No matter how much a person would like to feel like a “free person” who “does not bow before authorities”, all the same, one cannot do without authorities. After all, even "their own opinion", which people who consider themselves independent are so proud of, is formed under someone's influence. Believers are no exception.
The person, on whose opinion a given person is oriented, in psychology is called a "reference person". The circle of reference persons is as individual as personal qualities, and yet it is possible to indicate some features characteristic of certain social groups - in particular, for believers.
God as a reference person
A feature of the circle of reference persons inherent in the personality of a Christian is the fact that the "center" of this circle is outside of humanity. No matter how much a Christian respects this or that person, God will always be the highest authority for him.
The situation is especially painful when the authority of God comes into conflict with the authority of significant loved ones, especially parents. This happened, for example, with the holy Great Martyr Barbara of Iliopolis: a pagan father publicly denied his Christian daughter, gave her to torture, and even executed her with his own hand.
Of course, God very rarely communicates his opinion to people directly - not every saint has this happened, what can we say about ordinary people. Fortunately, there is Holy Scripture, where the opinion of God regarding certain human actions is clearly and understandably stated. After all, these actions are not so diverse: all people experience desires, look for ways to satisfy them, love and hate, quarrel and reconcile. In the commandments given by God to humanity, one can find an adequate assessment of any deed.
Priests
No matter how wise the Holy Scripture was, it was written many centuries ago; a lot of things in it may be incomprehensible to a modern person. In addition, it has withstood several translations. That is why, in order to understand the Word of God, a person needs an advisor who has studied in detail the Bible itself, and the numerous works of its interpreters, and the ancient languages into which it was translated - in a word, everything that is necessary for its understanding. Such a person is a priest, who also becomes a reference person for a Christian.
The authority of a priest is associated not only with his special spiritual education, but also with impersonal (that is, not related to personal qualities) holiness communicated through the sacrament of ordination (ordination). This sacrament is not just the appointment of a person to the office of a priest, but his acceptance of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. The first Christians to accept these Gifts were the apostles - the disciples of the Savior, who directly communicated with him in His earthly life. Thus, the authority of a priest in the eyes of a Christian is a reflection of the authority of God.
Of course, this authority cannot be absolute: one must remember that a priest is also a person who can sin and be wrong. But this is why love exists, to forgive one's neighbor's sins and mistakes.
