Introduction to the Studies

Man's deepest problem is the matter of authority. Authorities are part of the creational order of God's universe. This is seen in Romans 13:1-7, I Peter 2:13-17, Ephesians 5:21 - 6:9, I Thessalonians 5:12-13, I Timothy 5: 17, Hebrews 13:7, 17, and other passages. There are authorities celestial and authorities terrestrial, and many of them are deficient, but they are authorities. God's world is functional (Gen. 1:31, Eccles. 3:11, Prov. 16:4, I Tim. 4:4, 6:17), and purposeful (Ephes. 1:3-14, I Cor. 2:6-10, etc.). In both function and purpose authority figures largely. Love and authority are greatly linked, as also hatred and disobedience are linked.

The question, then, as to whether we can accept authority will greatly determine our manner of life, as also the way we mature. John 17:3, I John 5:20, and I John 3:14 show us that true life lies in relationships, and we know that relationships are linked always with love and authority. We need then to understand what life is as it is lived under the Lordship of God. If this is related, daily, to our corporate living in (a) Our personal relationship with God, (b) With our families, (c) With the people of God, and (d) The world around us, then our studies will be both practical and beneficial.