Luke 20:1-4 “Now it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, “Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things? Or who is he who gave You this authority?” But He answered and said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me: The baptism of John—was it from heaven or from men?””
After Jesus cleansed the temple, the chief priests, scribes and elders came to Jesus demanding to know “by what authority” and by whose authority Jesus was doing these things. Jesus responded with a question, “The baptism of John- was it from heaven or men?” Their response is classic! “And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet.” So they answered that they did not know where it was from”, Luke 20:5-7. This dialogue brings up several interesting questions we need to consider.
- Is baptism “for the remission of sins” from heaven or man? (Mark 16:15-16,Acts 2:38, Acts 22:16, and 1 Peter 3:21) The Bible is full of commands and examples about baptism for remission of sins. Therefore, it is from heaven.
- Is instrumental music from heaven or man? The early church was commanded to sing, 5:19, Col. 3:16. Especially note John 4:23-24, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Notice 1 Cor. 14:15, “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding also.” Singing with instruments of music did not happen until the 12th century. Therefore, it is from man.
- Is the church from heaven or man? In 16:15-16, Jesus promised to build His church. In Acts 20:28 the Bible tells us he purchased it with His own blood. In Eph. 5:25 Paul wrote that Jesus gave Himself for her. The New Testament shows the relationship that Christ has with the church and that He built it and purchased it with His own blood. It is from heaven.
- Is the doctrine of “faith only” from heaven or man? The only time faith only is used in the Bible is in James 2:24 where James writes, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” In this chapter, the brother of Jesus discusses the relationship between faith and works. He concludes that man is not saved by faith alone. These are not works of merit but works produced by faith. Therefore, the “faith only” doctrine is from man.
With so many different doctrines being espoused in religion today, we need to ask ourselves this very pertinent question “Is this from heaven or man?”
Terry Jackson