But biblical authority, unlike cultural authority, always leads to the flourishing and freedom of the one who submits. That’s because to live in accordance with the Bible is to live under the will and authority of God himself—the one who seeks our salvation, redemption, and restoration.
Christian Union tackles difficult topics like the authority of Scripture in some of the most individualistic places in our nation—college campuses. In a place where submitting to anyone other than your own will is seen as oppression, Christian Union ministry faculty teach students about the good news of the gospel and the beauty of God’s word so that they might be people who walk in the ways of God.
Listen to the full podcast here.
