Authority

Authority is the moral or legal right or ability to control.

What kind of authority does Jesus have?

Matthew 28:18 (NLT) Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.

Jesus has all authority, both in heaven and on earth. He has the right and the power to accomplish anything He wants. We saw this time and time again in scripture. He healed the sick. He raised the dead. He walked on water. He has authority over illness, the natural world, life and death. He has the authority to forgive sin. We also know that He will eventually bring everything under His control when He rules and reigns on earth.

What about us? What authority do we have in Christ?

Matthew 10:1 (NLT) 1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.

Jesus gave His disciples authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal the sick. Do we have this same authority>?

Mark 16:17-18 (NLT) 17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. 18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”

This clearly states that all believers have this same authority. Is this the extent of our authority? Consider the following passage:

Matthew 28:18-20 (NLT) 18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. 19 Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 20 Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Some read this as saying that Jesus is giving all His authority to us. Some disagree, but consider these passages:

Matthew 21:21-22 (NLT) 21 Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. 22 You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”

Luke 17:6 (NLT) The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you!

These passages both make clear that we have great authority. We may not know for sure the full extent of the authority we have in Christ, but it clear that it’s more than we can imagine. Consider also the following passage:

Luke 10:19 (NLT) Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you.

Jesus make it absolutely clear that we’ve been given authority over all the power of the enemy. Clearly we have great authority in Christ. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always seem like we do. What can hinder the authority we have? Consider the following passage:

Mark 11:23-25 (NLT) 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”

We have great authority, but in order to exercise that authority we need two things. First, we need faith. Second, we can’t have un-forgiveness in our heart. If we lack faith, or haven’t forgiven someone, our authority will be weakened. In fact, some things require great faith:

1 Corinthians 13:2 (NLT) If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I understood all of God’s secret plans and possessed all knowledge, and if I had such faith that I could move mountains, but didn’t love others, I would be nothing.

Moving mountains requires great faith. Presumably, any great exercise of authority requires a corresponding amount of faith. But if we have that?

Matthew 17:20 (NLT) “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”

But if we have great faith, and a heart free from forgiveness, nothing would be impossible. On the other hand, if we don’t have faith in God alone we’ll be hindered:

James 1:5-8 (NLT) 5 If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. 7 Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8 Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

We need faith to please God, and we need faith to exercise the power and authority we’ve been given in Christ.

There’s also another way we can lose our authority - through sin:

Ephesians 4:26-27 (NKJV) 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.

We’ve been given all authority over the enemy, but if we sin, we allow the enemy to enter in. When Adam sinned, he gave the authority over the earth, that he had been given, to the enemy. Likewise, when we sin, we give the enemy authority over our lives. In order to regain our authority, we must confess our sin, be forgiven of our sin, and be cleansed. Fortunately, God makes that available to us in Christ:

1 John 1:9 (NLT) But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

We have been given great authority in Christ, perhaps even unlimited authority. In order to use this authority, we must have faith and a forgiving heart. Clearly, in order to take advantage of this, it should be our aim to grow in faith, and to forgive everyone who has hurt us, for the more authority we have, the more we can accomplish for the kingdom of God.

Further Reading