In Ephesians 1:21, the Bible says that Christ is exalted far above every–
- arche–someone who comes first (as in ‘arch-villain’), ruler. No matter who appears to be primary, Christ is ahead of them!
- exousia–authority. All authority has been given to Jesus (Matthew 28:18).
- dunamis–dynamic energy. The Lord Jesus Christ is more dynamic than any other figure of power!
- kuriotes–The authority of a lord. The English noun ‘church’ comes from this word–a place where Christ is Lord. You can name any spiritual dignitary that you like, but Christ is higher again.
- onoma–name, nominated person. Jesus is the name above all names (Philippians 2:9-11).
When we share Christ’s resurrection power, we share also in his great authority. Not in a physical sense, for we should not try to lord it over other people (Luke 22:24-27). But in a spiritual sense, every evil spirit, demonic power, sin, transgression and evil tendency is under the authority of Christ and therefore under our authority, too.
What an exciting concept! When we are in Christ, we are new creations. What a pity so many believers simply don’t know all this.
Often people are limping along with a sense of failure or despair, when God has already blessed us in every way that we need to walk tall, with heads held high, more than conquerors in Christ Jesus!
To read more on this topic see Living in the Image of God, Barry Chant (Miranda: Tabor, 2012 available in eBook and Paperback) from which this edited extract is taken.