[Drake]

Igzy) "Regardless, it establishes nothing about spiritual authority, unless you are someone who wants to abuse spiritual authority or someone who for some reason is willing to be abused by it. "

Igzy, that is just your opinion. You are ignoring the biblically obvious in favor of your private interpretation.

Let's consider this. Here is a man, Noah, who through faith built a big boat that saved the human race. Then he drank too much sangria and his son Ham did something that caused Noah to curse Ham's son but bless Shem and Japheth. A very long while later what Noah spoke in that curse and blessing came to pass. We see in the scriptures and human history the fulfillment of the curse and blessings.

That is authority and it can only come from God. In the New Testament a Roman Centurion asks the Lord Jesus to heal his servant. The Lord starts to go to the soldier's house but the soldier says it is not necessary because he, like the Lord Jesus, is also a man under authority and things can happen just by his word and they do. Therefore the Lord only needed to speak the word to accomplish the healing. What Noah spoke came to pass and therefore with him there also was authority. And since, it was related to the fulfillment of God's purpose in the bringing forth of the Messiah it is spiritual authority. When you pass somebody who has been pulled off to the side of the road by a policeman you know that authority has been exercised. It does not matter how much sangria the cop indulged in the night before or even if he is feeling a little irritable because of it. The Lord commended the faith of the Centurion because he recognized authority. All authority comes from God whether one recognizes it or not.

Drake