day no. 17,438: real, limited authority

“I believe that, as Christian emissaries come to each of these nations to be discipled, the foundational cornerstone proclaimed by them is that Jesus is Lord. The first corollary to this is that Caesar isn’t lord, and so the first gift the Church brings, and the first point of repentance for the established authorities of each nation, is the liberating doctrine of limited government.” — Douglas Wilson, Concise and to the Point

Christ is the King of kings, so Caesar needs must get off his high horse. He has authority because Christ has invested it in him, but he has limited authority because it comes from somewhere else. Christ has authority in Himself. He deputizes lesser magistrates to particular jurisdictions: husbands to marriages, fathers to homes, governors to regions, and elders to churches. There is real authority in the head of the home because the Head of heads says so. There is real authority in the head of state because the Head of all states put it there. There is real authority in the head pastor because the Chief Shepherd stands behind him.

No earthly authority is absolute which is to say that all earthly authority is limited authority. It is real, but it is really limited. All masters answer to the Master and all rulers are measured by the Ruler of rulers. He is the measuring stick because He is the standard. And so, because God is good, we are able to tell when a governor isn't or when a husband isn't or when a pastor isn't. God is good, all of the time; all of the time, God is good. And so we set every lesser authority up against its Author to determine whether it is acting lawfully or rebelling against its jurisdiction. When a lesser authority goes to far, it is out of step and in sin. When a lesser authority does not go as far as it is required, it is not keeping up with what God has for it. In either case, it is in sin by falling short of its lesser glory or by attempting to take glory that does not belong to it.