He Wasn’t Ordained
The world gives titles. But the Spirit seals with identity — from the inside out.
Devotional Credit: E. Stanley Jones, In Christ
Photo Credit: Unsplash
E. Stanley Jones calls us to reconsider what it really means to be “set apart” for God’s work. He challenges the traditional institutional lens through which ordination is often viewed, pointing out that Jesus Himself, along with His disciples, was never ordained by the laying on of hands. Instead, Jesus was ordained by the Spirit—the anointing that came from above.
Jones warns that if ordination were merely the passing of authority through human hands, then even Christ would be disqualified from preaching in many pulpits today. But our faith does not originate in apostles or traditions—it begins and ends in Christ.
What we often call “apostolic succession” is human lineage. But “Christian succession” is divine: those in Christ are called, anointed, and set apart not by rituals but by relationship. The Holy Spirit is the only valid ordaining authority. In this light, the only qualification that truly matters is being in Christ. All other credentials are irrelevant if they do not flow from union with Him.
Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I have chosen you in Christ before the foundation of the world to walk in the good works I prepared for you. You are My workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, not because of lineage or human recognition, but because of My Spirit who lives within you. My anointing abides in you, and you do not need anyone to qualify what I have already affirmed.
It is not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit. The world may question your authority, but I have made you sufficient as a minister of the new covenant—not of the letter, but of the Spirit. I have called you holy and set apart, not because of a ceremony, but because of My presence in you.
You are a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for My own possession. Do not look to human structures to define your calling. Look to Me. I have given you My Spirit as the seal of your belonging and the source of your commission. You are in Christ, and that is enough.
(Scripture references: Ephesians 1:4; Ephesians 2:10; 1 John 2:27; Zechariah 4:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6; 1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 1:13)
Real-Life Analogy
Think of the difference between receiving a plastic name tag and having your name written into a family’s will. A name tag grants you temporary access based on appearance—it can be revoked or reassigned. But a name in a will declares you as family, permanently part of the inheritance.
In the same way, the world may offer credentials, ceremonies, and external signs to confirm a person’s authority—but none of these compare to the internal confirmation given by the Holy Spirit. His presence is your lasting identity. Your ordination is not stuck on with tape; it is sealed in your spirit by grace.
Prayer of Confidence
Father, thank You that I am not dependent on man’s approval to walk in the works You prepared for me. I rest in the security that comes from being in Christ—chosen, sealed, and sent by Your Spirit. I rejoice that I don’t need human ordination to carry Your presence into the world. My union with Christ is my authority. Today, I walk with confidence, knowing that Your Spirit anointed me from the inside out.