The whole Bible, summed up in two words.

My pastor recently submitted to me that the Bible can be succinctly expressed in a matter of two words: authority and submission.  Being one who digests ideas best in bite size pieces, I was intrigued.

He went on to explain that in the beginning, God created the heavens, earth, land masses, vegetation, creatures and mankind by simply speaking them into existence.  Talk about authority!  God is the ultimate and final authority on everything, everywhere, at any time; it’s what the Bible says.  Once the earth and everything in it was created, what was God’s next move?  He said “fill the earth, and subdue it.” (Gen. 1:28)  Take this incredible piece of real estate (and everything in it), and be responsible for it.  Own it.  Study the biology, meteorology, geology and astronomy of it forever.  Have authority over it.  God said, “Look what I made for you!  I want you to have this.”  He took His ultimate authority and gave it to man. (This is where you ask “but why?” and we discuss the simple fact that God loves you).

We know what happened next: “You will not surely die.” (Gen. 3:4)  Eve believed the serpent, and ate.  Adam stood by, then took a piece too.  In that moment, may I submit that perhaps it was not sin that entered the world so much as it was man who took his God-given authority over the earth, and handed it over to the father of lies.  You wonder why the world can be a bitter and terrible place?  You want to know why bad things happen to good people?  Consider what is being done with the authority God gave.

When we take the authority given to us by God and put it in the hands of Satan, he will rule in our lives.  I’ve seen it ring true in my own life.  When we take the authority given to us by God and put it back in God’s hands, he will rule in our lives.  I have also seen this to be true in my own life.  Admitting that the best place for this authority is in the place it was created requires submission to the ultimate authority; willingly.  Ultimately, we will all submit to God’s authority, willingly or not.  He is the ultimate authority, whether or not we believe it, and whether or not we submit to it.  God loves us so much that even though this is true, he still gives us a choice.  He literally leaves the authority over his gift to us in our hands, and it’s up to us what we do with it.  Salvation comes by willingly submitting to the authority of God.  “Not my will, but yours be done.”  “Your kingdom come, your will be done.”

Consider it.  Authority.  Submission.  For me, the Gospel has never made more sense.