Jesus Is God’s Plan for the Body of Christ

Ephesians 1:15-23

Man was given rule over the Earth, to control and master its resources. (See Genesis 1:26.) If God made Man to have dominion, what has gone wrong, and what can be done about it?

In order for you to get back to where you ought to be, you have to know truth.

How Did the World Fall? 

At one time, Satan was an angel whose name was Lucifer—which means “light bearer.” He was the most superb creature God crafted.

But one day he said to himself, “I am too beautiful, too wise, and too powerful to be anything less than God.” (See Isaiah 14:12-15.) Lucifer, the son of the morning, became Satan, the father of the night.

Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18b).

The Lie in the Garden

Satan said, in effect, “I will go down and achieve on Earth what I failed to achieve in Heaven.” So he lied to Adam and Eve in the garden, and they signed over their dominion to him.

God was dethroned in Adam’s heart, and in Eve’s. But Adam and Eve did not enthrone themselves—they enthroned Satan.

Divine Law

Why didn’t God just take everything back?

God is Almighty, but He is also holy. God runs this Universe righteously, according to His own laws. Adam’s dominion was legally lost. It had to be legally regained. This is the righteousness of God. 

Jesus, the Last Adam

Why did the Son of God step out of Heaven? This was God’s plan to legally regain what Adam had legally lost.

God is true to His principles of righteousness and justice. Dominion was given to, and lost by, a man. It must be regained by a man.

But He must be a member of Adam’s race on whom Satan has no claim. Therefore, the man to regain dominion cannot be a son of Adam. That is the reason why God became a man.

For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

Jesus Conquered Death

Christ’s was no ordinary crucifixion: the sins of the world were upon Him. He became the object of the Father’s wrath. And then He said, “Tetelestai”—meaning, “It is finished!” (See John 19:30). Adam, I have redeemed you.

On the third day, on Easter morning, the Son of God arose, in absolute control. (See Revelation 1:18.)

This is what Paul is talking about, when he prays this for the Ephesian church:

…That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him….and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places… (Ephesians 1:17,19-20).

The Future Glory of the Body of Christ 

God has “raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6).

Do not think of His Church, the bride of Christ, as an organization with Christ as the president. The Church is a body, with Christ as the Head, and what is true about the Lord Jesus Christ is true about us. We have been co-executed, co-risen, co-exalted, and co-enthroned with Christ.

Does Jesus have authority over Satan? As a member of the Body of Christ, so do you. Satan hopes you never learn this. So Paul prayed, “Oh God, open their understanding! Give them spiritual wisdom to know the power of God.” (Read Ephesians 1:15-23.)