The Apostles’ Creed: God The FatherSample

God’s Exhaustive Authority: John 5:26-27

In addition to having absolute and exclusive authority, the Father also has exhaustive authority over the universe. When we say that God’s authority is exhaustive, we mean that it extends over everything he has created, in every detail. And there are at least two important implications of this fact. First, everyone is under God’s authority. There is no person or other created thing that is free from the obligation to obey God. 

Angels and human beings who are faithful to the Father recognize and submit willingly to him. But demons and unfaithful human beings rebel against him and refuse to submit to his commands. Even so, the Father’s moral judgments apply to everyone. No matter where we live or who we are, and no matter what our culture or religion, we are all accountable to God. 

Second, everything is under God’s authority. His authority extends to every detail of what he has created. Because God has created all things, no aspect of creation is morally neutral. He has created everything for a purpose, and assigned it a moral character. And this means that no matter what the subject, no matter what aspect of creation is in view, there is no moral neutrality. Everything in creation either functions as God wants it to, and is therefore good, or rebels against him, and is therefore evil.

In the modern world many Christians are prone to divide life into things that are sacred and things that are secular. Most of us realize that “sacred” matters like church, worship, evangelism, and Bible study are under the authority of God. We also strive to acknowledge God’s commands in our families and ethical choices, treating them as sacred as well. But many Christians tend to think that God’s commands do not govern so-called “secular” matters like politics, education, and work. But this modern distinction between the sacred world and the secular world is not biblical. Passages like Proverbs 3:6, Ecclesiastes 12:14, and 2 Timothy 3:16-17 indicate that God has spoken about every area of human life, and that his authority extends to everything we do.

In a world where authority is often only thought in negative terms, the authority of God is a great thing for Christians to believe in because God still loves this world. God’s still in control. God knows the end from the beginning. God is the one who will be the judge of all people. And that should make us feel good because we can be confident that somebody knows what he’s doing and that is our trust and our confidence for the future. – Dr. Simon Vibert

Click here to watch The Apostles’ Creed: God the Father, lesson two in the series The Apostles' Creed . Biblical Education, For the World, For Free.