Can We Have Ultimate Authority?

.

A black man protested violently to a white man that white people mistreated and enslaved his people and that it wasn’t fair or right. But if he preferred his people and they were in charge, do we know blacks would be any different?
.
What is the basis for human life and authority? Why should we act one way and not another? When life is short, why shouldn’t I be most concerned about myself? Let’s consider two lines of reasoning about ultimate authority, a most crucial of human questions.
.
The Limits of Human Inquiry and Equality.

.

Human philosophies and religions are limited and conflicting human guesses. If idealism is true, then all is mind, but if materialism, then only matter exists. Phenomenalism verses realism claims that things aren’t real unless we perceive them; they can just pop in and out of existence. Conflicting philosophies can’t both be right. Religions make conflicting claims that there’s no God, one God, two opposing Gods, a multitude of gods, or nature is god. If any claim is true, it cancels out all the others. One who makes any truth claim must show objective evidence that only his view is correct or more than mere subjective opinion. Otherwise, all such ideas are mere human guesses without authority.
. 
Testable science is limited to physical data and explanation. We use science as a valuable means of obtaining much useful knowledge. When experiments are controlled, repeatable, and measurable, a high degree of probably is attained. But science is limited to nature and can tell us nothing about morals, or life’s purpose, or human worth and destiny. As such, science is not an ultimate authority for our lives.
.
Everything in flux has no finality and authority. If evolution is the ultimate key to understanding the universe, then we can’t depend on anything ever being the same. Things that can’t be nailed down as final aren’t settled and dependable. We can’t be sure what might happen the next moment nor if our minds are even rational and dependable..
.
The good of common humanity goes only so far. Practical reason dictates we should practice the Golden Rule or treat all human being with equal respect, dignity, and fairness. Persons come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, appearances, and abilities, but we are all of one blood, essentially no different, and are a common humanity.
.
In honesty, we have a selfishly dark side to our nature—we want our own way regardless. It’s difficult to treat others with the same respect we want to be treated, especially when they’re disagreeable and mean, when they’re not our kind of people, when we don’t feel well, or when it’s greatly benefits us to take advantage of them. After all, don’t we naturally prefer ourselves? So, we justify our deception, robbery, rape, murder, and warfare. It’s our common lot until death ends everything. Self-centered human nature trumps right reason most every time. Why is it we must lock doors and have a police force?
.
Naturalistic human inquiry has no ultimate authority—it leads to anarchy and tyranny. Humanity is anything but secure and sane in a personal and social context. We naturally prefer our way and those who obtain position, prestige and power are naturally tempted to use it to their advantage and fight to hold it at all costs. With no ultimate and final authority, anything goes and goes toward greed and corruption. Someone must step in to restore civility and decency and impose his rule on everyone else. And, all who disagree or oppose those elite authorities can be eliminated. It’s the history of man and a natural outcome of a one-world community on the way down.
.
Our Need for a Transcendent Source.
.
We need a basis for truth and finality. When all is evolving we have no basis for final or absolute truth, chaos is inevitable. Each person becomes his or her own authority and fights for control, even for life. Our safety is always in jeopardy. We may not side with the winning side. Even when we do, things beyond our control can suddenly change. We need a transcendent source of truth greater than limited, conflicting, fickle, biased, human opinions and practices. We need a wise, knowing and caring power source who can tell us the truth with authority that our subjective opinions could never make certain. Without it, we surely will perish.
.
We need a basis for love and justice. Love considered what’s best for people as a whole is justice. Love requires we put away destructive persons from society. It’s like the surgeon who must extract the cancer to save the body. But without a standard of truth and authority as a guide, his limited human reasoning could never be sure just what the cancer is. He might find violence more exciting than peace, or favor his kind of people above others, be brutally cruel and unjust bringing about a blood bath against resisters.
.
We need a basis for human dignity and destiny. If we come from the chemicals in the ground that we return to, how can we ultimately be of more value than dirt? Oh yes, we value those we love more than dirt. But why should others value us when we may mean little to them and even oppose their efforts? Human history is brutal and destructive.
.
Much of unbiased science points to the God we need. While we cannot snap out fingers and make God appear, we do have much that open honest science must admit points to God. We know that something doesn’t come from nothing, and since the universe is running down, it must have had a beginning. We can’t backtrack eternally or else we wouldn’t be here today. The universe then must be presently dependent for its existence upon an immaterial, eternal, unchangeable, self-existent, infinite power, intelligence and will to sustain the complexity of living and nonliving things we observe all around us. This Creator-Sustainer God is described in Genesis 1:1. This being so, unless we have exhaustive knowledge of the universe, we can have no objection to supernaturalism be it angels, miracles, souls or revelations. The universe’s Source can be the answer to our questions and the solution to our needs—it all fits together.
.
Reaasonable objective history says that God walked among us. It's difficult to believe Moses, the prophets and apostles simply made up all the supernatural events they describe in the Bible—they had nothing to gain by that. The prophets and apostles were often, criticized, persecuted and killed for their preaching. Biblical miracles are not bizarre unrealistic myths like flying carpets, snake-headed Medusas, one-eyed giants and moving statues. They are a speeding up or redirection of natural forces demonstrating God is Lord of nature. Even Bible characters were skeptical and astonished showing they knew the same patterns of nature we experience. Unlike other history, Scripture is candid to tell both the virtues and vises of God’s spokesmen and leaders. Archaeology has verified many of the places, persons, events and chronology of Bible events.
.
 If we can read the Bible with an open mind, we can see its God’s message for our problem. It’s God’s authority for right living and offered us in the Lord Jesus Christ. He’s our God who walked among us; He’s the only hope and authority to change this wicked world.
.
In Christ, we have the only kind of evidence God could give if we are to know of His existence. With all our modern knowledge, we cannot predict exact details of a person’s life hundreds of years before. But the Jews knew many details of their expected Messiah, and should have recognized him. They were blinded by their desire for a king to throw off their problem of oppressing Romans and ignored the Savior of sinners. Are we in our pride any different? Further, they saw Jesus miracles, admitted their reality, but refused to acknowledge that they pointed to the God-man among them. Are we just as blind and self-willed as they were?
.
In Jesus, we have a Savior from all sin, peace with God in forgiveness of our guilt and shame, and the greatest love demonstrated in his death for us. We have assurance of eternal life in his resurrection, dignity knowing we’re in God’s image, and purpose in serving him and receiving eternal reward. No world religion or philosophy can assure us of these things—only Jesus. He gives us the motivation to live a clean, pure holy life and tell others of his grace. We have the Scripture to guide our lives. Won’t U submit to His authority? He will give U a better way of living and thinking and be your everpresent Guide throughout life. Say I trust U Lord Jesus Christ to be my Lord, Savior and Guide forever. You promised to never leave me (Matthew 28:19-20). Now I want to tell others of your great love, forgiveness and Heaven.
.