As believers, we do not know how to react as we are witness to the weaknesses and unpreparedness of our supposed technological advancement in addressing the problems of our days: although, knowledge has increased exponentially? Even now, the world is looking up to the average believer to proffer authoritative solutions to the pandemic crisis afflicting the entire population of the earth. But what they cannot reckon with is that true spiritual knowledge is declining faster than expected in the world, even among believers.
In our age and time, it is easier to spot the difference between Christianity and secularism because there is none and the line of separation is fast eroding. How can this phenomenon be explained despite all the spiritual blessings the members of the body of Christ have received remains a mystery deep to unravel?
The fallout extends to the relativity seen in the world, even the Church, using words in and out of context to define events differently from what they truly mean without incurring consequences. One of those words is authority and power as they relate to personal identity and the empowerment of the believers to interact freely with individuals and groups in communities around the world.
Identity and authority as a concept have suffered in our Christian community in ways that limit the contextual meaning. However, in order to make sense of the relationship between the workings of our core identity and authority in Christ, it is necessary to understand what the Bible means by the word authority.
First, the academic literature defines the word authority as power delegated, or right to use power, give orders, decide, and enforce obedience and order within a sphere. We can define it also as power received to influence others, or the recognition accorded to someone over the knowledge they possess about something.
However, the Greek language clearly differentiates between both words, calling the authority "Exsousia" and power "Dynami", each with meanings different from the other. Hence, spiritual authority is the right given to use the power of God towards the administration of governments, believers, and individuals. In our Christian world, we know and recognize all humans are subject to human and spiritual authority. But the Bible fully declares the authority of Christ transcends all authority in heaven and earth.
For Christ has authority above and over, all human and spiritual governments, on earth and in heaven, including individuals and believers. The Bible says God gave Him authority over all flesh (John 17:2), He Himself said after the resurrection, "God has given Me all authority in heaven and earthâ (Mat 28:18). Hence, it is important as members of the body of Christ to recognize the spiritual authority and power given to us by Christ. This is the basis of the authority and power of the believer to engage the spiritual forces of wickedness. Therefore, the Spirit of Christ is the sole agent empowering believers identified as the children of God to do exploits.
But having authority without power is meaningless, and so Jesus gives His church, both His power of the Holy Spirit and authority in His name. The power of the Lord came by the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. While the Lord released the authority to believers in His name based on His resurrection from the dead. Whenever believers invoke the name of the Lord Jesus Christ in prayer is an appeal to the authority of God. The name is the seal of the authority of believers. The Bible says every knee shall bow and tongue confess that authority.
The Bible as a witness declares our Lord Jesus has all authority on earth (Mat 28.18). This cut across everything on earth, both visible and invisible. His authority is above all human governments. The same authority He shared with His disciples is true today for the believer. He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all the demons (Luke 9:1) and that includes every believer from the day of Pentecost under the second coming.
The authority of Christ given to the believers is a delegated authority. The Lord gave the authority to believers in trust. The Lord delegated it to us for the advancement of the kingdom of God on earth. Therefore, we are accountable to God for the use and misuse of our authority.
Therefore, Our Lord has given to everyone redeemed by His blood the legal basis to use His authority both spiritually and physically. Since it is a grace gift and Sonship right to the purchased possession. For the Lord Jesus said in the Book of Luke 10: 19, "I have given you Power {authority} to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over the (Authority} power of the enemy and nothing can hurt you" (Luke 10:19).
Now the failure experienced by many believers is that it is impossible to activate authority without having a recognized identity in the spiritual realm. Because the power of darkness can rubbish your authority if you are ignorant of your identity in Christ.
This means that no man can use the heavenly authority of God without having a relationship with God based on the finished works of Christ. The Bible says we can do nothing, except we unite with the Lord from above. It is also true our unity with the Lord Jesus empowers the strength of our authority. Therefore, we can have nothing except God give them to us from above.
Therefore, our authority in Christ organizes and drives itself through our accepted identity in Him. Besides, our authority comes alive when defined by identification sealed in Christ. In the same way, by the faith of the Lord Jesus, we can derive our identity, accept, and embrace it according to the purpose of God's authority and power. Thus, the interaction between authority, power, and identity in Christ remains unbroken and viable when derived in the Lord.
Since our authority in the spiritual and natural world cannot stand without the power of the finished works of Christ Jesus. On that basis, when we become born-again believers, we receive a new identity sealed in heaven. The new identity enables us to tap into the resources of heaven to accomplish the purpose of God on earth. Which includes the power of Christ released to the Church. Our standing becomes assured and our state undiminished because of our identification with Christ.
For this reason, the enemy and the world seek to form other identities to justify their authority and power over ignorant believers. They use the crude method of manipulating and falsifying identity to sustain authority over the vulnerable believers, people, ethnic groups, and nations. This works through redefining and misrepresenting identity to those ignorant of the connection it has with creation and redemptive works of our Lord. That way people, including the unlearned believers, can lose the bonding it has with the power of the Lord.
Therefore, we see that the world uses assumed, stolen, and illegal power and authority to create and define identity, whereas God uses His power to define identity, authority, and power as in the Lord Jesus. Thus, having authority without an identity is a snare, but identity in Christ is the backbone of the believer's executive authority and the good soil for spiritual maturity.
