Religion is a crucial aspect of humanity as it brings order, sense, and meaning to the lives of thousands of people. Faith guides people in their everyday lives, offers them comfort, serves as an agent of socialization, and provides an ethical framework for treating others and oneself. Many concepts in Christianity bring guidance and advice to the followers and help them address spiritual afflictions. This essay will review the notions of spiritual authority and deliverance as concepts that promote responsibility for one’s life and promise salvation, respectively, and their close correlation.
The idea of deliverance is central to the Christian faith. It can be broadly defined as liberation from problems of spiritual nature (Blai, 2018). In different denominations, including Catholicism and Protestantism, deliverance can be viewed as a prayer believers offer to God with the hope of a spiritual affliction being lifted from them (Blai, 2018). God is the sole source of deliverance in Christianity. In the Book of Samuel of the Old Testament, David proclaims God to be his Lord, his fortress, and his deliverer (“2 Samuel 22,” 2022). However, He can bestow the power to free people from their hardships onto others, Jesus Christ being the most well-known example. Through Christ and his sacrifice, the sins of humankind were lifted (“1 Corinthians 15,” 2022). Furthermore, deliverance from sin is achieved through the word of God. In particular, the First Epistle to the Corinthians notes that the followers of Christ are saved by the gospel preached to them (“1 Corinthians 15,” 2022). Overall, God is the definitive source of deliverance and salvation from evil.
Meanwhile, spiritual authority concerns the power people of faith gain through the word of God. According to Rothra (2021), spiritual authority governs the daily lives of people. People under the authority of the Christian God and Christ have the right and obligation to “exercise His spiritual authority on earth to ensure His will is done” (Rothra, 2021, para. 26). For example, the twelve disciples were accorded the strength to drive out all demons and to drive out evil spirits and cure people by Christ (“Luke 9:1,” 2022). At the same time, God Himself gave Jesus Christ the spiritual authority of Heaven and Earth. Thus, spiritual authority can be viewed as sacred power granted to believers and followers of Christ.
The notions of deliverance and spiritual authority are correlated with each other. The former is the promise of release, while the latter is the power to save oneself through the word of God. In addition, deliverance is often viewed as the right to call upon God and ask for salvation from oppression and spiritual pains (Blai, 2018). Thus, if only the promise of deliverance were granted to people, they would rely entirely on God in their fight against evil and sin. However, the followers of Christ are also given spiritual authority and the power to address a variety of issues related to spirituality as well as other aspects of life. Spiritual authority is absolute as it is given by God, and He will not undermine the will of His followers (Rothra, 2021). Overall, deliverance and spiritual authority complement each other, with people of faith given control of their lives and the assurance of salvation under the authority of God.
In summary, deliverance and spiritual authority are essential tenets of Christianity. Deliverance is the promise of redemption and freedom from spiritual afflictions, earthly evils, and sins, whereas spiritual authority is the power of command over different issues, including those of religious nature. Both concepts represent the power of God and His impact on the spiritual life of His followers and their power and command on Earth.
References
1 Corinthians 15. (2022). Bible Gateway. Web.
2 Samuel 22. (2022). Bible Gateway. Web.
Blai, A. (2018). What to know about Catholic deliverance and exorcism. St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology. Web.
Luke 9:1. (2022). Bible Gateway. Web.
Rothra, J. L. (2021). Understanding spiritual authority. Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship. Web.