01.22. The Limitation of Authority

Let it ever be held in mind that the authority committed to the believer is over the powers of the air, and never over his fellow men or their wills. He is called to bind the unseen forces, but to deliver his brethren. Satan’s constant aim is the subjugation of the human will to himself; God’s purpose is the full liberation of the will that the freed spirit, through glad acquiescence in the Divine Will, may glorify his Creator. Human control of the will of another, as manifested in hypnotism, etc., is obtained through the use of occult powers latent in the soul, and is as unlawful for the Christian as wizardry and necromancy, which are directly forbidden in the Word of God. Following are a few simple examples of authority in exercise.