Power Is Not Authority

I've been told by so many people that power and authority are the same thing, yet I tend to disagree. Power is not Authority. Power deals with might, and Authority deals with right. I've studied this back to the Greek a little bit, and the King James does not always make a clear distinction between the use of the Greek words. If you go to Webster's, it's hard to even make a distinction between the two, but I think the distinction is not merely necessary, but is vitally important, and cannot be overlooked.

Power is the ability to accomplish.

Authority is the right to use power.

Here is a perfect example that power and authority are not synonymous.

Let's say I have a gun in my hand, and I walk up and shoot somebody in the head. Now - you wouldn't need to argue that I had the power to do that, because my power was quite obviously displayed! BUT - Did I have any authority or any right to pull the trigger?

Now let's say that I have that same gun in my hand, and I walk up and shoot somebody in the head. But this time that somebody was a thief who broke into my house, and was trying to harm my wife and kids. Now - you can still say that I had the power to pull the trigger, BUT - now let me ask - did I have any authority or right to do pull the very same trigger?

Some may argue, that I still did not have the right to pull the trigger, but I will not deal with that logic right now. The example is quite clear, that just because one holds the power to do something, that does not make it right. Might does not make right.

If authority and power were synonyms, then the rules, or determining right from wrong would be left to those with the greatest display of power. Can anyone see why this theory is flawed? This theory is flawed, because the intent of men's hearts is wicked. They want to write their own law for their own purposes. If power is the only prerequisite for gaining authority, then Nero, Hitler and Huessein were not in error. They had power, therefore they were right - right?