John MacArthur: Your pastor has NO authority over you

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[JamesBurgoon-qsnw]

Only Jesus Christ has authority it's the word that has all power

[Itstraelynn]

That’s the humility I love to see in leadership!

[kimberlyd]

He is right! They do not have authority

[DomaineStickem]

Pastors don't have specific Authority over people (outside of the limits and bounds of the church), they have INFLUENCE through biblically sound doctrine. And those will an open & receptive heart will follow

[bukersangma]

God given us the authority, If we don, t have authority of God, how we can work and preacg, cast out devil and heal the sick people, Luke 9:1, 2

[vnbrs]

What you said about how parents should be using The Word as authority -- that really resonated and I really needed to hear this, Thank you so much, especially as a person who's endured a lifetime of abuse and who is a newer Christian. God bless!

[chapsjj]

It's not a real answer. The questioner is seemingly asking the limitations of verses like Hebrews 13:17. John obfuscates by saying he only has the authority the Bible gives him. Okay, then what authority does the Word give you? Answers like the one he provided are unhelpful and it's, in my opinion, a feigned humility. At the end of the day, John can interpret the text to mean that God gives him a lot of authority. Question asked, question remains unanswered.

[isawthelight]

I am under the Authority of the Church. The Church leads us home through the Grace of our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ.

[miriamtalavera]

John MacArthur said he has no authority BEYOND Scripture. This means that whatever responsibilities he performs and whatever decisions he makes as a pastor is not arbitrary, not based on his opinion or anyone else's, but based solely on God's Word.

The New Testament churches exemplify the order and structure for churches today. God's Word is rich with instruction for elders, deacons and the congregation as a whole. This eliminates dependence on oneself and fortifies reliance on God, keeping God's children humble before the Lord. God is an organized God and His instruction eliminates confusion and disallows for any abuse when the church remains obedient to Him.

[ralphparker]

The first time I heard that clip from John MacArthur I developed a great appreciation for him.

[stevemclendon]

would have been nice for someone to have mentioned Heb.13:17 " Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." and explained what that meant in light of this discussion. For instance, who is the "them" mentioned here that "watch for your souls"?

[maxwellspeedwell]

Where was John MacArthur 52 years ago when our narcissistic pastor was telling young people who they could marry and who they could not marry. He would put young people together and break up engagements and tell them it was the Lord’s will. He put one couple together, and the young woman was supposed to cure him, and turn his desires to women, and not to men. The engagement was arranged, the marriage was arranged, and she had no idea what was going on. This sort of thing went on constantly but the biggest disgrace was the church finances.

[andrewpatton]

MacArthur spoke the truth: He has no authority, because he is not a pastor. No one laid hands on him to give him authority over God's Church; he is a self-appointed hireling.

[dsfdrmp]

biggest problem for married men is their hiding behind their wives, and their aversion to serve single persons in the church after 9-5, its the biggest problem in organized religion, plz like

[Mimi-mmhf]

The Word of God is the final authority over the life of the people

[MsJoyce]

Well, thank you. I already know that. It's good to hear, though. 😊

[samsonsupaka]

Than you must ask the congregants to give their opinion and have time for Q&A so that they are reassured of every word that proceeded from your mouth.

[TheCaliReadingTeacher]

My understanding is that John told a member to go back to her abusive husband. Has he admitted his wrongdoing and asked for her forgiveness? Did he justify his biblical position?
Do pastors apologize when they give bad advice? An unwillingness to ask forgiveness is an abuse of authority.

[mvkdogw]

1 COR 4:6-21 - This is an emotionally charged peroration to the discussion about divisions. It contains several exhortations and statements of Paul’s purpose in writing (cf. 1 Cor 4:6, 14–17, 21) that counterbalance the initial exhortation at 1 Cor 1:10.

[4:6] That you may learn from us not to go beyond what is written: the words “to go” are not in the Greek, but have here been added as the minimum necessary to elicit sense from this difficult passage. It probably means that the Corinthians should avoid the false wisdom of vain speculation, contenting themselves with Paul’s proclamation of the cross, which is the fulfillment of God’s promises in the Old Testament (what is written). Inflated with pride: literally, “puffed up, ” i.e., arrogant, filled with a sense of self-importance. The term is particularly Pauline, found in the New Testament only in 1 Cor 4:6, 18–19; 5:2; 8:1; 13:4; Col 2:18 (cf. the related noun at 2 Cor 12:20). It sometimes occurs in conjunction with the theme of “boasting, ” as in 1 Cor 4:6–7 here.

[4:8] Satisfied…rich…kings: these three statements could also be punctuated as questions continuing the series begun in v. 7. In any case these expressions reflect a tendency at Corinth toward an overrealized eschatology, a form of self-deception that draws Paul’s irony. The underlying attitude has implications for the Corinthians’ thinking about other issues, notably morality and the resurrection, that Paul will address later in the letter.

[4:9–13] A rhetorically effective catalogue of the circumstances of apostolic existence, in the course of which Paul ironically contrasts his own sufferings with the Corinthians’ illusion that they have passed beyond the folly of the passion and have already reached the condition of glory. His language echoes that of the beatitudes and woes, which assert a future reversal of present conditions. Their present sufferings (“to this very hour, ” v. 11) place the apostles in the class of those to whom the beatitudes promise future relief (Mt 5:3–11; Lk 6:20–23); whereas the Corinthians’ image of themselves as “already” filled, rich, ruling (1 Cor 4:8), as wise, strong, and honored (1 Cor 4:10) places them paradoxically in the position of those whom the woes threaten with future undoing (Lk 6:24–26). They have lost sight of the fact that the reversal is predicted for the future.

[4:14–17] My beloved children: the close of the argument is dominated by the tender metaphor of the father who not only gives his children life but also educates them. Once he has begotten them through his preaching, Paul continues to present the gospel to them existentially, by his life as well as by his word, and they are to learn, as children do, by imitating their parents (1 Cor 4:16). The reference to the rod in 1 Cor 4:21 belongs to the same image-complex. So does the image of the ways in 1 Cor 4:17: the ways that Paul teaches everywhere, “his ways in Christ Jesus, ” mean a behavior pattern quite different from the human ways along which the Corinthians are walking (1 Cor 3:3).

[4:18–21] 1 Cor 4:20 picks up the contrast between a certain kind of talk (logos) and true power (dynamis) from 1 Cor 1:17–18 and 1 Cor 2:4–5. The kingdom, which many of them imagine to be fully present in their lives (1 Cor 4:8), will be rather unexpectedly disclosed in the strength of Paul’s encounter with them, if they make a powerful intervention on his part necessary. Compare the similar ending to an argument in 2 Cor 13:1–4, 10.

[JoshAlicea]

So, why do you get to preach every week? What if I wanted to preach at your church? If no one has authority in the church, then there is chaos. God has given us the five fold ministry so there would be authority in the Church- see Ephesians 4 and Romans 13