POWER: This changes everything!

To be or not to be ... that is the question

... not to be ...

I remember years ago I attended a church gathering at one of the institutional churches that I used to go to. John 1:12 was cited. A theological and religious explanation was given ... and everyone was either confused or misguided.

I was mind-boggled at that. I remember the minister trying to explain that the God-given power we had received, was in fact not the full power of God, but rather a delegated sort of power.

But he was so wrong.

According to the American Dictionary, the word delegate means to give a job or responsibility to someone in a lower position instead of doing it yourself. According to Merriam Webster it is to appoint as one's representative because you are not present. The problem with this kind of authority is that it is temporary and limited ...

But that is not at all what scripture says our authority entails ...

... and then again ... 

So, recently I listened to a grace teaching online. Again the speaker tried to explain the exact same thing, how that we have received delegated authority. He made it sound as if this is a real privileged kind of bestowment.

I just realized again that we Christians are so easily brainwashed in what we believe and that it's so hard to get out of that mindset just to get yourself to think differently about things. So, we rather prefer to listen to what others say and not to exercise our authority ...

On to how to interpret this very important piece of scripture

So, let's look at the scripture. John 1:11-13, talking about the Word (Jesus) Who became flesh and then also talking about us, says:

He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

I previously went to great lengths to explain the meaning of the Greek word for receive, lambanō, here and here.

So, my purpose of this post is to focus on the words that follow the receive part, i.e. “to them gave he power to become the sons of God”, with special emphasis on the word ”power (exousia)”. This word is on of the most mistranslated and misinterpreted words in the entire Bible.

But, let’s follow the context. The Word says to as many (hosos – meaning all, much, many great number, the more, whosoever, …) as received (my citing above on lambanō refers), him (autos – figuratively the idea of a baffling wind meaning the other, self, him, her) referring to Jesus 

to them – (autos) referring to those others who receive

gave he – (didōmi) where we get the word “dominion” from, meaning to give, to bestow, to deliver, to grant, to have power, to set ...

power – (exousia) meaning force, privilege, capacity, freedom … and in a legal terms, jurisdiction, power, right, strength and the peculiar one, delegated authority, but in context it was given to a Roman or Greek magistrate during the times of the Roman empire. However, this translation made its way into our Bible.

... but we can go deeper ...

The word exousia is actually derived from another Greek word exesti which gives us a little more insight into the real meaning of the word. Basically, the word means out of existence. There it is. The origin has nothing to do with delegated power or authority. Instead, it has everything to do with who we are in Jesus, our original design and existence. Our existence is out of Him.

In fact, the verse that follows couldn’t explain it better:

Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God!

It is not difficult

Question:   How did God create us right in the beginning?

Answer:     God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them (Gen 1:27). (Image in Hebrew is ṣelem (צֶלֶם) which means resemblance or representative figure. The pictograph depicts catch authority (or control) blood (or mighty). Well, that gives us a clear picture of the whole idea. Wow!

Question:   And what did God say once he created us?

Answer:    Be blessed

                Be fruitful

                Replenish

                Subdue

                Have dominion – (rāḏâ) rule, prevail, reign, take charge …

Subsequent to his creation man himself gave his authority away. Because the authority on earth was given to man (see part 1, part 2 and part 3 posts on man vs authority), a Man, Jesus, had to win it back again. And He did, reestablishing man.

... to be ... 

Jesus died on a cross so that mankind could inherit His power, not receive some kind of delegated power and authority.

And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power (exousia) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Mat 28:18

The authority you and I have received is by virtue of being heirs in the Kingdom of God (heirs of Abba). It is an inherited authority. There is a big difference between the two, because ours comes from being children ... not being servants. Ours is not delegated. It is inherited! 

Go ye therefore, …  Mat 28: 18-19

Is there a reason we keep denying what Jesus said?

Isn't that the reason that made John declare in 1 John 4:17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world?