Template:Exousia

Paul the Apostle was a complex man that spoke to Christians about things hard to understand according to Peter. He used the Greek word exousia which is well defined in the concordance but often it is poorly understood in the Modern Church for more than one reason. God has always desired that we remain subject to the power of choice. But our choices have consequences and Jesus did not come to save us from the consequences of the choices born out of an iniquitous heart but to direct us through His doctrines and The Way and the example of His Sacrifice that we might be saved. Claiming to be believers by saying Lord, Lord is clearly not enough according to Jesus's own words but we must seek the Truth and Repent and be Doers of the Word.

Power of Choice

The power of choice is the right or liberty to choose. It was given man from the beginning when man was given dominion and directives at the time God breathed life into the soul of man and set before him two trees. Of course that choice include consequences and the Bible is full of stories, allegories, parables and proverbs, wisdom and warnings about what happens when we choose to go against the Divine will of God in a cause and effect universe.

In Romans 9:21 Paul uses ἐξουσίαν in the accusative singular to denote "the power of choice" the potter has over the clay. But men should only be clay in God's hands which are spiritual hands. God bestows the power of choice upon mankind one individual at a time because there can be no love without choice. The individual is born in the family which is the primary corpus of mankind where two people are made one in flesh creating the next generation.

The kingdom of God is from generation to generation and within the family we find the Husband and Wife as one flesh but making choices that will draw them nearer to the consequences of complying with the divine design or rebelling against it making the tree of life, the Corban of Christ, the Logos of the LORD to none effect.

In the beginning God gave man certain duties and obligations which included the power of choice as an individual within the family. There was no granting of authority to choose of man over man until Cain exercised authority over his brother and later created the first city State followed by others like Nimrod's Babylon.

Under the perfect law of liberty national priesthood may be supported through charity through the freewill offerings of the daily choice of the people as the blessed Abraham did with his Altars of clay and stone and faith.

Moses freed the people from the bondage of Egypt through The Blessed Strategy which is often in conflict with the strategies of the world and their systems of legal charity through the rulers of the world who may call themselves benefactors but exercise authority to provide a table of welfare that is a snare and a trap. Those covetous practices of obtaining benefits through force and violence will bring their own consequences to the Masses as seen by many historians and philosophers.

Archibald MacLeish once said, "Freedom is the Right to Choose, the Right to create for oneself the alternatives of Choice. Without the possibility of Choice, and the exercise of Choice, a man is not a man but a member, an instrument, a thing.”

God gave us choice in the garden but He did not give us choice without consequences. We may choose to walk with God and eat of His tree of wisdom and righteousness or we may choose to decide what is good and evil for ourselves eating of the Tree of knowledge. God gave us dominion over many things but He did not give us the right to choose or exercise authority one over one another.

Men may give their power of choice to other men by making contracts, covenants, and constitutions with them which is seldom done without oaths and swearing.

In Romans 13 we see “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.”

Exousia

What was Paul attempting to say in his Epistle to the Romans?

The phrase "higher powers" is from the Greek "exousia huperecho", [ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις] and later the singular noun "exousia ", [ἐξουσία] is seen in the same verse.

In the fifth century B.C. writings of Thucydides the Greek word exousia is used by Antiphon Orator meaning “an ability to do something” if there were no hindrances (Kittel, 2:562). The word generally denotes the "right to act according to moral standards". It can be used in an official sense to describe the authority of a king but before kings exousia was used to denote the natural choice to do or not do something by right.

The word "ἐξουσία" appear 4 times in reference to an adversarial jurisdiction, 12 times in reference to a right, 11 times concerning conflicts of justice and 51 times in reference to Jesus. Jesus as the Christ came to set us free if we will repent and seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness.

Setting the Captive free

Setting the Captive free is a common theme of the Bible.

Christ came to set us free, even the whole world might be saved from the tyranny of sin. Paul goes on to warn us after telling us to let every soul remain subject to that God endowed right to choose and stated that if anyone opposed that power or right to choose the would be opposing the ordinance of God. The Higher Liberty is the original right to choose granted to men as individual free souls under God. Even the Ten Commandments explains that we should not make covenants with the gods many of the world who then have the power to choose for us. Jesus also told us to swear not, a warning repeated by James, because those oaths diminish the individuals "right to choose".

There was a time when there was no king in Israel. God did not tell man to choose a king. Cain and Nimrod set up such systems but when the voice of the people chose to have a ruler in Israel it was said they rejected God.

Christ did not come to subject us to Babylon or Pharaoh or to entangle us again in the bondage of Egypt or in the elements of the world.

The New Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon "ἐξουσία" is defined:

(1) power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases; leave or permission

(2) physical and mental power; the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises

(3) the power of authority (influence) and of right; delegated authority

(4) the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed; authority (Page 225).

Government is not even mentioned until the 4th definition and all governments are not top down. In fact it is generally believed that governments can only derive their just powers from the consent of the people whom they govern.

While the point of consent may be debated there should be little doubt that the "power of rule or government" begin with the people as natural rights vested in every man by God. Not the power to rule your brother like Cain and Nimrod but to rule over our own passions in righteousness as free souls under God.

Where do we see exousia

ἐξουσίαις - noun: dative, plural, feminine

1. power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases

a. leave or permission

We also see ἐξουσίαις in reference to heavens rights not the government of men:

Ephesians 3:10 noun: dative, plural, feminine

GRK: καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς

NAS: to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly

KJV: and powers in

INT: and the authorities in the

And gain ἐξουσίαις appears in Titus 3:1 speaking to early Christians not engaged in covetous practices but living by fervent charity in the practice of pure Religion warning them to be cooperative and not a brawler but certainly not excusing praying or applying to the Fathers upon the earth or those who claim to be benefactors but exercise authority one over the other.

noun: dative, plural, feminine

GRK: αὐτοὺς ἀρχαῖς ἐξουσίαις ὑποτάσσεσθαι πειθαρχεῖν

NAS: to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient,

KJV: and powers, to obey magistrates, [This is not the word normally translated magistrate]

INT: them to rulers to authorities to be subject to be obedient

So who is the king and who should a real Christian be obeying?

ὑπερεχούσαις - verb: present, active, participle, dative, plural, feminine

1. to have or hold over one

The words "governing authorities" is really a paraphrase and novel interpretation of "ἐξουσίαις ὑπερεχούσαις" which may match many modern eschatological but not necessarily what Christians were doing in the early Church.

In Romans 13:1 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "higher".

In Philippians 2:3 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "better than".

In Philippians 3:8 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "the excellency" of the knowledge of Christ Jesus.

In Philippians 4:7 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "passeth" in reference to "... the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

In 1 Peter 2:13 ὑπερεχούσαις is translated "supreme" in reference to the king by the same man who said there is another king one Jesus and did contrary to the decrees of Caesar.

As singular ἐξουσίᾳ (exousia) is also seen 29 times in the text of verses Ref.:

Matthew 21:23 N-DFS

GRK: Ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς

NAS: By what authority are You doing

KJV: what authority doest thou

INT: By what authority these things do you

Matthew 21:24 N-DFS

GRK: ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ

NAS: you by what authority I do

KJV: by what authority I do these things.

INT: by what authority these things I do

Matthew 21:27 N-DFS

GRK: ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ

NAS: you by what authority I do

KJV: by what authority I do these things.

INT: by what authority these things I do

Matthew 28:18 N-NFS

GRK: μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ

NAS: All authority has been given

KJV: saying, All power is given unto me

INT: to me all authority in heaven

Mark 11:28 N-DFS

GRK: Ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς

NAS: to Him, By what authority are You doing

KJV: what authority doest thou

INT: By what authority these things do you

Mark 11:29 N-DFS

GRK: ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ

NAS: you by what authority I do

KJV: by what authority I do these things.

INT: by what authority these things I do

Mark 11:33 N-DFS

GRK: ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ

NAS: you by what authority I do

KJV: by what authority I do these things.

INT: by what authority these things I do

Luke 4:32 N-DFS

GRK: ὅτι ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ ἦν ὁ

NAS: for His message was with authority.

KJV: was with power.

INT: for with authority was the

Luke 4:36 N-DFS

GRK: ὅτι ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ καὶ δυνάμει

NAS: message? For with authority and power

KJV: for with authority and power

INT: that with authority and power

Luke 20:2 N-DFS

GRK: ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖς

NAS: us by what authority You are doing

KJV: what authority doest thou

INT: by what authority these things you do

Luke 20:8 N-DFS

GRK: ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ

NAS: you by what authority I do

KJV: by what authority I do these things.

INT: by what authority these things I do

Luke 20:20 N-DFS

GRK: καὶ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος

NAS: Him to the rule and the authority of the governor.

KJV: and authority of the governor.

INT: and to the authority of the governor

Luke 22:53 N-NFS

GRK: καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ σκότους

NAS: hour and the power of darkness

KJV: hour, and the power of darkness.

INT: and the power of the darkness

Acts 1:7 N-DFS

GRK: τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ

NAS: has fixed by His own authority;

KJV: in his own power.

INT: his own authority

Acts 5:4 N-DFS

GRK: τῇ σῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ὑπῆρχεν τί

NAS: was it not under your control? Why

KJV: thine own power? why

INT: the own authority it was [not] why

Romans 13:1 N-NFS

GRK: γὰρ ἔστιν ἐξουσία εἰ μὴ

NAS: For there is no authority except

KJV: there is no power but of

INT: indeed there is authority if not

Romans 13:2 N-DFS

GRK: ἀντιτασσόμενος τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τῇ τοῦ

NAS: resists authority has opposed

KJV: resisteth the power, resisteth

INT: sets himself against the authority the

1 Corinthians 8:9 N-NFS

GRK: πως ἡ ἐξουσία ὑμῶν αὕτη

NAS: that this liberty of yours

KJV: this liberty of yours

INT: somehow the right of you this

1 Corinthians 9:12 N-DFS

GRK: ἐχρησάμεθα τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ταύτῃ ἀλλὰ

NAS: this right, but we endure

KJV: used this power; but suffer

INT: we did use the right this but

1 Corinthians 9:18 N-DFS

GRK: καταχρήσασθαι τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ μου ἐν

NAS: as not to make full use of my right in the gospel.

KJV: not my power in the gospel.

INT: using up the right of me in

Jude 1:25 N-NFS

GRK: κράτος καὶ ἐξουσία πρὸ παντὸς

NAS: dominion and authority, before

KJV: dominion and power, both now

INT: dominion and authority before all

Revelation 6:8 N-NFS

GRK: ἐδόθη αὐτοῖς ἐξουσία ἐπὶ τὸ

NAS: was following with him. Authority was given

KJV: him. And power was given unto them

INT: was given to them authority over the

Revelation 9:3 N-NFS

GRK: ἐδόθη αὐταῖς ἐξουσία ὡς ἔχουσιν

NAS: upon the earth, and power was given

KJV: was given power, as

INT: was given to them power as have

Revelation 9:10 N-NFS

GRK: αὐτῶν ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτῶν ἀδικῆσαι

NAS: and in their tails is their power to hurt

KJV: and their power [was] to hurt men

INT: of them the power of them to injure

Revelation 9:19 N-NFS

GRK: ἡ γὰρ ἐξουσία τῶν ἵππων

NAS: For the power of the horses

KJV: For their power is in

INT: the indeed powers of the horses

Revelation 12:10 N-NFS

GRK: καὶ ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ χριστοῦ

NAS: of our God and the authority of His Christ

KJV: God, and the power of his Christ:

INT: and the authority the Christ

Revelation 13:5 N-NFS

GRK: ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία ποιῆσαι μῆνας

NAS: words and blasphemies, and authority to act

KJV: and power was given

INT: was given to it authority to act months

Revelation 13:7 N-NFS

GRK: ἐδόθη αὐτῷ ἐξουσία ἐπὶ πᾶσαν

NAS: and to overcome them, and authority over

KJV: them: and power was given him

INT: was given to it authority over every

Revelation 22:14 N-NFS

GRK: ἔσται ἡ ἐξουσία αὐτῶν ἐπὶ

NAS: so that they may have the right to the tree

KJV: they may have right to the tree

INT: will be the right of them to

Terms of the Times

"Ancient texts require ancient dictionaries."

To claim that Paul is actually saying that we should be at liberty to obey God rather than be subject to the will of other men is a bold accusation against the doctrines of modern Christendom.

Is the Modern Church and the modern Christian doing what the early Church and the early Christian was doing?

Is their a Christian conflict with the world or are modern Christians in conformity to the world and its modern Corban and in conflict with the Corban of Christ?

Has the modern Church and the masses been steadily deceived, by either negligence or design, arrogance or ignorance so that they have returned to the bondage of Egypt?

A theme throughout the Bible has been to set the captive free so we should be willing to examine how the word exousia was used by the Greeks and the authors of those sacred texts in the days of Christ meant them. Although the use of words changes over time the Greek Glossary of Aristotelian Terms states that exousia means “right”.

Aristotle actually exemplifies exousia’s use in the statement, “The right (exousia) to do anything one wishes...”

The rights or privileges of governments are ordained of men.

That ordination of power into the hands of governments almost always occurs when the people reject God and choose to go away from His ways and out of His presence.

Since we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights it makes sense to say our original right to choose is ordained of God. Since man is a creation of God and governments are a creation of men the power maintained by those governments is based on the consent or actions of men, not upon any appointment by God.

In Plato’s notes the “Greek words for freedom (are) eleutheros (liberal/Free), exousia (Freedom/Power to do something), ...”

While Plato and Aristotle’s definition of the word exousia was from a classical Greek period, their opinion was still in conformity with the second century A.D. Cynic philosopher, Enomaos.

Aldo Brancacci examines the definition of ‘freedom’ in his Liberta e fato in Enamao di Gadara. In Bryn Mawr’s Classical Review we see, “Brancacci notices that the term used by Enomaos to refer to human freedom is not the typical Cynic one (eleutheria), but exousia, which expresses ‘the new concept of freedom in opposition to the already defunct and unhelpful eleutheria’.”

Enomaos’, sometimes written Oenomaos’, writings were preserved by Eusubius. For at least five centuries the word exousia consistently referenced human liberty and freedom. Are we supposed to believe that Paul is telling us to give up our freedom and liberty and become subject once again? Or have we already?

God sent Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Samson, Gideon and a host of others to set us free in truth. We were to be free souls under God, created by God and have no other gods before Him.

Are we supposed to believe that Jesus was only going to set us free spiritually and leave us in physical bondage? It seems a slave mentality to believe that we can only be “free at last, free at last” when we are dead.

• “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” John 8:36

It is our prayer that the truth of this will become self-evident.

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declension	of	εξουσία
	singular	plural
nominative	εξουσία •	εξουσίες •
genitive	εξουσίας •	εξουσιών •
accusative	εξουσία •	εξουσίες •
vocative	εξουσία •	εξουσίες •