50 Days of Wisdom

I have no greater spiritual connection to God than you do, and neither does anyone else. And if someone says they have personal authority, they are a false teacher and a deceiver. There is no such thing as having personal authority. The preacher's authority comes only when he speaks the Word of God. Secondly, there is the mistaken idea of church authority. Many judge the church to be the authority in spiritual matters. This, too, is a false and destructive illusion, and there are institutions that command church authority where they have absolutely no jurisdiction. The illustration with which we're most familiar is the Roman Catholic Church. The Roman Catholic Church tried to take all authority over the souls of men and nations. The Roman Catholic Church established its authority based upon its own identity, not on the Bible. In the case of Roman Catholicism, the church reigns over the Bible. Just look at the magisterium. What is that? It's the collective apostolic succession of papal infallibility and continuing revelation through church councils that stand in authority over the Bible so that the church is the only legitimate interpreter of the Bible. They say their church has the only right to interpret the Bible, and the church can also add to the Bible all of its own traditions. So, in Roman Catholicism you have two sources of revelation: you have the Bible and tradition. And tradition is over the Bible, because tradition is not only a body of so-called revelation in addition to the Scripture, but tradition is the composite interpretation of Scripture. So, the collection of creeds, traditions, articles of faith, ex cathedra pronouncements by the popes, and articles by councils constitutes the magisterium, the great authority of the institutional church, the collective authority of the institutional church embodied in these things that stand in judgment over the Bible and over everyone. Doctrines like purgatory, the treasury of merit, penance, perpetual virginity, and the co-redemptrix work of Mary are all deemed to be true, not because of the Bible, but because of the church magisterium. The Roman Catholic Church, the institution itself, and in particular, the head of the church, who is the pope, is in its own eyes the final authority and has every right to command people, and even through the years has been eager to kill the people who questioned that authority. And that is precisely what brought about the Reformation. When the Reformers began to assault the authority of the Roman Catholic Church and reassert the sole authority of Scripture, that's what led to the Reformation. That's the protest that created Protestantism. The truth is, the Bible says that the church is under the Word, whereas these institutions say the Word is under the church. True Christianity has always said that the Word is not under the church; the church is under the Word. God is the only and final authority. He has given His authoritative commands by divine revelation in one book, nowhere else, and that book is the Bible. The only spiritual authority in the universe is the Trinitarian God. All binding spiritual commands come from Him through the Scripture alone, not tradition, not the Book of Mormon, not the Pearl of Great Price, not the Doctrine and the Covenants, not Science and Health, and not the Key to the Scriptures, nor any other man-made document. There is no such thing as church authority. No church has any weight of binding authority over men's souls, not the Catholic Church, not the Eastern Orthodox Church, and not any other church. That includes all the false cults that reign authoritatively over the souls of people. No word outside the Bible is authoritative in the realm of the soul. It doesn't matter what document it's in; no word outside a true expression of biblical revelation has any authority over men's souls. Period! Repent and believe! GTY.org (90-350) – A Call for Authoritative Preaching

Today's Wisdom

Day: 1046

October 1, 2026

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My name is Mark Paul from Wauchula, Florida, and like the Apostle Peter said in 2 Peter 1:14, "I know that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent." Consequently, my goal is to leave a legacy that will continue to advance the kingdom of God long after I have departed. In other words, bear fruit for eternity. And by simply reading and sharing my free eBooks, you too become contributors to the advancement of His kingdom. Thank you for partaking in this endeavor, and I look forward to greeting you on heaven's shore.

The Truth in Love,

Mark Paul - Servant of God

Now grant, O Lord, that when the souls who read these books cast their eyes upon these lines, their minds may be illuminated and their consciences convinced and awakened, that they may see with their eyes, hear with their ears, and be converted so that You may heal them. Amen!