Believers Kingship: 7 Essential Keys to Reigning in Life

One of life’s most crucial questions that humans long to get answers to is the identity question—“Who am I?” This is critical, because it shapes how we think and relate with the world around us. It is also key to resolving the purpose question—“Why am I here?” But it is a question that has troubled humans the most—to which satisfactory answers have not being found. But Christians need not be confused. Because in Christ, our identity is settled. One of the aspects of our identity is believers’ kingship. The Bible teaches that all believers are spiritual royalty—kings, authorized to reign in life through Jesus Christ. Romans 5:17 says:

“For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)”

Yet many live unaware of this truth. But in this post, we will explore the rich doctrine of believers’ kingship, and consider seven keys to walk in the reality of kingdom power, authority in Christ, enjoy our inheritance, and reign in life. 

What Believers’ Kingship Means 

Believers kingship is a biblical truth which describes the position and authority that God has given to believers through Christ. Believers’s kingship is a spiritual royalty. The Bible teaches how we who believe in Christ are not just saved from sin, but also installed in a position of power, rulership, and honor with Christ. Believers’ kingship means that believers are occupying the same position power and authority as Christ (‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬-‭22; ‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭6‬). 

Believers’ kingship entails:

• Our authority in Christ.
• The kingdom power.
• Reigning in life.
• Spiritual inheritance.
• Identity and dignity.
• Kingdom responsibility 
• Eternal reign with Christ.

The Revelation of Believers’ Kingship

In the kingdoms of this world, citizens are considered lower than their rulers, and are so treated. But the ways of God’s kingdom are far departure from what obtain in the kingdoms of this world. In the kingdom of God, to which we belong by faith in Christ, citizens are kings, just like our God. Our kingdom is a kingdom of kings. 

This revelation goes back to the Old Testament—to the beginning of God’s relationship with Israel. As God was taking the people to the land He had promised their fathers—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He made His intention for them clear. He wanted them to be a nation of people who are both royals and priests.

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭19‬:‭5‬-‭6:

5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. 6 And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”

Though, Israel did not live up to that plan of God for her, still in that declaration of God lies a shadow of what all of God’s people through the new covenant will be—kings and priests, through the redeeming works of Christ. Now, the New Testament is filled with the revelation of the kingship of all believers. Apostle John wrote of this beautiful truth in Revelation 1:4-6.

“”…To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.” 

John said that Christ has made us both kings and priests to God our Father. Apostle Peter also wrote of this!

1 Peter 5:9:

“But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood…”

Royalty and priesthood are two distinct offices in the Old Testament, occupied by two kinds of people—kings and priests. But in the New Testament, the two are are joined. Every believer is both a king and  priest to God. But my focus in this article is our kingship. 

An Eternal Plan of God

Believers’ kingship was God’s eternal plan. God created the earth as a kingdom for humans to rule. In Genesis 1:26, He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion…” [Emphasis added] Then, God reiterated this intention in His first pronouncement to man. Genesis 1:28:

“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion…” [Emphasis added]

These were the first words that man ever heard—“have dominion”. Dominion—Hebrew râdâh, means rulership. God’s original intent for humanity was kingship. He wanted all of us to rule earth—not a few “special ones” ruling over the “inferior ones”. David, while reflecting on God’s goodness, wrote of this truth in Psalm 8. He said that God made us to have dominion over the works of His hands; He placed all things under our feet (v.8).

But in Adam, we lost the kingship. Adam became subject to the very things which he was to rule over. And, the rest of us were born into that condition through him. 

But now, we who have trusted in Christ have been restored into the kingship (Revelation 5:1-10). All of us are kings—having authority in Christ and kingdom power to reign in life. There are no inferior Christians. All of us are saved into the same inheritance. Truly, God set leadership amongst us, to govern His body (Ephesians 4:11-12). But leadership amongst us is not a few “superior Christians” ruling over the “inferior ones” (1 Peter 5:3). All of us are called to reign in life. God’s gift of righteousness is to the end that we might reign in life. Our redemption is onto kingship.

The Authority of Christ: The Foundation of Believers Kingship

The foundation of believers’ kingship is our authority in Christ. The legitimacy, rights, and powers of any king rest upon the authority conferred on him to rule. The same is true of believers’ kingship. Our kingship is set on the foundation of our authority in Christ. We have the legitimacy, rights, and powers to rule through the authority of Christ conferred on us. In Luke 10:19, Jesus said:

“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Authority—Greek exousia—denotes rulership power. The authority of Christ is the legitimacy of believers kingship. 

Matthew 28:18-19:

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” [NIV]

The conjunction “therefore” in v.19 ties the command to go and make disciples to Jesus’s claim to having all authority in heaven and on earth in v.18. Jesus sent us with the backing of His authority. The believers’ kingship is a legitimate and effective kingship. 

Purpose of Believers Kingship 

Believers’ kingship is to represent God on earth with His kingdom power, to deal with His enemy. We are representing God’s heavenly kingdom to deal with satan and his works—sin, sicknesses, poverty, death, etc., by the authority of our King. This is a vital aspect of the revelation of our identity. 

Friend, you are not powerless like you think. The reason why you look down on yourself as a nobody is because the revelation of your union with Christ hasn’t penetrated your heart yet. This is why you should feed more on messages that dwell on your union with Christ —and also pray it into your spirit (Ephesians 1:15ff).

You are bigger than you know! You are a king. You are not a subject to the devil and his works. You ought to rule over them. You are not a victim. You have authority in Christ to rule on earth.

Authority is the legal rights conferred on someone to do something. Authority is bigger than power. What we received through Christ is bigger than power. Power is the ability to do a thing. But authority is the legal rights or authorization to do a thing. Abilities can be present, but until authorization is granted to do something, doing it is illegal. You cannot just get on the road to control vehicles. You have to be authorized by the government. 

Our authority is a legal authorization from the kingdom of heaven to represent it on earth. Spiritual authority is only effective if legal. In Acts 19:11ff, some men wanted to use Jesus’s name to cast out a demon. They saw Paul do it. But they lacked the legal right to do it. Because they weren’t in union with Christ. The demon knew it, and said, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?” 

Spiritual authority is only legal and effective when a person is in union with Christ. All of us who are united with Christ through faith in Him have the legal rights to use His authority (Mark 16:17-18). As a believer, when you say “In Jesus’ name”, you are acting legally, regardless of your physical condition. Spiritual authority has nothing to do with that. As long as the legal base—your union with Christ—is covered, the authority will work. 

7 Essential Keys to Reigning in Life

Let’s consider seven practical keys to walk in the reality of your kingship as a believer.

1. Build A Royalty Consciousness

Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines consciousness as “the quality or state of being aware especially of something within oneself”. The beginning of reigning in life is to reconfigure your mind to the truth of your kingship and all that it means, by feeding your mind with God’s word—through reading and hearing, until it settles in, and the truth flows naturally in you, affecting how you view and talk about yourself, and your response to life’s issues. 

Two believers were talking, and one said to the other, “Let’s assume you’re poor”. And, the other replied, “I cannot be poor”. Again, the first said, “It’s only an example”. But, the other replied, “Even in the example, I can’t be poor”. That is what being conscious of who you are does. It makes you conscious of what you say and what you allow to be spoken to you. You only speak according to your identity and status through Christ. When people are not conscious of their identity, they live anyhow—in a manner that doesn’t glorify Jesus’s redemptive sacrifice (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭82‬:‭5‬-‭7). A king can live like a pauper if he is not conscious of who he is.

2. Be Submitted to the Lordship of Christ

Believers’ kingship is a delegated authority. Our authority is Christ’s, bestowed upon us by grace, to exercise dominion on earth, as His representatives. The authority didn’t come from us. 

2 Corinthians 3:5:

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God.”

For our authority to be effective, we must continually be subject to Christ. It is how delegated authority works. Our kingdom has a solid line of authority (1 Corinthians 11:3). When we remove ourselves from the structure of authority, it becomes illegal to wield authority. The powers of darkness will be subject to us only to the degree that we ourselves are subject to God (James 4:7).

3. Stir Up the Spirit of Boldness

Believers’ kingship and the authority in Christ functions by boldness. As a believer, you possess the kingdom power. But it takes boldness to be able to lay hands on and pray for the sick. It takes boldness to face demons. Fear and timidity will weaken your kingship. You won’t ever be able to act on your authority. 

But the good news is that you already have boldness. Paul wrote to Timothy, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline,” (‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬). We have the Spirit of God, who produces faith and boldness in us. All that we have to do is to stir up the faith and boldness in us, just as Paul told Timothy in ‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭1‬:‭6–through intense prayer and continuous feeding on the Word. 

4. Cultivate a Lfestyle of Righteousness

The sceptre is one of the symbols of kingship, signifying authority and presence. The scepter of believers’ kingship is righteousness. Hebrews 1:8, quoting from Psalm 45:6, says the sceptre of God’s kingdom is righteousness. Righteousness is vital to reigning in life. Proverbs‬ ‭16‬:‭12‬ says, “a throne is established by righteousness.” 

God, to establish our kingship, first gave us righteousness as a gift. Romans 5:17, “those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One…” But we also have the command to live a lifestyle of righteousness—a life devoid of sin and evil (1 Corinthians 15:34). One of believers’ armour is the breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6:14). 

Sin weakens spiritual authority. You cannot be living in sin—whether openly or secretly— and think that your authority will be effective. It is righteousness that produces confidence to stand tall as a king, without guilt or fear (Proverbs 28:1).

5. Master the Word of God

God’s word is vital to believers’ kingship. Kings rule by decrees. But your decree as a believer is the Word of God, not your own words. The devil and his demons don’t fear your words. But they esteem God’s word. Therefore, you must fill your heart with God’s word, and also speak it. Colossians 3:16 says, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” 

6. Cultivate a Strong Prayer Life

He who will stand before men and demons to speak, and see the words produce, will first kneel before God. Spiritual exploits answer to spiritual disciplines (Matthew 17:21). Prayer sharpens our kingly authority. I studied and saw that all of Jesus’s miracles revolved around prayer—either He was coming from prayer before doing them or He retreated to pray after doing them. Through prayer, we secure heaven’s endorsement before we decree on earth, or after.

7. Rule

Kings don’t bow to situations—they take charge of situations. They rule! You’re not meant to be at the mercy of life’s storms. You are a king. You are meant to rule over satan, demons, and all their works. Don’t murmur about situations, or cry, or run. Stand, and rule! You have the authority.

Believers’ kingship and authority in Christ is not an abstract concept —it is our present reality through Christ. Embrace this truth, and start to reign in every aspect of life. Don’t wait for circumstances to change. Start to exercise your authority in Christ to deal with the circumstances. As you apply these keys, you will see your life begin to change drastically and reflect the victory, authority, and glory of Christ’s kingdom.

If this article blessed you, don’t just keep it to yourself. Share these truths with others, and let’s multiply the number of believers who are conscious of their redemption identity, authority, power, rights, and privileges. 

Also, I want you to leave a comment below to let me know your thought. Do you want me to agree with you in prayer over an area of your life where you most desire to see change—spiritual growth, finances, health, or relationships? Comment below, and let’s pray together for your victory! Finally, subscribe to this blog so that you can receive updates on fresh articles. 

I love you with the love of Jesus!

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