It is extremely important that we understand the authority conferred to us by Christ so we can be effective for the Kingdom of God. To understand the authority of “Christ in us,” we must first understand the authority that Jesus operated in while on the earth. Many teach that Jesus operated in His own power and authority during His earthly ministry because He is God and the Son of God. However the scriptures show that Jesus operated in power and authority as a man empowered by God, not as God Almighty (which He is God Almighty). This article will give a detailed scriptural explanation of Jesus’ ministry empowered by the Holy Spirit, as He operated in the conferred authority of His Father.
Divinity
Jesus is God and when He came to the earth He took on a natural body. He was (is) fully God and also became fully man. When Jesus became a natural man, He (temporarily) gave up His omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience while retaining His divine nature in character and conduct at all times and in all things.
“Have this same attitude in yourselves which was in Christ Jesus [look to Him as your example in selfless humility], who, although He existed in the form and unchanging essence of God [as One with Him, possessing the fullness of all the divine attributes—the entire nature of deity], did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped or asserted [as if He did not already possess it, or was afraid of losing it]; but emptied Himself [without renouncing or diminishing His deity, but only temporarily giving up the outward expression of divine equality and His rightful dignity] by assuming the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men [He became completely human but was without sin, being fully God and fully man]. After He was found in [terms of His] outward appearance as a man [for a divinely-appointed time], He humbled Himself [still further] by becoming obedient [to the Father] to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8 AMP)
Jesus willfully choose to suffer for our sakes. He allowed Himself to be rejected, abused, mistreated, spoken against, ridiculed, spat upon, beaten, and killed. He become His own creation, which had turned away from Him, in order to save that creation. The love and humility it would take for the eternal God to come into a vessel of flesh and walk among us is beyond full comprehension.
Omnipresence
God is present everywhere at the same time. However, when Jesus humbled himself and entered a human body, He willfully gave up His omnipresence. He was only present at one location at one time. Jesus temporarily gave up this outward expression of His divine equality with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Jesus temporarily gave up His rightful dignity for our sakes, so He could become a sacrifice for our sins. During the 33 1/2 years Jesus was on the earth, He was obviously not omnipresent. The Father and the Holy Spirit were still omnipresent during this time period. Jesus chose to limit His own power, and as God He can do whatever He chooses to.
Jesus could still visit the Father in Heaven by means of His spirit leaving His physical body and being caught up to Heaven as Paul wrote of (2 Corinthians 12:2-4). The following scripture indicates this reality:
No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. (John 3:13 NKVJ)
Jesus had come down from Heaven to dwell in a limited physical body, but was in Heaven with the Father (at times). Jesus demonstrated how to walk in the Spirit as Paul and John experienced (Revelation 1:10).
Omnipotence
Jesus has infinite power and authority. However, while on the earth, He laid that power and authority down and only operated by the authority of the Father and the power of the Holy Spirit. One reason He did this was to model what His disciples could do if they were subjected to the will and purpose of the Father. Jesus did not operate in His own power and authority as the scriptures clearly prove:
“how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts 10:38 NKJV)
If Jesus had maintained His omnipotence He would not have had to be anointed by the Father with the Holy Spirit and power, in order to heal the sick and cast out demons. There are entire denominations that ignore this scripture and believe that Jesus did miracles because He is God. Jesus is God, but He didn’t do miracles because He is God. Jesus did miracles as a man anointed with Holy Spirit by the Father. Jesus is our Master and our example for all ministry. Jesus did not preach, heal the sick or perform miracles until after He was filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:1), and empowered by the Spirit:
“Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all.” (Luke 4:14-15 NKJV)
Jesus went as far to say that He couldn’t even do miracles apart from the Father telling or showing Him to do them:
“So Jesus answered them by saying, “I assure you and most solemnly say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself [of His own accord], unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever things the Father does, the Son [in His turn] also does in the same way.” (John 5:19 AMP)
Since Jesus had willfully laid down His power as the eternal Godhead, He couldn’t even heal someone’s fever unless the Father was healing that person’s fever. Jesus couldn’t do miracles at times because the Father wasn’t allowing Him to:
“And He could not do a miracle there at all [because of their unbelief] except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. He wondered at their unbelief. And He was going around in the villages teaching.” (Mark 6:5-6 AMP)
Obviously the Father could have done miracles among the people if He wanted to. He is God and God can do whatever He pleases. God can do miracles even if people are unbelieving. However, because the people were unbelieving, the Father didn’t want to do miracles among them. Therefore Jesus could not perform miracles because He could only do what the Father was doing.
The Temptation
Satan’s temptation of Jesus mainly revolved around one theme: “Do something in your own power and authority apart from what the Father is doing.” Satan knew that if he could get Jesus to act independently of the Father, the Godhead would be out of unity and the mission of Jesus would be unsuccessful:
“for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they ended, He was hungry. Then the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to turn into bread.” Jesus replied to him, “It is written and forever remains written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone.’ ” (Luke 4:2-3)
Then he led Jesus to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle (highest point) of the temple, and said [mockingly] to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here; (Luke 4:9)
The father was not turning stones into bread so Jesus didn’t take His power back and do something that Father was not doing. If He was to be an obedient Son, He could only do what His Father was doing. Satan used Jesus’ hunger to try and get Jesus to act independently of the Father. Satan also tried to get Jesus to act independently of the Father by coaxing Jesus into throwing Himself off of the temple, so that angels would save Him and everyone would see He was the Messiah. But that was not the Father’s plan, and if Jesus would have done that, He would have broke unity with the Father and been out of the Father’s will.
To carry true authority as a man, one must be completely submitted to the will of God — and only use that authority for what God is doing. As a man, Jesus modeled this for us. If God’s authority is used however man wants to use it, great evil and tragedy will occur. The key to authority being released is the denial of our self-life by partaking of the crucified life, and following our Master Jesus. We must learn from Jesus to stay under the hand of God, and only use authority when God shows us, leads us, or tells us to do so.
Authority
While healing the sick is largely an issue of power, casting out demons and forgiving sin is mainly an issue of authority. According to Jesus’ own words in John 5:19, He could only cast out demons and forgive a person’s sin if the Father was showing or telling Him to do so. Again Jesus tells us:
““I can do nothing on my own initiative or authority. Just as I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just (fair, righteous, unbiased), because I do not seek My own will, but only the will of Him who sent Me.” (John 5:30 AMP)
“But [Satan is coming and] I do as the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know (be convinced) that I love the Father and that I do only what the Father has instructed Me to do. [I act in full agreement with His orders.]….” (John 14:31 AMPC)
Jesus could not do anything on His own authority. Jesus did not heal one person, or cast out one demon, or forgive one sin on His own authority. The Father would issue a decision or judgment from Heaven and Jesus would then repeat that decision on the earth (and it would be done on earth as it is in Heaven). If a person’s sin needed to be forgiven before the person could be healed, Jesus heard the decision of the Father and repeated it. When He repeated it, the authority of the Father was released and a person’s sin would be forgiven (and their body healed):
“They brought to Him a man who was paralyzed, lying on a stretcher. Seeing their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], Jesus said to the paralytic, “Do not be afraid, son; your sins are forgiven [the penalty is paid, the guilt removed, and you are declared to be in right standing with God].” And some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man blasphemes [by claiming the rights and prerogatives of God]!” But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven and the penalty paid,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? [Both are possible for God; both are impossible for man.] But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority and the power on earth to forgive sins”—then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and go home.” And he got up and went home [healed and forgiven]. When the crowds saw this, they were awestruck, and glorified God and praised Him, who had given such authority and power to men.” (Matthew 9:2-8 AMP)
When God gives someone authority, a manifestation of God’s power will occur. The people praised God when they saw that authority was given to men (in this case Jesus). That verse was strategically put in the Bible by the Holy Spirit for a reason. The religious leaders were offended that God would give a man authority on earth to forgive sins. Jesus demonstrated to them that it is no more difficult for God to give authority to forgive sins than it is for God to give authority to work a miracle.
Jesus was not forgiving the man’s sins by His own authority. He was only saying what He heard the Father say. The Father told Jesus that the man’s sins were being forgiven in Heaven, and Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven.” Jesus did not say, “I forgive your sins.” He didn’t say “I” because He was only operating under the conferred authority of the Father and declaring what the Father was doing. We must take Jesus at His word and believe what He said to us. He said He could do nothing on His own authority (John 5:30).
For us to believe that Jesus forgave this man’s sins and healed him based on Jesus’ authority as God is to not believe what Jesus says to us in the scriptures. Not believing Jesus is sin. Only by the Father’s authority and Jesus agreeing with what the Father was doing was the man in Mark Chapter 9 forgiven and healed. Notice that Jesus referred to Himself as ‘the Son of Man’ and not ‘the Son of God’ in Mark 9:2-8. Jesus was showing us that this authority had been granted to Him as a man and that it was not Him as ‘the Son of God’ operating in this authority (although He has forever been the Son of God).
To the God who spoke and created the worlds, this was a small amount to power and authority being demonstrated. For example, if the Lord wants a man to part an ocean, and tells the man to speak it; it will happen. If the Lord gives someone authority and tells that person to command that a mountain be lifted up and cast into a sea, it will happen. For a God who has unlimited power and authority, performing a miracle or forgiving a sin is easy for Him. What matters is what He wants and what He says. Nothing is impossible for God.
Not only did Jesus forgive sins at various times when the Father was directing Him to do so, He gave authority to His disciples to do so as well:
“So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”” (John 20:21-23 NKJV)
This is a very clear scripture of conferred authority. Jesus has given this authority to His messengers before, and He can and will give it again. He chooses who He gives this authority to and He can do what He wants. Obviously no one can forgive a person’s sin but God, just as no one can heal a crippled man but God. When a minister has been given this authority by Jesus, he or she must remain under the hand of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit then directs these disciples to heal the sick, cast out a demon, or raise the dead. The disciple can only do what the Lord is doing, for a disciple can do nothing of himself/herself. A miracle is released, a sin forgiven, a dead body raised to life, or a demon is cast out; when a disciple (who has been given authority) sees what Jesus is doing and acts in obedience to His will.
If we desire to raise someone from the dead and pray for the dead person to be raised, then that person will not be raised from the dead. If the Lord desires to raise someone from the dead, then a person will be raised from the dead when we agree with the Lord and pray. The same is true with forgiving sin. If a man comes to a priest and confesses his sins, but hasn’t repented in his heart, the priest can say the man’s sins are forgiven yet the Lord didn’t actually forgive the sin. This would be an example of how this authority is misunderstood and misused by some in the church.
Omniscience
Jesus now has complete and unlimited knowledge, awareness, and understanding. However, when He came to the earth, He temporarily gave up His unlimited knowledge as the scriptures show:
“So He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the town. And when He had spit on his eyes and put His hands on him, He asked him if he saw anything.” (Mark 8:23 NKJV)
While the all-knowing God would not have to ask a blind man how he was seeing, Jesus had to ask. He had to ask because He didn’t know if the man was seeing anything. Here is another example of Jesus having to ask a question that He did not know the answer to:
“Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.” (Luke 8:30 NKJV)
Jesus asked the demon a question that He did not know, and received an answer. Clearly if Jesus knew the name of the demon He would not have needed to ask. This scripture proves that He gave up His ability to know everything while on the earth. Jesus demonstrated how a man is to walk in this life by receiving revelation and knowledge from the Holy Spirit. We are to hear and see what the Lord is doing so we can live by divine revelation. Jesus was perfect in walking this out because He was sinless. We are imperfect in following Jesus’ example because we have a sin nature to overcome. Regardless, we are still to follow our Master’s example as His disciples, and do our best to acquire divine revelation and knowledge from the Holy Spirit.
A final example:
““But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matthew 24:36 NKJV)
While Jesus was on the earth, His knowledge was limited. However, His omniscience is now restored since He is back on His throne in Heaven. If Jesus doesn’t know the day and hour of His coming (now) then He wouldn’t be an all-knowing God (and we know that He is an all-knowing God). Jesus laid down His rightful knowledge as the eternal Godhead while on the earth to fulfill the plan of the Godhead, which is why He didn’t know the hour of His return when the above scripture was recorded.
Conferred Power and Authority
Jesus modeled a ministry of a man fully submitted to the will and purpose of God. He was obedient to the point of death. Can we follow the Lord to this magnitude so that we can be entrusted with the power and authority from the Father? Will we yield to the Lord so we can be anointed with the Holy Spirit and power? We are not given power and authority because we read about it in the Bible. We are given it because we submit to Jesus and follow Him as disciples. The release of power and authority comes from the relationship, not our knowledge of the Bible. Will we follow Jesus to such an extent that Christ will do the greater works through us?
“Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.” (John 14:10-14 NKJV)
Again, Jesus clearly explains that He was not performing the works of power. The Father, who lived in Jesus, was doing the works. The Father in Jesus was forgiving sin, healing the sick, and raising the dead. And if we will follow Jesus like Jesus followed the Father, then Jesus will do greater works through us than He did while on the earth. Before the greater works can be released, we must understand that Jesus is the One who does the works through us. The works will be greater because He is now choosing to do greater works. Jesus will do greater works through those disciples who will give Him the credit, glory, and honor for the works (like He gave the Father credit). Let’s be a generation that denies our own fame, glory, and recognition and makes sure Jesus receives the reward of His sufferings.
We must have a revelation of Christ in us. Christ in us is the One who has the authority to heal the sick or cast out demons. Many Christians don’t seem to believe that God is in them for this purpose or perhaps in this way, nor do they fully understand the concept of us being a new creation. Believers may have ‘head knowledge’ that God lives in them, but many don’t have the ‘revelation’ of this truth in their inner-man. Christ in us can do whatever He desires to do if we are humble enough to submit to His will and ways. Jesus, walking on the earth as a man, submitted Himself to the Father (who dwelled in Jesus). Then the Father did all the works that occurred throughout the course of Jesus’ ministry. This is not my theology, it’s the words of Jesus.
Those who actually believe the words of Jesus will do greater works than Jesus. We must believe in Jesus, but it’s more than that. We must believe that He lives in us and that He is doing the works through us. When we truly understood the new creation and the eternal Godhead living in us, we will function in the faith and trust that Jesus demonstrated in relation to our Father. Loving God through obedience is the prerequisite for the Father and the Son living in us and releasing the works through us:
Jesus answered, “If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling place with him. (John 14:23 AMP)
If we are not a dwelling place for the Father and the Son, the works of God’s power and authority will not be accomplished through us. ‘Greater works’ will only be accomplished when we are fulfilling both John 14:23 and John 14:12. We must have both reality and belief. God living in us in fullness of Life and faith releases the ‘greater works’ of power.
The Two Witnesses
The Father will release some of the greatest authority He has ever given to man at this end of this age. He will give His two witness power so that fire will actually comes from their mouths and kills their enemies. Apparently there is a transition coming from how Jesus taught to treat our enemies in His ‘sermon on the mount,’ to how the enemies of God’s people will be treated in the final years of this age. We must be aware of the transition that is coming. We need to be in agreement with God as He transitions, just as was needed when He transitioned from the Old Covenant time period to the New Covenant time period. Failure to transition with God as His will shifts in the near future is going to put believers fighting against the will of God, which is a scary place to be.
And I will grant authority to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years), dressed in sackcloth.” These [witnesses] are the two olive trees and the two lampstands which stand before the Lord of the earth. And if anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouth and devours their enemies; so if anyone wants to harm them, he must be killed in this way. These [two witnesses] have the power [from God] to shut up the sky, so that no rain will fall during the days of their prophesying [regarding judgment and salvation]; and they have power over the waters (seas, rivers) to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every [kind of] plague, as often as they wish. (Revelation 11:3-6)
These witnesses will be given authority to release some of the greatest judgments ever seen upon the earth. They will operate in a similar level of authority that Moses and Elijah did, except judgments to be released ‘as often as they wish.’ Obviously these witnesses will be under the hand of the Lord and only doing what they see Him doing. If we are offended with the authority Jesus releases to His disciples in John 20:21-23, how offended will we be when the two witnesses are calling for terrible plagues to strike the earth? The Lord wants to prepare us now for the release of His authority so we don’t get offended.
Ruling with Christ
He who overcomes, and he who keeps my works to the end, to him I will give authority over the nations. He will rule them with a rod of iron, shattering them like clay pots, as I also have received of my Father; (Revelation 2:26-27 WEBUS)
He who overcomes, I will give to him to sit down with me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne. (Revelation 3:21 WEBUS)
Believers who have learned to stewart God’s authority in this life will be entrusted with great authority in the age to come. If we can’t overcome this world while properly handling delegated authority, we will not be entrusted with sitting on Christ’s throne and ruling the nations. If we pass the tests in this age, the Lord will give us authority over the nations in the Millennial Age to come. In order to receive this authority over the nations, we must show we can handle a measure of authority in this age. If we misuse authority we will not be entrusted with rods of iron to rule the nations with Christ. If we are afraid to even take delegated authority in this age, then we will not have the opportunity to pass the tests so that we can rule and reign with Christ on the earth for a thousand years. Authority will not be given to us in the next age unless we pass the tests in this age. The Lord does not give untested children authority to rule nations. He gives it to mature sons and daughters who have been proven.
Keys of Authority
I will give you the keys (authority) of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth will have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth will have [already] been loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19 AMP)
When the Lord makes this verse a reality to one of His disciples, that person will have the authority to bind (on the earth) those things that have been bound in Heaven, or release (on the earth) those things that have been released in Heaven. This is the authority that Jesus operated in and released to His apostles and some disciples. This is the essence of seeing what the Father is doing, and declaring it on the earth so that it happens. Unless this authority is personally given from the Lord, a person does not have this authority. Just like Peter didn’t have it until the Lord personally gave it to him.
Prayer
May the Lord release the keys to the Kingdom of God to those disciples of His choosing. Lord we need Your will to come forth and shine upon the earth. Let Your authority be conferred and Your will be done. May we see what has been done in Heaven, agree, and declare it; so that Your will manifests on the earth as You purposed before the worlds were formed.
-Ty Unruh (2023)
