A phrase that has come from days gone by is "the power behind the throne". The meaning is revealed as we consider that the one who sits on the throne may have the titular authority but does not or cannot exercise the power to accomplish his will. The king may be said to have the authority to run his kingdom, but if there is a second personality who makes the actual decisions and sees to it that they are carried out, then the true power is out of sight or "behind the throne.
Power and authority are not always in the same hands. Likewise responsibility and accountability at times are left to fend for themselves in the process of accomplishing tasks especially if they are separated from the first two concepts. We may all have experienced at one time the frustration that arises when we are given the responsibility to accomplish a task only to be denied the authority and power to guide it to completion.
Authority without power is a mockery. Power without authority often becomes self-centered and cruel. Power without accountability is synonymous to a dictatorship. Responsibility without power is frustration. Responsibility without accountability will often result in nothing accomplished.
Relationships and social designs are perhaps often, even always, defined by how these four words interplay. As soon as two individuals meet, these four words take on a role in the relationship. Cain asked if he was expected to be his brother's keeper. He had already exercised the power to kill him even though he had not been given the authority to do so. Now he was asking if he was responsible for his brother and would be expected to be accountable for whatever had happened to him.
The Model Prayer of Jesus leads one to see a recognition that power and authority belong first and foremost to the heavenly Father. The self-focused requests point to an acknowledgement that daily needs must be met by the hands of the Father. At the same time we are responsible for and will be held accountable for the way we are willing to forgive those who have sinned against us.
The individual's use of power must be controlled by the understanding that all power ultimately resides in the hands of God. He has that power by virtue of his nature, who he is, and with that power comes the authority to use it. The power and authority that individuals seek to exercise are by permission only and will come under the divine judgment as he holds us responsible for what he has placed in our hands and will hold us accountable for their use.
Our freedom as individuals in general and as Christians in particular must be seen in this light. We are free to act but our freedom both in the present and in eternity is limited by the nature of God and we will be held accountable for digression from that nature. We can use our freedom to live and make decisions being guided by that nature or we can use our freedom to live contrary to it. Having the power to do either does not remove the fact that we are responsible for our actions and will be held accountable.
Therefore it is of critical importance that we understand the nature of God, his own power and authority, and the grounds by which he will hold his creation responsible for its actions. We will be held accountable. Making up our own sets of rules will never change God and his plan for his creation. He will declare the last judgment.
