The church leader’s authority is not ultimate. Nor is it intrinsic. It is relative and derivative. His authority is relative to the authority of this book. It is derived from the clarity of this book. In other words, the church’s leaders are never allowed to say, “Because I say so.” They can only say, “Because God’s word says so.” To the degree that they can say that with certainty, they exercise real authority and must be heard and obeyed.
