No ordinance can be performed to the acceptance of God without divine authority. Authority in these cases presumes control by virtue of assigned position. Authority is strength, might, or control of resources. Authority in this sense connotes superiority or stature above another resulting from acquisitions, possessions, or physical strength.
Authority is expertise, as in the case of an expert on a subject.
Authority is a divine commission or calling from God. As Christ's authority was based on power from on high, so does the Church rest its claim as the only true and living church upon possessing the divine authority to act for God. This authority differentiates the Church from all others. Other systems and organizations may possess other types of authority, but the divine authority associated with Christ's church, the priesthood, resides only in this one. An explanation of the characteristics of divine authority helps clarify the claims of the Church.