Jesus: The One with All Authority

PS. DEZIREE CANTO | SEPTEMBER 06, 2026

When you hear the word authority, what comes to mind? A title? A badge? Raw power?

Think about a police officer standing in the middle of a jammed intersection when the traffic lights go out. He holds up his hand, and a line of heavy cars grinds to a halt. Why do drivers stop? It’s not because the officer is physically stronger than a truck. They stop because he has been given jurisdiction: the legitimate right to direct traffic.

Now, picture that same officer out of uniform, wearing jeans and a t-shirt, trying to wave cars through. Even if he knows exactly what he’s doing, nobody listens. He has the personal ability, but without visible, recognized authority, his commands carry no weight.

That distinction matters when we read the New Testament, which can actually uses two different words here:

• Authority (Exousia): The right, legal standing, or delegated jurisdiction to act.

• Power (Dynamis): Raw ability, physical strength, or miraculous capacity.

Authority is the right to act; power is the ability to act. Jesus has both in unlimited measure. But more than that, He holds total authority over all things.

Jesus Didn't Acquire Authority Later: He Always Had It

Jesus didn't suddenly get divine authority after the resurrection as a reward for a job well done. He held it from the very beginning. John starts his Gospel by taking us back before time:

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him." John 1:1–3

Jesus isn't just a good teacher whom God promoted along the way. He is God. Every star, every physical law, and every living creature came to be through Him.

You see this inherent authority all through the Gospels. Jesus spoke to people and they dropped their nets to follow Him. He forgave sins, healed the sick, silenced storms, commanded dark spirits, and raised the dead. People were stunned because He didn't teach like the legal experts of His day: He taught like someone who actually owned the message.

Yet, look at how He carried that right:

"Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant." Philippians 2:6–7

Kingdom Authority Upside Down

Human authority usually says, "I'm in charge, so you serve me." Kingdom authority says, "I have been given authority, so now I am free to serve The King."

Jesus showed His authority not by flexing His power, but by laying it down. He submitted completely to the Father's will, humbling Himself all the way to death on a cross (Philippians 2:8).

"No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord." John 10:18

The cross wasn't a tragic mistake or a moment where Jesus lost control. It was the ultimate demonstration of His authority: a deliberate choice to lay down His life to defeat sin once and for all.

Raised, Exalted, and Reigning Today

The story didn't end at the tomb. Jesus broke the power of death, rose again, ascended into heaven, and was placed in the supreme position over everything:

"Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name." Philippians 2:9

Jesus isn't sitting back in heaven waiting around for the end of history. He is reigning right now.

Ephesians 1:20–21 says God seated Christ at His right hand, "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion." That means no government, no broken situation, no spiritual force, and no private fear stands higher than Jesus. Nothing falls outside His lordship.

What This Means for Your Daily Life

If you belong to Jesus, His authority changes your standing entirely.

Paul writes in Ephesians 2 that God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in heavenly places. We are connected to Him like a body is connected to its head. As God’s sons and daughters, we are co-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16–17).

That means spiritual authority isn't something you have to manipulate, strive for, or earn. It's an inheritance you live out through your relationship with Him.

Here are some ways it plays out practically:

Start with Surrender

You can't walk in Christ's authority while trying to run your own life. Authority begins when we lay down our personal desires, submit to God’s authority and confess that Jesus is Lord.”

Align Your Will with God's

Jesus modeled this in Gethsemane. Operating in Kingdom authority isn't about getting God to stamp His approval on your plans; it's about getting your heart in line with His through prayer and Scripture.

Depend on the Holy Spirit

Believers are sealed with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13). Spiritual authority isn't a holy formula or a set of spiritual magic words. It comes straight out of a real, ongoing relationship with Jesus.

Get Moving on the Mission

Jesus tied His authority directly to action: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples..." (Matthew 28:18–19). His authority backs us whenever we step out to love people and share the gospel.

Rest in Real Confidence

If Jesus is King, then fear and anxiety don't get the final say. Christian confidence doesn't mean believing everything will go smoothly. It means knowing that whatever happens, Jesus is still Lord over it.

From Running Away to Standing Firm

Look at the apostle Peter. How does a guy who hid from a servant girl and denied knowing Jesus three times turn into a bold preacher whose very presence brought healing and transformation to Jerusalem?

It wasn't because Peter suddenly dug deep and found extra willpower. He met the risen Jesus. He was filled with the Holy Spirit. He stopped trying to save his own skin and surrendered to the King.

When you finally realize whose authority you're standing under, everything changes: how you pray, how you handle fear, how you face tough times, and how you treat the people around you.

One day, every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. But you don't have to wait for that day to arrive. Jesus is Lord today. And when He takes His place in your life, nothing else gets to dictate who you are.