All Authority in Heaven and on Earth: Scriptural View of Authority

By Ron Craig

Due to the many misunderstandings regarding the subject of authority in both the world and the church today, this book had to be written to dispel many of those dubious ideas about, and misuses of, authority in both realms. In place of such erroneous concepts and practices, this book offers literally hundreds of Scripture passages that address the issue with divine truth, which cannot be lightly dismissed. Thus, this book dispels the prevailing darkness surrounding that subject by turning on the gospel light. All those who are honest with themselves and God will surely read and heed!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 27, 2009
• ISBN: 9781465326560

Ron Craig

I was called into the Gospel ministry in 1970, at the age of 25. I got a Bachelor of Arts degree and then attended a Charismatic Bible School. For twenty years now, I have been a home-church pastor, and have published 9 Christian books; and plan to keep writing. I also have two YouTube video channels, presenting more Bible-revelation truth.

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CONTENTS

First Words

Introduction

I Stating the case

II Principles of Bible comprehension

III Authority was never the issue!

IV What really happened in the Garden!

V Authority under the Old Testament

VI Jesus could not save what was not lost!

VII Let Jesus explain the reason He came.

VIII Getting to the root of man’s problem

IX A problem’s nature dictates its solution.

X Did Jesus give authority to the church?

XI Satan’s activities then and now

XII Satan owns nothing!

XIII The genius of God’s way

XIV A house divided

XV Right use of authority

XVI Satan’s defeat

Summary

Last Words

Acknowledgements

I acknowledge first of all Jesus Christ, Who is my Lord; and Who has given me the revelations contained within this book. I also want, of course, to thank my wife and all of the other members of Living Way Fellowship for their sustained patience and support. I wish next to express appreciation to my son Brian for setting up my computer and then putting up with all my calls to him for help in learning how to use it in my book projects. Finally, I appreciate my granddaughter Linley for making an appropriate photograph of me for the back of this book cover, as well as Kevin Hale who designed the cover. May this work honor all of you!

First Words

Through reading the publications of several trustworthy authors (involving a variety of Bible subjects), and investing thirty (30) years into extensive biblical research on my own, I have learned multiple principles of scriptural investigation that are absolutely vital to the process of gleaning the most accurate knowledge of biblical truth and how we may live it. My primary purpose in publishing this book is to get into the hands of the readers such tools, which they can then use in their personal Christian development. In other words,  . . . for the edifying of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).

I will begin with this crucial principle: The more accurate we are in our knowledge and practice of scriptural realities, the more powerful witnesses we are for the Savior. Accuracy is a discipline we believers cannot ignore if we truly want to experience the fullness of the Lord’s promises to His faithful people in the present age. Why settle for getting our lives 30 to 60 percent successful when we can reach 100? Too many for too long have been satisfied with barely getting by!

Everyone expects the auto mechanics who work on their vehicles to be well-trained professionals; not wanting to pay a premium price for mere guesswork. Industrial corporations also train and equip their employees to perform their tasks accurately. Why should we not expect the same principle to work in the daily endeavors of people in general, in order to bring success to all of our undertakings? Accuracy produces acceptable results, whereas sloppiness in any activity tends to render our accomplishments less than satisfactory.

Well, if the discipline of accuracy has such a tremendous effect on the outcome of our activities in the natural realm, why tolerate lower expectations for our Christian endeavors? As Christians, our daily duties consist of activities touching both the natural and spiritual worlds. Otherwise, we merely practice some dead religion. Let us acknowledge, then, that doing things only halfway in either realm will never yield us genuine success. Thus, if we Christians expect to overcome the challenging obstacles we have to face on earth, we must learn which actions to take and comprehend accurately how to put them into effect. Look at Matthew 5:19, 48, Luke 1:3-4 and Acts 18:25-26. Success in utilizing that all-important principle of accuracy demands that we become acquainted with the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:27). Christians need to heed all of God’s Word; nothing less will reap success!

Another significant principle I have discovered is this: We must carry out all of our arguments to their logical biblical conclusions. Modern religious institutions are plagued with man-made traditions that have been handed down from one generation to another. Some of those customs have become so deeply ingrained in the psyche of the adherents that they will literally come to blows before changing their mentality. Yet, when viewed in the light of God’s Written Word, some of those theological doctrines break down entirely, proving to be unbiblical and therefore completely ridiculous. Very often, religious views are a subtle mixture of truth and error, and as such are not easily detected. Such deceptive potpourri of right and wrong makes it all-important for modern believers to become familiar with entire Bible truth; which is why this study incorporates a broad array of Scriptures.

The primary focus of this book is one of the more recently rediscovered doctrines within Christianity. I fully discuss its assertions and carry out all of its accompanying arguments to their logical biblical conclusions. This gives us believers a more accurate view of a vital New Testament truth, enabling us in turn to successfully overcome the powers of darkness around us while gaining a greater freedom for ourselves and others. Read 2 Corinthians 2:11 and Ephesians 6:11-13. In the same action we will glorify our Lord Jesus Christ.

Another awakening truth I have perceived because of this study is that we will all be held accountable to Deity for the light He entrusts to us throughout this lifetime; both to put such into practice for ourselves and to share it with others. That is my main reason for engaging in such an endeavor. I am compelled to communicate to the Body of Christ all that Christ has revealed to me concerning this chosen subject. I cannot afford to keep such important information to myself. Read Deuteronomy 4:9-10, 11:19, Acts 26:16-18, 2 Timothy 2:2 and 1 Peter 4:10-11. Only Satan and deceived religious adherents would attempt to keep such life-changing reality from the Body of Christ.

This book is filled with biblical references. There are over eight hundred (800) different Scripture passages distributed throughout its pages. Both my wife and I counted them one by one. I listed them for a definite purpose: So as to give the reader the full benefit of the biblical witnesses backing my straightforward conclusions. By checking out the references, you will become more aware of your rich Christian heritage. Two enlightening places to begin are Colossians 1:12 and 2 Peter 1:3-4. This book also equips you the reader with some powerful spiritual weapons that will help you enjoy a much more victorious daily lifestyle. That alone is surely a worthy objective for any conscientious Christian.

Moreover, I purposely acknowledge that the very greatest biblical principle is to speak divine truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Therefore, within the pages of this book I endeavor to edify believers, not to tear them down (2 Corinthians 10:8), to emphasize truth over exposing error (John 8:31-32), and to discuss biblical realities instead of human personalities (2 Timothy 2:23-26). My primary objective is to teach God’s unadulterated Word, so that each and every member of the Body of Christ will become the stronger and the wiser for it. It is time for the church worldwide to engage in and win the good fight of faith! Refer to Acts 20:32, 1 Timothy 6:12 and 2 Timothy 4:7. God’s Word will help us do just that!

Knowing that we have much scriptural territory to cover, let us proceed into this great adventure.

Introduction

Ever since the beginning of the movement known as the Reformation, which was sparked in Europe in the sixteenth century, our Lord has been steadily restoring to His church (the Body of Christ) many vital New Testament realities that were all but lost during the terrible Middle Ages of European History. That darkness lasted over a thousand (1000) years! Even the restoration process itself has been very slow in its development, encompassing about five hundred (500) years; continuing to this very day. Yet, the Reformation Movement has impacted virtually every continent upon the planet, and continues to grow in influence over millions of people within many different cultures and hundreds of languages. Daring to stand for the truth does make a difference!

That mighty move of Deity has proven over and over that when men and women of integrity desperately seek after the truth with an open mind toward Scripture and a willingness to forsake all man-made traditions, divine revelation is given them. (I really should have said enlightenment, for Scripture itself is the divine revelation of God and His plan for people.) Nevertheless, although the Bible has been publicly available for centuries, men in general have not been inclined toward its eternal message. Yet, in cases of open minds and honest hearts being exposed to Bible truth, the Holy Spirit removes the blinding veil of religious traditions and opinions of men, beaming the gospel light into those hearts and minds. Such brightness results in a spiritual illumination (enlightenment) to scriptural truth that has been hidden from the church by spiritual blindness for many centuries. The enlightened ones

then possess a much more accurate view of Deity, the devil, the world, the church, and of Scripture itself (2 Corinthians 3:14-18, 4:3-6). The answer to every human problem lies in receiving true understanding, which people may obtain only from God’s Word through the Holy Spirit!

The primary reason this restoration project has been so slow in maturing is that, in most cases people’s openness to new understanding has been very slow to develop, and their willingness to remain receptive to more light has been quite limited. Most would tend to park, so to speak, on one or two new doctrinal discoveries, while some have actually stooped to persecuting others who have received additional insights; refusing to grant them the same liberties they demanded for themselves. Men are averse to change, and are usually slow to admit they have been wrong. Any new light on scriptural truth is quite often perceived as a threat to the stability and security of previously received traditions, which at one time were looked upon as a strange move in the eyes of another established church group. Religious people tend to refuse to abide by the same rules they make for others!

Notwithstanding some disappointing doctrinal setbacks, our Savior has managed to revive the Body of Christ with a tremendous amount of lost New Testament truth, especially during the twentieth century; beginning with the Pentecostal Movement in 1906, continuing with the Healing Revival just after World War II, and from the 1960’s to present both the Charismatic and Word of Faith advancements. Intercessory Prayer and Church Growth movements have proliferated in the last few decades, while more recently we have witnessed an increased emphasis upon praise and worship in church services, as well as renewed evangelistic endeavors to reach the world’s forgotten peoples.

Daniel prophesied that in the last days knowledge would increase (Daniel 12:4), but the prophet was not talking only about computer games and space travel. Our modern times see biblical knowledge mushrooming as well. On the market today we find more Bible translations and Bible study helps than has any past generation. Moreover, greater numbers of

local radio and television stations, cable companies, satellite networks, plus the internet, broadcast the restored gospel to larger numbers of people in more locations upon this planet than ever before. Incidentally, those facts make people more accountable to God. Today, there is absolutely no excuse for widespread ignorance concerning the gospel of Christ! Look at Romans 1:18-20 and 10:16-18.

In addition, recent decades have experienced the rise of numerous Christian assemblies, having come from different denominational backgrounds, who are generally more open to the whole counsel of God’s Word than are the people who tenaciously cling to those more traditional church settings. These Christians realize that the gospel picture has not yet been fully developed in our hearts. I am excited about being involved in one such church, whose number and dedication to scriptural reality continues to increase. I have discovered evidence of that development through observing other small church groups, by reading books and listening to recordings on that subject. It should seem reasonable to the church of today that, in light of the fact that Deity’s wisdom is infinite there surely is more we can learn from the Scriptures about everything, including authority, the center of our discussion throughout the remainder of this book.

Besides that, the fact that the church as a whole has not been triumphant in today’s world reveals that something is amiss somewhere. Church wide, believers are beginning to take notice of one important (but controversial) issue, which only in recent decades has commanded our attention. That truth concerns the Authority of the New Testament Believer; which is what this book is all about.

Someone might ask: Since the Christian market already enjoys books and audio-recordings that deal either partially or altogether with this subject-matter, why produce another work that concerns the legal standing of Christians on this planet? For one thing, based on my own personal research, I am persuaded that the church is only in the infant stage of understanding of that freshly-discovered treasure. The devil must tremble at the very thought of the church discovering its New Testament privileges in Christ. When that revelation

becomes the possession of Christians, the devil cannot keep them under control any longer! Such is why he attempts to convince believers to merely think they have learned all they need to know about authority so they will discontinue their search for the whole truth which makes men free. Satan has gotten away with that deception for much too long! However, we can put a stop to his devious plans by digging into God’s Word, and then by allowing God’s Word to dig into us. I plan to lead as many believers in that direction as possible.

Surely, He Who began that revelation-restoration agenda will continue to enlighten His church right up to the Second Coming of Christ (Philippians 1:6); and a significant portion of that restored truth will concern what we Christians must learn to do in order to assume our rightful position on earth as Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20). The following chapters communicate my findings, and I am convinced the Body of Christ will be edified by their teachings. Therefore, I encourage every reader to handle this material with an open mind, a hungry heart, and with a desire that God’s kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Such was the purpose of Christ’s first visit here (Matthew 6:10).

I believe our God knows His own will better than anyone else. So, why not expose our hearts and minds to a copy of His will—the Holy Bible—to find out what His will is? Is that not the simple answer to the question of where Deity stands on any issue, including the Believer’s Authority?

Let me warn you, however, that startling statements as well as pleasant surprises lie ahead on this gospel road. To fully partake of the intended message of this book you must be ready and willing to suspend your preconceived doctrinal concepts and lay aside your personal, sentimental religious traditions. And you just might be surprised at how many of those there really are! I know I did.

It takes full-blown truth to fully expose the enemy’s lies, as well as to reveal the lifestyle our Savior wants us to live; and God’s Written Word is the only place we may find such freedom-producing truth (John 8:31-32).

Chapter One

Stating the case

The primary purpose of this book is to turn the attention of the reader toward Holy Scripture, which holds the entire reality concerning that indispensable doctrine known as the Authority of the New Testament Believer. Scripture reveals both the history and the purpose of authority, as well as the proper human response to it. The roots of that teaching may be traced back to Adam’s beginning in Genesis chapter one. There we discover that Deity created the first human beings and granted them complete authority over the entire planet, which had been prepared just for them. Then, chapter three informs us about the tragedy that occurred shortly after the creation of man. There we learn that in the perfect setting of the Garden of Eden Adam and Eve committed high treason against the Creator and bowed their knees to the Adversary, thereby crowning God’s very enemy  . . . the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) . . . The remainder of Scripture proclaims the history of the struggle over, and misuse of, man’s God-given authority, and of the divine restoration program.

Since it is not my intention here to go into minute detail of what Deity did in regard to redemption during those first four (4) millennia, suffice it to say that Deity achieved His objective by sending Christ into this world to regain control of the situation at hand, and to bring His church into being. Back then, both Christ and His church demonstrated God’s power afresh and anew. For the very first time since Israel’s

deliverance from Egypt Satan’s captives were set free by the multitudes. Not only did the Adversary have no control over the Lord or His church, they liberated great hordes of those whom Satan himself had previously dominated. Heaven was triumphing mightily over the ruler of this evil world. Finally, the enemy perceived that Christian power was derived from knowing and acting upon Deity’s Written Word! He probably remembered Psalms 119:89: For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled [standing in a position of authority] in heaven. But, as Jesus walked the shores of Galilee, and then in the early days of Christianity, that very same authoritative Word was gaining a tenacious foothold upon earth as well; and unlike men had ever seen (Luke 5:26; Acts 10:38, 19:20).

Faced with such a threatening problem, Satan came up with an ingenious plan. Rather than assaulting God’s Word head-on, he made subtle attacks on His Word by infiltrating the very highest ranks of church leadership with convincing counterfeits of the gospel message; obviously knowing that if believers were convinced they were acting upon God’s Word, but were in reality practicing something else—which had no actual power in it—he could have his way in the church as well as in the world. And so went church history (Jude 3-4)!

Paul and other New Testament authors issued some stiff warnings against falling for Satan’s persuasive tactics. Take the necessary time to look at Acts 20:28-30, Romans 16:17-20, 2 Corinthians 2:11, Galatians 1:6-9, Philippians 3:17-19, Colossians 2:8, 16-23, 1 Timothy 4:1 and 2 Peter 2:1-3. However, many leaders refused to heed the warnings, so the church began to fall prey to those satanic counterfeits. They started putting their trust in political (civil) authority rather than in the authoritative name of Jesus. As a result, Deity’s people began shortly thereafter to lose their effectiveness on earth. Hardly two centuries had gone by before the Savior’s church, which He had purchased with His own shed blood (Acts 20:28), began compromising with the perverted world, in order to avoid persecution and gain public acceptance.

Many of the New Testament epistles were written for the purpose of counteracting satanic heresies that were already creeping into Christian communities. Those contaminations kept increasing until by A.D. 500, the church, for which our Lord paid such a tremendous price, had practically plunged

into complete spiritual darkness, and remained imprisoned in such blindness for more than a thousand (1000) years. It certainly seemed Satan was winning during that season.

But, throughout that entire epoch the Almighty reserved unto Himself (1Kings 19:18) some faithful saints outside the so-called Mother Church, as well as a few individuals within that ecclesiastical organization, who endeavored to maintain the pristine biblical faith. The established church, however, progressively became more and more political and militant in nature and purpose, and as a result looked upon radical believers as potentially dangerous revolutionaries, whom it considered worthy of persecution even to a torturous death. Consequently, Christianity in primitive form was practically stamped out on earth for more than a decade of centuries.

I need not quote any specific sources for my references to those historical events, because the concise accounts I have already presented and will continue to present in this book are readily available to the general public in encyclopedias, other well-known books on church history, and even on the internet. Therefore, I have decided not to clutter this volume with countless footnotes. The biblical references themselves are adequate for my purposes, and carry much more weight anyway. I believe you will eventually agree, if not already.

Now, returning to history: In the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries a few brave souls dared challenge the status quo, but paid a high price for such boldness, forfeiting their very lives; thus squelching that movement until the early 1500’s. The price tag for escaping such darkness and walking back into light was extremely high, but some people decided that freedom to know the truth was worth whatever the cost.

After a painful beginning in the early sixteenth century, gains in God’s restoration project were few and far between during the first three hundred (300) years. New light on old doctrine came only a little at a time, and resistance to it was intense. The 1800’s netted a slight increase in progress, but the 1900’s advanced the Kingdom even more; the latter half of the century experiencing a biblical revelation explosion.

Before proceeding further in this account of the church’s recent comeback, it will be beneficial for us to go on a short side journey to inform any readers who might not be aware that many men and women taking part in that Reformation sacrificed much so that we modern believers could enjoy the privileges we so often take for granted. Of course, they were concerned at the moment with their own freedom to live out the biblical faith, but the progress they made back in those days has affected virtually every aspect of our present day Christianity. So, let us not fail to honor them for their costly contributions. Martyr blood purchased priceless liberties for us modern Christians!

My college major was history. Every year history became the major core of my curriculum. Although I am aware four years are not enough time to exhaust such a large subject, and that my college experience was a while back, still, my memory of what I studied in those days serves me well. To earn my English minor I wrote a theme paper on the history of the English Bible. That research project alone gave me a tremendous insight into the struggles people faced in those days just to obtain a personal copy of the Scriptures. It was a crime that literally demanded the death penalty!

Because of what I learned in college, plus my continued research since those days, I have come to greatly appreciate those heroes and heroines of the faith, who withstood such bitter opposition to their attempts to restore to God’s church the biblical light they had received. Introducing any concept which differed from the norm of that day was a challenge to a thousand (1000) years’ worth of man-made traditions and demonic superstitions. What I am reporting here is not just human imagination. All of this actually happened! It is right there in the history books. Dare to check it out.

During that time, the enemy gained such a firm foothold within institutionalized Christianity that he persuaded high ecclesiastical authorities to declare it illegal for any common person to read the Holy Bible; and even more to own one! Of course, without the light of God’s Word the Adversary might easily keep people who were ignorant of truth imprisoned in spiritual darkness. See Hosea 4:6 and John 8:31-32. God’s Written Word clearly proclaims, however, and actual history

has demonstrated time and again, that darkness can never prevail over light when people prefer godly illumination over spiritual blindness (John 1:5, 12:46).

But, there is a price we have to pay: Other men labored, and [we] are [now] entered into their labors (John 4:37-38). And neither Christ nor His church will be satisfied or retire until we have successfully regained  . . . all [of] the counsel of God (Acts 20:27), and the planet is  . . . full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9). Look at it this way: The more biblical ground the church gains, the more territory Satan loses; which is happening as you read!

What does all of that have to do with authority? We have to acknowledge that the doctrine of the Believer’s Authority did not challenge Christendom during the early centuries of the restoration period. In fact, it was only a few decades ago that there arose a widespread interest regarding this truth. Obviously, our enemy has kept it quiet as long as he could. But, the cat is out of the bag now, as they say, and the devil is definitely running scared. He is also running out of time. See Revelation 12:12.

One of the very first debates which raged throughout the church world during those early stages of the Reformation Movement (which continues to modern times) was salvation by faith alone as opposed to men getting saved by their own personal efforts. Another early issue precipitated arguments between people who believed in strict predestination and the proponents of the exercise of man’s free will in obtaining his salvation. I must say that the church has had centuries for study and development of those earlier doctrinal concerns, in order to obtain a better understanding of them. The more recently rediscovered doctrines, on the other hand, have not been studied long enough for a full comprehension of them. Although some books and audio-recordings are available on the subject of authority, it is evident today’s church has not remotely arrived at the complete truth concerning the legal standing of believers on the planet during this age. Because so many Christian experiences fail to line up with the Bible, serious adjustments within Christians are evidently needed.

Many believers are justifiably excited about the relatively recent rediscovery of our authority in Jesus Christ, which is effective right now (not in some other dispensation), and on the same planet we live on today (not some other part of the universe). Multitudes have been blessed by this insight, and I am one of them. However, although I appreciate the noted progress men have already made in that field, I know God’s Word holds much more truth than the church has received on this subject of authority. Moreover, I know that a proper scriptural understanding of that doctrine is essential to the church’s total victory over Satan in these last days. Look at Matthew 28:18-20, 1 Corinthians 15:50-57, Ephesians 5:27 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17. Obviously, additional biblical light places more power at our disposal to dispel the worldly darkness around