Understanding How Authority Works

Understanding How Authority Works

By Apostle Felix

8  The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. 
9  For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it. 
10  When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. 
Matthew 8: 8 – 10

Authority is what legitimizes power. When a traffic officer monitors the roadside, they do not act on personal whim, but under the delegated authority of the government. Consequently, to resist or defy that officer is to directly defy the governing institution they represent. True authority flows seamlessly through structured layers of a hierarchy, carried by subordinates whose power is validated from above. This flow of power only stops when it encounters an environment where that primary authority is no longer acknowledged or obeyed.

Jesus marveled at this exact understanding of hierarchy when He encountered the Roman centurion, praising it as “great faith.” As a military officer, the centurion lived within a rigid chain of command where absolute obedience to orders is paramount and rebellion is treated as a grave offense. In the military, a superior’s command carries inherent legal and institutional weight as it is passed down to subordinates. Because the centurion lived out this daily reality, he uniquely recognized that Jesus’ spiritual power did not operate in a vacuum. He understood that Jesus commanded spiritual results because He, too, was a man perfectly aligned under a higher authority.

19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 

John 5: 19

Jesus lived in absolute submission, famously declaring that He could only do what He saw His Father doing. This posture of total obedience explains why He so deeply resonated with the Roman centurion’s words—Jesus fundamentally understood what it meant to live as a man under authority. From the beginning of His earthly ministry to His ultimate sacrifice on the cross, where He remained obedient even unto death, Jesus’ entire mission was to fulfill His Father’s word. He did not act on personal ambition or human impulse; rather, every step He took on earth was a precise, faithful execution of a divine blueprint already written in eternity.

14  But when he waded into the water, John resisted him, saying, “Why are you doing this? I’m the one who needs to be baptized by you, and yet you come to be baptized by me?”
15  Jesus replied, “It is only right to do all that God requires.” Then John baptized Jesus.

Matthew 3: 14, 15

To fulfill the Father’s will, Jesus willingly stepped down into the waters of Jordan to be baptized by John. This profound act demonstrated a dual submission: a reverence for God’s divine plan and a humble honor toward the human ministry John established as the spiritual authority of that hour. It was precisely through this act of submission that God’s predictive sign was realized, as the Father had previously revealed to John that the Messiah would be identified by the descent of the Holy Spirit at His baptism. By lowering Himself, Jesus proved that true, functional authority is born out of humility and submission. An arrogant heart can never genuinely carry or wield divine authority, for power is only entrusted to those who know how to submit.

33  And even though I’ve yet to experience him, when I was commissioned to baptize with water God spoke these words to me, ‘One day you will see the Spirit descend and remain upon a man. He will be the One I have sent to baptize with the Holy Spirit.’

John 1: 33

True authority operates through three core pillars: submission, recognition, and identification. Jesus perfectly modeled this process: He first submitted to God’s plan and identified Himself with humanity, which paved the way for Him to be publicly recognized and endorsed by the Father. It was this divine recognition that legitimized His power and ministry on the earth. As a child of God, you are called to follow this exact blueprint: learn to submit to, recognize, and identify with the leadership God has placed over you. Guard your heart against becoming a rigid, rebellious, or stubborn person who is difficult to work with. Whether in your local church, your workplace, or within your family dynamics, cultivate the humility required to understand how authority functions, and willingly position yourself under it.