The Believer's Authority

Romans 10:9-10 states that if you confess Jesus as Lord and believe that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you become a child of God. According to 1 Peter 1:23, you are born again by the Word of God. Your new life is immortal, conceived by God's Word, which lasts forever. Though your body may die, you are a spirit being, and your body allows you to function on earth. Jesus came in a body because He needed to function on earth. Demons have no right to be here, and you can cast them out with knowledge (Matthew 10:8). When you die, you do not remain on earth. Thank God for Jesus, who restored the relationship between God and sinful man, but this relationship is only for those who receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10).

There are two types of people in the world: born-again Christians and natural men. Once someone becomes born again, their old life (Adamic) ends, and the life of God begins. They become a new person with no past record. God only sees Jesus' righteousness in us, and we look like Jesus in spirit but not physically. Christianity is spiritual and based on faith, not the physical world. We couldn't go to God on our own, so there had to be a mediator, but now we have been quickened by the Spirit of God and are from above. Jesus said that we are also not of this world. He and the Father are one, and we are not of the world just as He is not of the world.

Jesus said that we are not of the world just as He is not of the world (John 17:16). We are one with Him, like branches on a vine, and can do nothing without Him (John 15:5; Colossians 3:17). Jesus is the source and giver of life (John 5:26), and as born-again Christians, we are born of the Word (Jesus), who is God (John 1:1, 14). Through the Spirit of God, we are dead to our old selves and born anew (Romans 6:4, 11; 1 Peter 1:23). We were affected by Adam's sin and needed Jesus to quicken us and make us alive unto God (1 Corinthians 15:22). Jesus showed us His love by taking our place, so we can take His place (John 15:13).

In Christ, God sees only Jesus. We live, move, and have our being in Him (Acts 17:28). We are inseparable from Christ and are joint-heirs with Him (Romans 8:17). Christ lives in us (Colossians 1:27). He promised to send the Holy Spirit to comfort us after His departure (John 14:19-20).

Through faith in Jesus Christ, we are justified before God, who pardons our sins and considers us righteous under the law (Romans 5:1-10). This is possible because God credits to believers the perfect righteousness of Christ (Romans 10:3-9). Justification is not the forgiveness of a man without righteousness but the declaration that he possesses the righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:6-8). Faith is the sole condition for this righteousness to be imputed to us (Romans 1:17; 3:25-26; 4:20, 22; Philippians 3:8-11; Galatians 2:16).

Justification by faith also leads to sanctification (Romans 6:2-7) and results in good works (Romans 6:14; 7:6). Christianity began with the resurrection of Jesus Christ, which ushered us into a newness of life. As Christians, we identify with the resurrected Christ and are a new species (2 Corinthians 5:17). We are not just "redeemed," but the fruit of the redemptive work of Christ. Through the Holy Spirit, we can learn the secret to reign in life, as God has already blessed us with everything we need (2 Peter 1:3).

We are called by God to succeed and enjoy a life of abundance, health, and victory, being a blessing to others. Through God's power, we already have all we need to prosper and lead a life of influence. Jesus is the source of our ability to reign over sin, darkness, depression, poverty, curses, sickness, and the devil. The power to reign is not based on our background or education but solely on Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 declares that we shall reign in life through Him.

Abundance of grace allows us to reign in life. As per Romans 5:17, abundance of grace and gift of righteousness make us reign. The earth is our domain; we reign here. Having made Jesus our Lord and Savior, we have received this abundance of grace and gift of righteousness. The truth is we'll reign both during the Millennium and in Heaven, but we can also expect much in this life. It's not God's will for us to be poor. We're to help others with our material blessings and giving to the poor lends to the Lord. (Psalm 112:9, Proverbs 19:17)