A Christian’s Authority

When the centurion told Jesus that He only needed to say the word and his servant would be healed, Jesus saw in him something that amazed Him. This man had a profound understanding of what authority is. As a soldier, he knew all about being in command. He could give orders to those under him and expect total obedience: ‘I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I say to this one, “Go!” and he goes, and to another “Come!” and he comes, and to my slave “Do this!” and he does it.’

What was so significant is this: He didn’t say ‘I am a man with authority’ but ‘I am a man under authority’. If he stepped outside the boundaries set by his superiors, he would have no authority. The little word ‘too’ is significant. He recognised that Jesus was also ‘a man under authority’. For that reason, if Jesus commanded healing, healing would follow.

The key to Jesus’ astonishing fruitfulness in everything that He did and said was His unswerving submission to His Father’s will. It was His ‘food’ to do the will of Him who sent Him (John 4:34). He was always under His Father’s authority.

God wants His children to be able to pray with authority, to speak with authority, to live lives that demonstrate that they have authority over the enemy.

Paul says, ‘We are Christ’s ambassadors’ (2 Corinthians 5:20). Ambassadors represent their nations’ governments. They only have authority when what they say and do is within the boundaries set by their governments. We only have authority when what we say and do is obedient to God. This requires that we bring every part of our lives under His lordship. James 4:7 says, ‘Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you’. It’s only when we are submitted to God’s authority in our lives that we can effectively resist the enemy.

It's a challenging question, isn’t it? Who has the ultimate authority in my life? Can I truly say, “Jesus is Lord – Lord over everything?”