Today we’ll answer the question: When should you reject spiritual authority? It was required a few times in Christian history, and it all started with Peter and John in Acts 4.
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Here’s a question: When Should You Reject Spiritual Authority?
- Some of you may say, Always
- No one wants to submit these days…
- Judges era: “Everyone did what was right in their own eyes”
- General lack of respect for spiritual authority
- So much hopping around from church to church
- Not a “sense of awe” that we saw at the end of book of Acts
- But see Is Spiritual Authority a Thing Anymore?
- Quick answer: Yes!
- Spiritual leadership in the church flows from Jesus’ authority, and obedience to godly leaders benefits the soul.
- Hebrews 13:17 Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
- So I’ll ask again: When should you reject spiritual authority?
- Because you shouldn’t blindly follow it
- There are times you should reject it, as we’ll see in the text today
- We’re covering Acts 4:1-22
- We’ll get there in a minute, but first…
Examples from History
Martin Luther (1483-1546)
- 1507: Ordained as a priest.
- 1517: On October 31, Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church, challenging the Catholic Church’s practice of selling indulgences and other corruptions. This event is often marked as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
- 1520: Published three key works: "To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation," "On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church," and "On the Freedom of a Christian," outlining his theological views and criticisms of the Church.
- 1521: Excommunicated by Pope Leo X in January. In April, he was summoned to the Diet of Worms, where he famously refused to recant his writings, saying, "Here I stand, I can do no other." Declared an outlaw by the Edict of Worms.
William Tyndale (c. 1494-1536)
- 1523: Sought permission to translate the Bible into English, but was denied by the Bishop of London. Fled the next year to Germany to work on his translation.
- 1525: Completed the New Testament in English, printed in 1526 in Cologne and Worms.
- 1526: The first printed copies of Tyndale’s New Testament were smuggled into England, where they were banned and burned by the Church.
- 1536: William Tyndale was executed by strangulation and then burned at the stake on October 6.
Jan Hus (c. 1372-1415)
- 1400: Ordained as a priest.
- 1411:...
