Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given to him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places.

You can love God, but still have an “except” in your thinking. Something may seem right to you, but Scripture says it is wrong. An “except” shows us there is something in our thinking, beliefs, or worldview that may not line up with God’s Word.

Syncretism is mixing biblical truth with secular categories. For example, you read your Bible, but you also read your horoscope. It is mixing Kingdom truth with cultural categories. The place this shows up more than any other is in our government.

All authority starts with God. Authority comes from God and starts with God.

God delegates authority to the family, the church, and the government.

The Spheres of Authority:

1. The Family - Family has authority delegated by God to nurture life. (Genesis 1:28 AMP)

The family is not a human invention. Family is God’s idea, and He entrusted certain authority to the family. Authority comes with an assignment. Throughout Scripture, parents are given authority to instruct, discipline, and teach. The family is responsible for nurturing life.

2. The Church - God has given authority to the church to steward truth. (Matthew 16:18-19 EASY)

The church has moral and spiritual authority. The church has authority to declare what is right and what is wrong. It has been entrusted with the Word of God. The church was established by Jesus. It exists for Jesus. It exists to worship Jesus. It glorifies God by telling others what He’s done. The church is special to God, it exists for God, and the church has authority.

3. Civil Authority - Civil authority was established by God and He has a divine purpose for it. (Genesis 9:6 NIV)

The role of civil authority is to punish evil, promote good, and preserve order. Life is sacred because mankind is made in the image of God. When someone takes another person’s life, God has entrusted mankind to carry out justice on earth.

Different types of authority have different types of assignments (Romans 13:1-4 PHILLIPS). 

Not every sphere of authority has the same assignment. The family has an assignment. The church has an assignment. Civil authority has an assignment. If you confuse the assignment, you will confuse the purpose of the institution.

When you confuse the authority, you confuse the assignment.

Sometimes we wrongfully assign to civil authority what belongs to the church. We would rather outsource our responsibility than take it on ourselves. As Christians, we can be tempted to assign our personal responsibility to civil authority.

We need to evaluate what responsibilities belong to us and learn to think biblically.

Is there an “except” in your life? Is your life committed to the lordship of Jesus? Is your life under the authority of Jesus?

We should pray for our leaders. When we vote, we should pray over every candidate. Pray that there would be righteousness in their offices.

Do not conflate God’s use of someone with God’s approval of someone. God can use civil authority for His purposes, but that does not mean every action, decision, or leader reflects His righteousness.

If we want our lives to be under the authority of Jesus, we have to ask God for wisdom, think biblically, and submit every part of our lives to Him.

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