Who has the authority to save me? Who has the power to save me? While the questions may at first glance seem to be one and the same, there are subtle differences that make it worth my while to seek answers to both. These issues are at the heart of scripture, and the answers offered certainly hold a significant sway over the institutions of organized religion. Historically the Church claims to have been given the authority in Jesus’ name, but there is a preceding question found in scripture itself: By what authority did Jesus claim to have the power to save?
As Albert Schweitzer so masterfully articulated, Jesus never claimed for himself a lot of the things that have been claimed for him since. It stands to reason that the emerging Church would say that Jesus imbued it with his authority, but that still doesn’t tell us where Jesus obtained his authority to do such a thing. Ernest Holmes’ process of deducing First Cause brings us very much into alignment with where Jesus may have actually stood on the issue. Authority is ultimately derived from ultimate power, and the ultimate source of power is God.
Hard as I have looked, I have not found anything to indicate that Jesus ever believed that he was God. Indeed, there is abundant scriptural evidence that Jesus held a very clear distinction of the I-Thou relationship with his ‘Father’. The Nazarene, in his impeccable Jewish-ness, always gave glory to the First Cause with whom he enjoyed an incredible intimacy. Was I to ask him “Who has the power to save me?” I feel confident his answer would be, “The one true God.” We would probably have to spend more time trying to figure out whom or what God authorizes to use that power on her/his behalf.
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