Authority is the God-given right to rule, command, or act on behalf of another, delegated for the accomplishment of God's purposes.
All authority belongs ultimately to God, the Creator and King of all things. He delegates authority to individuals and institutions according to His purposes, entrusting them with the responsibility to represent Him faithfully within the sphere He has assigned. Because authority is delegated, it is never autonomous and never absolute. Those who exercise authority are stewards, not owners, and remain accountable to the One from whom their authority comes. The highest expression of authority is found in Jesus Christ, to whom all authority in heaven and earth has been given, and under whose lordship every other authority must ultimately submit.
See in Scripture: Genesis 1:26–28; Daniel 4:34–35; Matthew 28:18; Romans 13:1–2; Ephesians 1:20–23; Colossians 1:16–18