Authority
of the Believer
Tim Greenwood
| Note: Due to
the length and depth of this subject -- We have published this in outline
form to be used as a guide for your own bible study on this subject, rather
than in article form. We hope you find it useful. |
I. Genesis 1:26-31-Adam
receives authority.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man
in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over
all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own
image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Gen 1:28 And God blessed them, and God
said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and
subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over
the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the
earth.
Gen 1:29 And God said, Behold, I have given
you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and
every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to
you it shall be for meat.
Gen 1:30 And to every beast of the earth,
and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the
earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and
it was so.
Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he
had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning
were the sixth day.
A. God creates, then delegates
His authority to man.
B. Psalm 8:3-9-The authority was in His
Name.
Psa 8:3 When I consider thy heavens,
the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
Psa 8:4 What is man, that thou art mindful
of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psa 8:5 For thou hast made him a little
lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Psa 8:6 Thou madest him to have dominion
over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
Psa 8:7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the
beasts of the field;
Psa 8:8 The fowl of the air, and the fish
of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
Psa 8:9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent
is thy name in all the earth!
II. Adam's treason (Genesis 3:6; 1 Timothy
2:14).
Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the
tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree
to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did
eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did
eat.
1 Tim 2:14 And Adam was not deceived,
but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.
III. Satan’s rule (Luke 4:6; 2 Corinthians
4:4).
Luke 4:6 And the devil said unto him, All
this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered
unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.
2 Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this world
hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
IV. The Incarnation.
A. Jesus was the last Adam (1
Corinthians 15:45-47).
1 Cor 15:45 And so it is written,
The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
spirit.
1 Cor 15:46 Howbeit that was not first
which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which
is spiritual.
1 Cor 15:47 The first man is of the earth,
earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
B. Jesus passed the test.
V. The sacrifice.
A. Hebrews 2:14.
Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the
children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took
part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the
power of death, that is, the devil;
B. Philippians 2:8.
Phil 2:8 And being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross.
C. John 10: 18.
John 10:18 No man taketh it from
me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
D. Second Corinthians 5:21;
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him
to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him.
Isa 52:14 As many were astonied at thee;
his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the
sons of men:
E. Galatians 3:13-14.
Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written,
Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
Gal 3:14 That the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive
the promise of the Spirit through faith.
(Dut 28:15-The curse of the Law)
VI. The new creation.
A. 1 Tim 3:16
1 Tim 3:16 And without controversy
great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified
in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on
in the world, received up into glory..
B. Hebrews 1: 1-12, 2:9.
Heb 1:1 God, who at sundry times
and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,
Heb 1:2 Hath in these last days spoken
unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom
also he made the worlds;
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness of his
glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by
the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down
on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Heb 1:4 Being made so much better than
the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than
they.
Heb 1:5 For unto which of the angels said
he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again,
I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?
Heb 1:6 And again, when he bringeth in
the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God
worship him.
Heb 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who
maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
Heb 1:8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy
throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the
sceptre of thy kingdom.
Heb 1:9 Thou hast loved righteousness,
and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with
the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
Heb 1:10 And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning
hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of
thine hands:
Heb 1:11 They shall perish; but thou remainest;
and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;
Heb 1:12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold
them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years
shall not fail.
Heb 2:9 But we see Jesus, who was made
a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with
glory and honour; that he by the grace
C. Ephesians 1:16-23, 2:5.
Eph 1:16 Cease not to give thanks
for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and
what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness
of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty
power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when
he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only
in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under
his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness
of him that filleth all in all.
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins,
hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
D. Jesus gained authority over Satan's kingdom
and is exercising that authority through the believer.
VII. The image of God.
A. Genesis 1:26.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us
make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over
the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon
the earth.
B. Hebrews 1:3.
Heb 1:3 Who being the brightness
of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things
by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down
on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
C. Romans 8:29.
Rom 8:29 For whom he did foreknow,
he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that
he might be the firstborn among many brethren.
D. Second Corinthians 4:4.
2 Cor 4:4 In whom the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light
of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine
unto them.
VIII. The righteousness of God (2 Corinthians
5:21; Romans 5:17).
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin
for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him.
Rom 5:17 For if by one man's offence death
reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of
the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.
IX. Created in Christ Jesus-in His image,
in right-standing (righteousness).
A. Ephesians 3:15.
Eph 3:15 Of whom the whole family
in heaven and earth is named,
B. Mark 16:15-20.
Mark 16:15 And he said unto them,
Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
Mark 16:16 He that believeth and is baptized
shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
Mark 16:17 And these signs shall follow
them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak
with new tongues;
Mark 16:18 They shall take up serpents;
and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall
lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Mark 16:19 So then after the Lord had
spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right
hand of God.
Mark 16:20 And they went forth, and preached
every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs
following. Amen.
C. John 16:23
John 16:23 And in that day ye
shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall
ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
D. We have His Name and His authority.
The whole right to use someone’s name is the whole right to his complete
authority (power of attorney).
E. Ephesians 1:16-23.
Eph 1:16 Cease not to give thanks
for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
Eph 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of him:
Eph 1:18 The eyes of your understanding
being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and
what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
Eph 1:19 And what is the exceeding greatness
of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty
power,
Eph 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when
he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly
places,
Eph 1:21 Far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only
in this world, but also in that which is to come:
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things under
his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
Eph 1:23 Which is his body, the fulness
of him that filleth all in all.
X. Beneath His feet.
A. Ephesians 1:22.
Eph 1:22 And hath put all things
under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the
church,
B. Hebrews 10:10-13.
Heb 10:10 By the which will we
are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for
all.
Heb 10:11 And every priest standeth daily
ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never
take away sins:
Heb 10:12 But this man, after he had offered
one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;
Heb 10:13 From henceforth expecting till
his enemies be made his footstool.
C. First John 4:4.
1 John 4:4 Ye are of God, little
children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you,
than he that is in the world.
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