The Royal Mandate: Exercising Inherited Dominion Through Christ's Finished Work
Kingdom dominion!
What?!
Do we even have dominion?
Yesterday, I was reading Matthew 28 (the very last verses of the last chapter of Matthew) where Jesus commissions us to go out and do the unthinkable. I re-read a note there that I scribbled way back: "Jesus has all the power (authority) and He gave us delegated authority and jurisdiction to overcome our obstacles in this world."
But that is not true!
We did not receive delegated power and authority. We received inherited power and authority. There is such a fundamental difference!
Delegated authority implies someone lends you their power for a specific task or period, and you operate under their watchful eye, accountable for its perfect execution, with the possibility of it being revoked. Inherited authority, however, means it's now yours by right of birth and relationship. It's not a loan; it's a gift, woven into your very identity in Christ.
Also, Jesus never delegated His power and authority in a way that suggests He's now absent, leaving us to fend for ourselves. Instead, He promised never to leave nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), because He lives right inside of us by His Spirit (John 14:16-18, Romans 8:9-11) – this is taking inherited power and authority inside to the next level! We are not just sent out with a task; we are sent out with Him within us, the very source of all authority. (I posted a three-part series about this back in 2014, Part 1, Part 2 & Part 3)
Dominion Defined: Our Rightful Rule in Christ
Dominion is the power that we have, the authority, control, the charge, and supremacy that we have over a given situation, a circumstance, or force of whatever kind. It's the kingly authority restored to humanity through Christ's victory – the very authority God gave Adam in Genesis 1:26-28 to rule over creation, which was lost in the fall.
We get a profound understanding of what it means to exercise dominion from the account of the centurion’s request for Jesus to heal his servant in Luke 7:1-10 (or Matthew 8:5-13). This man, a Gentile, grasped a spiritual truth that many of us, then and today, fail to understand and even ignore. In verse 8, the centurion articulated his understanding of dominion: "I also am a man set under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth [it]."
Notice his understanding:
- Authority is given (set): He was under authority, yet that position granted him authority over circumstances. This parallels our position: as co-heirs we share Christ's supreme authority, but better still, because we are in Him, we operate with His authority and have dominion over our circumstances.
- Authority then is enforced: He didn't plead with his soldiers; he commanded them. His word carried the weight of his rank and the empire behind him.
- Authority then is executed: When authority is enforced, the command is carried out. The centurion knew his word had power in his sphere of influence.
Jesus marvelled at this man's faith (Matthew 8:10), because he understood that if Jesus, by His word, could command sickness to leave, it was because Jesus possessed the ultimate authority. This is a vital lesson for us: the authority has been given to us in Christ, but it is not automatic. Even though we have it, we still have to use it. And let's take note of the only times Jesus marvelled in the Bible - only over great faith (Matthew 8:10, Luke 7:9) or unbelief (Mark 6:6).
The Adversary's Strategy: Preventing Our Use of Dominion
Not seeing results is like having dominion, but not using it, or using it wrong … or nurturing unbelief, which is what the Devil cultivates.
Like having a box of matches… you still have to open the box, grab hold of one, and strike it at the right end before you get the benefit of fire. The potential for warmth and light is there, but it requires an action to be manifested.
And of course, the forces of darkness would rather not have us use it or have us believe that we can't. Much rather, a lot of effort would be made by our adversaries to prohibit us, the holders of such dominion to use it, especially if the continuation of such darkness must be maintained. They wage war against our understanding and our bold confession, seeking to keep us ignorant of our true inheritance (Ephesians 6:12, "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."). But James
Christ's Great Commission: Inherited Power, Indwelling Presence
Just before ascending, Jesus came and spoke unto them, saying, "All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, [even] unto the end of the world. Amen." [Matthew 28:18-20 KJV]
What an awesome powerful promise!
I am sometimes perplexed at our ignorance over the words of Jesus. We often read "All power is given unto me" and stop there, failing to grasp the profound implication of the following command: "Go ye therefore..." The authority Jesus declared as His own is the very basis for our commission. The Greek word for "power" here is ἐξουσία (exousia), which signifies authority, jurisdiction, the right to act. Jesus, having accomplished His finished work on the cross, received all exousia – and then He didn't just delegate a task, but imparted His very presence and this same exousia to us, His body, to accomplish it.
Is He not our Teacher (John 13:13) and does He not, as our Teacher, live right inside us, reminding us of all He taught and said when He walked this earth, even showing us new things and things to come (John 14:26, 16:13)?
Do we hear His Voice?
Yet, we are often saturated in our man-made doctrine and religious unbelief, mixing up Truth and law. We become so bogged down in minutiae – the tiny details of theological debates or self-imposed rules – that we can't "see the forest for the trees," losing sight of the grand, glorious truth of Christ's finished work and our identity in Him. Or, conversely, we might be so absorbed in generalities or broad doctrines that we "can't see the trees for the forest," missing the practical application of His authority in our daily lives. Both extremes can cause us to lose touch with the practical realities because we get too absorbed in our doctrines, our theology, and church traditions, making the word of God of no effect (Mark 7:13).
Speaking to the Mountain: Exercising Dominion in Mark 11
Let's look at what Jesus says about taking dominion soon after He had cursed the fig tree, a powerful object lesson in authority. I will be expounding straight from the original Greek in brackets (Strong's).
We'll specifically look at the words Jesus uses for say, forgive, and mountain.
Mountain?
Yes, a mountain as the very object that should be addressed (to take dominion over) and in what manner. Every word of the Word is important!
Jesus says in Mark 11:23-25: "Verily I say [λέγω (legō) – to affirm, teach, advise, declare, a continuous process of speaking truth] unto you, That whosoever shall say [εἶπον (eipon) – a primary verb, used here in the aorist, denoting a definite, decisive, completed act of speaking or commanding; to speak or say (by word or writing): - answer, bid, bring word, call, command, grant, say (on), speak, tell] unto this mountain [ὄρος (oros) – a mountain, but metaphorically, anything lifting itself above the plain; an obstacle, a great difficulty, an imposing challenge, a stronghold, a seemingly insurmountable problem], be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith [εἶπον (eipon) – the definite, decisive command again]."
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. And when ye stand praying, forgive [ἀφίημι (aphiēmi) – an intensive form of the Greek word εἶμι (eimi) or eimi (to go), literally meaning to send away, send forth, disregard, command to leave, order to go to another place], if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive [ἀφίημι (aphiēmi)] you your trespasses."
Paraptōma: Our Trespasses, Sent Away
And what are these trespasses?
Trespasses is the Greek word παράπτωμα (paraptōma), which means a falling aside, a deviation from the right path, a false step, a transgression, an offense, or a sin. It encompasses anything that rises and deviates from the truth of who you are in the Truth (Christ) – any sin, sickness, adverse situation, or offense that defies your identity and position in Christ.
So, when Jesus says "forgive your trespasses" (aphiēmi your paraptōma), He's not just talking about receiving a feeling of forgiveness. He's speaking to our authority! He's saying: Send away your paraptōma! Command those deviations, those offenses, those sicknesses, those situations that challenge your truth in Christ, to leave! This is an act of dominion, empowered by the finished work of Christ where He has already dealt with all sin and its consequences. We are simply enforcing what He has already accomplished.
Remember this post on how to pray, where we discussed the difference between begging and demanding what's due? This is the heart of it.
Hearing His Voice: The Power of Declaration
As if this is not enough, the above teaching by Jesus is repeated in the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 17:20 & 21:22) where the exact same words are used for say, forgive, and mountain. This repetition underscores its critical importance.
Can you hear His Voice?
It makes you want to read and read again and just be built up in your inner being to speak to that mountain…
Different words have different meanings. We have already looked at the different words Jesus used for praying and asking here and here and here. These words are profound in their meaning and application and they have changed my perspective and my approach on life dramatically.
Words have meaning and power. And like the wise Solomon explained, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it and indulge it will eat its fruit and bear the consequences of their words" [Proverbs 18:21 AMP]. The words that we use ought to be used discerningly, aligning them with the power of Christ's finished work.
Discern your inherited authority in Christ…
And use it!