The authority of the Christian
Psalm Twenty Four Verses One and Two : « {A Psalm of David.} The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.2For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods. » KJV
Psalm One Hundred Fifteen Verse Sixteen : « The heaven, even the heavens, are the LORD’S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men. » KJV
These Psalms teach us that God, at Creation, had authority on earth but in His sovereignty decided to keep the authority only in the heavens and delegate it to man on earth.
Genesis One Verses Twenty Six to Twenty Eight : « And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. » KJV
Psalm Eight Verses Six and Seven : « Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field » KJV
Genesis one and Psalm eight confirm that it is man who was supposed to rule the whole earth.
At the Fall, man gave authority to the devil on earth; and as a man (Adam) who lost it, another man (Jesus, the last Adam) had to come and take it back.
Luke four verses five to eight relates the temptation of the Lord Jesus by the devil. The word « power » in verse Six can be translated by « authority ».
Authority over the earth has been given to the devil. Moreover, if he did not have authority on the earth, what Satan proposed to Jesus would not have been a temptation for Him.
This passage also shows us that to exercise authority, one must know the Word of God and declare it as Jesus did.
Satan: in Ephesians two verse two, is called the « Prince of the power of air ». In Matthew nine verse thirty four, he is the « Prince of demons »; and in John twelve verse thirty one, he is the « Prince of this world ». The word “prince” comes from the Greek word « archontas » and refers to “the one in first place”, or “the one at the highest level of authority.
Satan is the supreme authority among the many evil spirits.
Matthew Twenty Eight Verse Eighteen : « And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. » KJV
These are the first words of the risen Christ to His eleven disciples. The resurrection of Jesus is the reconquest of authority that man had lost on earth in Eden. But verse Nineteen, Jesus once again immediately gave authority to man.
Matthew Twenty Eight Verse Ninetten : « Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost » KJV
Redemption is the foundation of our authority. Redemption is the restoration of lost rights in Eden.
Ephesians one verses twenty and twenty one tells us that Jesus Christ is, at this very moment, seated at the right hand of God in the heavenly places, risen far above all authority.
Ephesians One Verses Twenty and Twenty One : « Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come » KJV
Paul in Ephesians two verse six teaches us something extraordinary: God has made us sit in the heavenly places, in Jesus Christ !
Ephesians Two Verse Six : « And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus » KJV
This means that we too are sitting high above the authorities and dominations. They are under our feet!
The devil has authority only if he is given access. He can act only by cunning, with the consent of man. We are in a position of authority when we are in communion with Christ, when we aim for a life to which the evil has not access.
Authority is connected with identity: when we know who we are in Christ, we can resist the devil.
All those who use their authority know persecution. We do not have the physical strength to fight against this world of darkness but we have the authority to achieve it.
Jesus has given us authority by giving us the Name that has authority in heaven, on earth and under earth: His.
James Four Verse Seven : « Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. » KJV
It will be to the believer (not to God) to take authority and resist the devil in these three areas : thoughts, flesh and works of darkness.
The word of authority allows us to rule
Luke Four Verse Thirty Two : « And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power. » KJV
What characterized Jesus, more than miracles, was His Word of authority.
God asks us to rule over circumstances, situations, things that come against us, with the words of authority that come out of our mouths.
Many Christians, unfortunately, speak more of their problems with the devil, of fighting with the enemy, of the obstacles he has set before them, of the diseases he inflicts on them, etc. Their negative confessions declare, without even being aware of it, that the Almighty God, their heavenly Father, has failed.
We must continually declare who we are according to the Word of God. It is in this confession that we must hold firm.
Everything the Bible says about us is true and belongs to us. The Bible is a legal document, sealed once and for all by the Blood of Jesus Christ. We must still believe in our hearts what the Word of God says and declare it from our mouths so that it becomes a reality in our lives.
