Ephesians 1:19-23 “and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (20) which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (21) far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (22) And He put all things under His feet and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, (23) which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
In this section we want to discuss the fact that Jesus has delegated His authority in the earth today, to His church, and what that authority encompasses. We have already seen that all authority has been given to the Lord Jesus. Nevertheless there is more to it than that, because in the above quoted passage of scripture the apostle Paul teaches us that God has placed all things under the feet of Jesus and given Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body. So what does that statement mean? It simply means that the authority which Jesus has been given also extends to the church, which is His body. In other words, every member of the body of Christ has the same authority that Christ has, for Paul goes on to teach us that the church has been raised up together with Christ Jesus and been made to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ, far above all principalities, powers, might, dominion, and every name that is named (Ephesians 2:6). The clear implication of Paul’s statement is that all saints, both the saints in heaven and the saints living on the earth, having been placed over all things in Christ, are therefore partakers of Christ’s authority over all principalities, powers, might, dominion, and every name that is named.
Luke 10:18-20 “And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. (19) Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (20) Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
The context of the above quoted passage of scripture is that Jesus had sent the disciples out to preach the gospel; before sending them out however, the Lord gave them power to cast out demons and heal the sick. Upon their return, the disciples excitedly informed the Lord that even the demons were subject to them in His name, and so our Lord’s response to that statement is recorded in this passage. The point that I want to highlight from this passage however, is that the Lord Jesus confirms to us that He has given His church authority over serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. Jesus went on to explain who the serpents and scorpions i.e. our enemy are, for He told us that the spirits are subject to us. In other words because of the authority which the Lord Jesus has given to His church, Satan and his entire realm of demons are now subject to the saints.
Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.”
In the above quoted passage of scripture our Lord Jesus confirmed the truth to us that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him. When Jesus made that comment however, He then immediately told the church to “Go therefore”. In other words because all authority has been given to Jesus; as the Head of the church He expects the church to go out and exercise His authority in the earth. And really if the truth be told, if the church chooses not to exercise the Lord’s authority in the earth then no one else will. So why is that? The reason is because the Lord Jesus, the Head of the church, is currently seated at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. And so it is only through the church, which is His body in the earth, that the Lord Jesus can accomplish the work of God in the earth today. When our Lord Jesus came to the earth in the flesh, the mandate given to Him by the Father was to destroy the works of the devil, which is exactly what He did wherever He went (1 John 3:8). That mandate has not changed just because Jesus no longer walks the earth in the flesh, for Jesus still walks the earth today through His body, which is the church. And so it is through the church that Jesus continues to fulfil the mandate of the Father to destroy the works of the devil. And the reason the body of Christ can do that is because it has been endued with the same authority which the Head has i.e. the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Michael E.B. Maher
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