Authority

“The Lord continued His teaching on the matter of authority. He called His disciples together and instructed them about future things in glory. He said that, among the Gentiles, men seek for authority in order that they may rule over others. It is good for us to seek for the future glory, but we ought not have the thought of ruling or lording it over God’s children. To do so would cause us to fall into the state of the Gentiles. To exercise authority and to rule are the desires of the Gentiles. Such a spirit must be driven from the church. Those whom the Lord uses are the ones who know the Lord’s cup and the Lord’s baptism.”                            Watchman Nee, Spiritual Authority Over the past few weeks, I’ve been confronted with the concept of authority. Where does my authority come from? How much authority do I have and over what and whom? How do I exercise this authority in a Biblical way? When we look at God’s Word, we see that having and asserting authority has been part of our humanness from the very beginning. In Genesis 1:26, God said: “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule…” (NASB). In other words, God intended for us to have authority and to use it to the benefit of His creation. However, as we often do as humans, we have distorted and abused this gift. We have decided that if we have authority, we don’t have to submit to authority. Nothing could be further from the truth. When God decreed that we should rule His creation, He didn’t mean we no longer need to submit to His authority. He shared authority with us as part of His desire to have a relationship and enjoy fellowship with us as His children. However, God was, is, and always will be the final authority. Adam and Eve did not fully comprehend this truth – which is why they fell for the trap that Satan set them. By calling into question God’s instruction regarding the trees in the Garden of Eden, Satan directly opposed God’s authority. Ironically, Eve did take Satan’s suggestion to her authority, Adam. However, instead of taking it to God as their ultimate authority – together with Eve – Adam decided to draw his own conclusion, encouraged by Eve. The fruit of this was separation from God. When we step away from God’s authority, the only authority left is our own and that of the evil one. As Christians, we can usually discern between good and evil, which means that most of the time, we do not choose the authority of the evil one. The problem is that we still often choose our authority above God’s authority. We see ourselves as the answer. Our wisdom and reasoning become the weapon we use to navigate our lives and relationships and fight our battles. However, because we are only fallible human beings, this weapon is limited. When both spouses in a marriage relationship choose their own authorities, these two authorities come in conflict, because without God’s insight and direction, both parties become extremely self-centred. So, how should we think about authority as Christians? Going back to the Word, we see that the authority over every power and principality lies under the feet of Jesus, as mandated by God Himself: “And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything…” (Ephesians 1:22 NIV). In Ephesians 2:6-7(a), Paul extends this authority to those who follow Jesus: “And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus…” (NIV). To fully grasp what this means, we need to understand that we are hidden in Christ, as stated in Colossians 3:3 – “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (NIV) We therefore have authority because of Christ and not because of our own strength and wisdom. When both you and your spouse are hidden in Christ, you have a merged authority in Him. This means you can pray together with authority and act with authority. Nothing can stand against this merged authority that is rooted in God Himself. Any challenge you face as a couple must bow the knee to the King of Kings – the problem or obstacle does not rule you and it certainly does not have the last say in your marriage. By drawing on the authority you have in Christ you can overcome any trial in your marriage. The story of the Roman centurion who came to Jesus for help illustrates that even Gentiles at times recognise Jesus’s authority. The centurion didn’t want  Jesus to come to his house – he said Jesus must simply say the word and his servant will be healed. The reason why he said what he said is that he acknowledged Jesus’ authority, even though he was a Gentile and, importantly, in a high position of authority himself in the Roman government. (View the clip from “The Chosen”: https://youtu.be/NxuoOU4O3AY If a Roman centurion can bow to Jesus, how much more should we do this as born-again believers and followers of Jesus? Questions to think and talk about: 1. As a couple, do you have a victim’s or an overcomer’s mentality when you face challenges in your marriage or as individuals? 2. What can you do to make sure that you stay under the authority of Jesus? 3. To what things have you wrongly given authority in your marriage? Step into the authority of Christ and allow Him to show you that these things are now under His (and therefore your) feet.