Christ, the Ultimate Demonstration of God’s Power and Dominion

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 1:22-23

And he subjected everything under his feet^[j] and appointed him^[k] as head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.

(CSB)

Political divisiveness is actually a power struggle.  Both the right and left sides of the aisle have an agenda and desire majorities in both houses of Congress plus the Presidency for power to implement their agenda.  However, the difficulties currently experienced by President Trump, even with political majorities in Congress, do not insure enough power to implement an agenda.  This is because there is also the media, education, and the administrative bureaucracy, or as President Trump calls them, the swamp. 

Political power is power allowing someone to rule over the lives of citizens and something Samuel warned the people of Israel against when they asked for a king (1 Samuel 8).  This request for a King , however, comes in the context of the failure of Samuel’s sons as judges to walk in the ways of the Lord instead perverting justice, taking bribes, and making dishonest profit.  This coupled with a history of failures of previous judges as recorded in the Book of Judges tells us that the people of Israel were seeking change. 

This desire for change differs little from the political discourse of today with each side believing they have the change needed for the nation.  However, change whether coming from the right or left is change implemented by flawed people and therefore will fall short of solving the root cause of the problem, sin in the hearts of people and the need for a savior to eliminate that sin.  This is the content of Ephesians 1-3 with Ephesians 1:20-23 reminding us of God’s power in Christ. 

Whereas political change brings change in government, Jesus death and resurrection results in life changing power for individuals and eternal life with God (John 3:16).  God’s power in Christ,

1)      Conquered death (Ephesians 1:20) – When Jesus died on the cross, Satan might have thought he had ended the threat of Messiah to his rein on this earth.  However, three days later when God rolled away the stone and Jesus rose from the dead, Satan knew once and for all God had defeated the enemy of sin and death.  Then a few days later when Jesus ascended to sit at the right hand of God, he knew there was no way he could reverse what had just happened.

2)      Is the ultimate authority (Ephesians 1:21) – When an earthly ruler ascends to power, their rein is limited by the length of their term in office of their death.  However, with Jesus’ conquest of death, his rein is eternal.  This fact is why Satan knows he has no way to escape his fate and can only try to take as many people with him to hell as possible. 

3)      Is the power of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23) – One of the root causes of problems in the church at Corinth was their infatuation with religious personalities over Christ (1 Corinthians 1:10-17).  Modern media and social media have taken this infatuation to a higher level with slick charismatic individuals able to reach millions instantaneously.  The church is not a building or a personality but a gathering of people who have made Jesus their savior.  The power of the church does not exist in a charismatic personality but in Jesus Christ.  The mission of the church is simple, spread the good news of the Gospel and make disciples of the nations.  Jesus is the charismatic personality leading the church and must be its first love.  Sadly, even the church in Ephesus forgot this fact (Revelation 2:1-7).

However, the supremacy of God’s power does not mean Christians are to detach from any involvement in the political process, only that they also understand that God’s power reins supreme.  1 Timothy 2:1-2 reminds us of the importance of praying for our leaders as it leads to living tranquil and quiet lives with godliness and dignity.  However, the ultimate power of God in Christ is always under attack as Satan tries to demean its power, enticing people to follow him.  For this reason, God has empowered the Church through Christ as a means of counteracting these deceptions.  Let us as a church not fall for the deceptions of Satan but instead tap into the power of God in Christ available to us.