“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in heavenly places with Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

Ephesians 2:4-7 NASB

For most of my walk with Christ, I’ve seen these verses one-dimensionally, solely through the lens of salvation. While that’s true, it’s just one piece to the puzzle. Salvation is the first step on this journey.

Over the past few years, I’ve been on a journey of rediscovering my identity in Him. It all started with sonship. I truly had to believe that I was a child of God, not an adult of God (John 1:12, Ephesians 1:5, 2 Corinthians 6:18). I could keep trying to do things in my own human capacity, or I could surrender to Him. Once we believe the truth that Father God is actually a good father, who will never harm us, always protects us, and is always good to us, our perspective shifts. It’s easier to surrender to Him when we believe He’s good. The scripture doesn’t say He made us alive together with Christ because of His wrath or anger toward us. Rather, it’s because of His love and mercy toward us.

Once we believe the truth that Father God is actually a good father, who will never harm us, always protects us, and is always good to us, our perspective shifts.

If we look at Ephesians 2:4-7 through the lens of sonship, we begin to see that not only did He save us, but we also see what’s available to us as sons and daughters. After He made us alive together with Christ, He raised us up and seated us with Him in heavenly places. The way I picture it is Father God picking me up and putting me in His lap. I am a child of God, after all. What’s available to me in that space? All of Him is available to me. The first thing I rediscovered in sonship was intimacy. I can feel His heartbeat, hear His voice the clearest, see Him more fully and rightly. I can also see the world from His perspective. He ceases to be a mythical figure in the sky and becomes real. I’m right there with Him. Leaning in to Him becomes so much easier because I’m already on His lap (Proverbs 3:5-6, Romans 8:14). I don’t have to fight for my voice to be heard, because I can just whisper in His ear. He’s just a whisper away when I’m on His lap.

Once I understood and fully embraced sonship, He showed me the next set of lenses. We are not only sons and daughters, we are kings and priests (1 Peter 2:9, Revelation 1:6). Because we are saved and because we are His children, we also reign with Him. He is, was, and always will be first in all things, the King of kings (Revelation 19:16). Remember, He is Father and we are children. That same authority applies to us in our kingly and priestly roles. That authority is also what is available to us as kings and priests, and it flows through sonship. From this heavenly perspective and with His authority moving through us, we can walk through life victorious (Romans 8:37). Through His death and resurrection, He not only paved the way for our salvation, but for our victorious life. If we have spiritual authority, think of the possibilities. It means we not only have that intimacy of knowing Him deeply, but also acting upon His voice and instruction to change the world (John 14:12).

For the longest time, I didn’t understand my authority as a royal priesthood. I really understood sonship, but I couldn’t understand the access and authority I had. I felt like I needed to be like someone else to walk in it. Praise God for the leader who lovingly called that out in me. The lie that we are not enough, or that we have to be perfect is often rooted in performance. When I broke agreement with that lie and declared the truth that I never have to perform for His love and acceptance, He showed me the great deal of trust He has in me.

So, what steps do we take to walk in our God-given authority?

1. Choose sonship first. Understand who you are and most importantly, Whose you are. Surrender to a Father who loves you unconditionally and who isn’t mad at you. (Psalm 62:11-12)
2. Surround yourself with life-giving community. Find a Godly group of people who are moving in their spiritual authority. Learn from them, be encouraged, grow. Allow them to lovingly call you out when you need it. (Hebrews 10:25, Psalm 68:5-6)
3. Remember where you are seated. Father God is not far away. He’s right there, just a whisper away. If it feels like He’s distant, ask Him why. He’ll tell you. (Ephesians 2:4-7, James 4:7-8, Psalm 145:18)
4. Ask Him how He wants to move through you, then go “do the stuff” and change the world around you. (John 14:12, John 5:19)