Authority of Jesus Christ

No other person in history has the power and authority that Jesus Christ has.  The Bible says:

• "⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth" (Philippians 2:9-10 NIV).  
• God raised Jesus from the dead and "seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under his feet" (Ephesians 1:20-23 NIV).
• ³The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. ⁴So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. (Hebrews 1:3-4 NIV)

From those scriptures, we see that Jesus is:

• The Son of God
• Superior to the angels
• Heir to all things
• The One who made the universe
• The radiance of God's Glory
• The exact representation of God's Glory
• The One who sustains all things by His powerful word
• The sacrifice that bought our  purification from sin
• Now sitting at the right hand of God in Heaven

Jesus is superior to everything.  This includes Satan and the forces of  darkness that wage war against us daily (Ephesians 6:12; 1 Peter 3:22).  Jesus defeated Satan at the cross and will eventually bring every enemy under his feet.  These enemies will then be cast into the "Lake of Fire" (Revelation 20:14-15).  

Authority delegated: Jesus demonstrated God's authority in his ministry on earth.  He delegated that authority to his disciples and to anyone else who would believe in him.   Here are the details:

• Jesus has authority over all things:  Jesus claimed that all authority had been given to him in heaven and on earth in Matthew 28:18.  He then proved that authority by driving  demons out of people, healing the sick and forgiving sins.
• Jesus gave his authority to his disciples:  Jesus said, "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Luke 10:19-20 NIV
• Jesus gave his authority to those who believe in him:   This is an amazing benefit of believing in Jesus that was foreshadowed in Psalm 91:13: "You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot" (NKJV).  Jesus has given us the authority to trample Satan and his forces.   Here are some scriptures to back this up:

¹²But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the authority (power, privilege, right) to become the children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name--¹³Who owe their birth neither to bloods nor to the will of the flesh [that of physical impulse] nor to the will of man [that of a natural father], but to God. [They are born of God!]  John 1:12-13 AMP

"And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;  they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well."  Mark 16:17-18 NIV

The scriptures also give us examples of this authority in action:

¹When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, ²and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ⁶So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.  Luke 9:1-2,6 NIV

⁴⁹"Master," said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us."  ⁵⁰"Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you." Luke 9:49-50 NIV

Paul demonstrated this authority when he cast the spirit of divination out of a fortuneteller in Acts 16:18:  "She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!" At that moment the spirit left her"  (NIV).

Note that Christ's authority is given only to those who believe in him (John 1:12, Mark 16:17).  For example, the seven sons of Sceva attempted to cast demons out without having faith in Jesus.  They invoked his name like a magical word and were severely beaten up and chased away (Acts 19:13-16).  

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