REIGNING IN LIFE!
"They which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One Jesus Christ." Romans 5v17
This is the contrast between the two acts of Adam and Christ, in terms of their global consequences. In Adam the world was cursed, came under the fearful condemnation of God, in Christ the opposite is the case: the contrast to "death reigned" would be "life reigned," but he does not put it that way, instead he says those in Christ shall reign in life. This is much more than the mere contrast to Adam's effect on the world; instead of just a blanket condemnation in the phrase death reigned, Paul suggests here that individual Christians shall reign in life. Instead of being dominated by an evil force, they shall reign, they shall dominate in life the evil that is all around them. This is the force of what Paul is saying here.
We have already seen that the idea of "reigning" is that of authority, control, power. What Paul is saying here is that individual Christians who have received the gift of the grace of God will be victorious in life over all their circumstances, instead of being ruled over by the elements of sin and death. This is indeed the subject matter of Romans chapters 6,7 & 8, and this huge subject is developed in many other scriptures in both Old and New Testaments. God not only supplies grace to the Christian, He supplies Divine power to enable them to see it through.
In Romans chapter 6 we have victory over sin; in Romans chapter 7 we have victory over the flesh (the evil power of selfishness): in Romans chapter 8 we have victory over all of life's circumstances and we will develop these further. Take for example the amazing statement by the apostle James when he says that Christians can cause the devil to flee from them "submit yourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you." What is that but reigning in life? Another prime example is that Christians have the ability to directly approach the throne of God which is described as the throne of grace, the only Mediator being Jesus Christ Himself. The world minimises this exercise of prayer but what Christians are doing is having an audience with the greatest Majestic power in the universe. What is that but reigning in life?
This power to cope with every adverse evil thrown at us in life, through a direct link with the throne of grace is available to every believer from the very moment they received Christ. The letter to the Hebrews tells us that God said to Jesus on the point of His ascension "sit Thou on my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool." He then goes to say that angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who are the heirs of salvation. Countless angelic beings are constantly being sent forth to protect God's people on earth. What is that but reigning in life?
This wonderful theme as we have said is developed in chapter 6,7 & 8:
In chapter 6 he develops the principle of victory over sin. The sin that controlled us and held sway over us is now under our feet. He first states it in chapter 6v2 "we died to sin." In verse 6 - he said the body of sin has been rendered powerless. verse 7 says - we have been freed from sin. verse 12 says - sin need not reign in our mortal bodies anymore (and he clearly shows in this chapter how it can be done but that is for a later day), verse 14 says - sin shall not have dominion over you. verse 18 says - that Christians have been made free from sin as does verse 22 "but now being made free from sin and become servants of God, you have your fruit unto holiness and the end everlasting life." This is the clear victorious ending in Romans chapter 6 for the believers reigning over sin.
In chapter 7 - he develops the principle of reigning over the flesh; this being the tendency within every one of us to please self, to gratify our selfish desires, regardless of anything else. He describes the power of the flesh in our lives in chapter 7v5 " when we were in the flesh the passions of sins which were by the law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death." Paul continues, essentially to say we have been delivered from that, the contents of verse 6. This deals with the rebellious side of our nature, in that when presented with a law that forbade this or that , we wanted to disobey it. Paul himself found this aspect a real problem in his new found Christian life but he ends the chapter with a victorious cry "O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 7 v 24 & 25 This is victory over self and selfishness, this is reigning in life.
In Romans chapter 8 he makes the most comprehensive statement ever in relation to victorious Christian living when he says at the end of the chapter in verse 37 " in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us." The context in which this triumphant statement is made is against the background of all the problems that could come our way whether from heaven or on earth. He speaks of tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword: all possible earthly problems. He then speaks of "other worldly" problems when he says neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature: all supernatural entities beyond our control. In short all of life's circumstances; says Paul, no matter what, nothing will separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
We will study these things in more depth when we reach them, but for now I think it is abundantly clear that this Christian life is not only about changing my destiny, but very much also about changing my life; making me a victorious person in Christ instead of a defeated person under the power of evil.
Believers today have a foretaste of the world to come and are thus able to reign in life. What a tremendously complete turn around from where we were in the early chapters of Romans.
PRAISE BE TO GOD!
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