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. (Romans 5:17)1
Romans 5:17 tells us that we can reign in life through Jesus Christ. However, the experience of most Christians does not line up with this truth. Instead, the circumstances of many Christians are reigning OVER THEM! If you ask them how they are doing, they might say something like, “You wouldn’t believe it if I told you” or “I’m under attack!” or “Well, under the circumstances, I’m alright…” Let that not be said of us! Let us be people who are not under UNDER anything, but reigning in life as overcomers through Jesus Christ!
If we are not reigning, we need to ask ourselves why. And what is reigning, generally speaking? Reigning is simply resting in the finished work of the cross of Jesus and in all the benefits of His resurrection! This doesn’t mean we won’t have any problems, but it means that we can be at rest in the middle of them, believing that God through Jesus has already provided everything we need! The Lamb was slain before the foundation of the world.2
Taking a closer look at Romans 5:17 will give us some clues and insight into reigning in life. Here are some of the phrases and their meanings from this verse:
“those who receive”: Receive is the Greek word “lambano”3 and it means “to take, to lay hold of.” It’s an active verb. It’s not just waiting on God to zap you. Also, it’s in the Greek present active participle tense.4 In other words, those who are continually receiving. Receiving what?
“the abundance of grace”: Not just a measure of unearned favor of God, but the abundance of it! Abundance is the Greek word “perisseia”5 and it means “superabundantly, superfluously, gain, or profit.”
“the gift of righteousness”: Gift is the word “dorea”6 in the Greek and means a free gift. The word stresses its unmerited and undeserved character. The word “righteousness” literally means the “state of him who IS as he OUGHT to be, the condition acceptable to God.”7 The righteous have been cleared of all the record of their guilt before God, and Believer, you are AS YOU OUGHT TO BE! You are acceptable to God!
“reign in life”: Through receiving the free gift of righteousness, we reign in life. And this isn’t talking about heaven one day. It’s talking about now! The Amplified Bible says, “reign as kings in life.” Reign is the word “basileuo”8 which means to exercise kingly power. To reign in life means that we have authority. We exercise our kingly authority by taking captive any thought or fiery dart of the enemy, by using the power of our words, and by resting in Christ on the throne of heaven.
All the benefits of our resurrection life and all that God has for us must be received. There are two things that Romans 5:17 mentions that God has given to us: the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. These two things must be actively, aggressively, continually taken hold of to reign in this life.
Living in this fallen world, we are constantly in a tension with the accusation of the ruler of this world who tells us we are not righteous when we fail. Sadly, even those we go to for encouragement and counsel may give us bad doctrine that will cause us to doubt our righteousness in Christ and put us on a path of self-righteousness and defeat. Yet, the truth proclaims that we are under grace and perfectly righteous because of the blood of Jesus.
We never lose the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness once we are born again, but our lives may not reflect this truth. When we believe the truth, it will set us free to receive the benefits of it. Even as we grow in the Lord, and His holiness is manifested in our lives, we will still sin. However, believing this truth will transform our character because what we believe is how we will live.
(from pages 116-118 of Unveiling Jesus)
Want more from Tricia Gunn? Check out excerpts from the Unveiling Jesus 20-part series!
Unveiling Jesus, by Tricia Gunn, is a verse by verse study of the pure gospel of grace. It’s an amazing journey of love, identity, and freedom in Christ.
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1Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.
2Revelation 13:8
3G2983 (lambanō), Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, website: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G2983&t=KJV, accessed 5-22-14
4Romans 5:17, Blue Letter Bible (interlinear tab), website: http://www.blueletterbible.org/Bible.cfm?b=Rom&c=5&t=KJV&ss=1#s=t_conc_1051017, accessed 6-14-14
5G4050 (perisseia), Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, website: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G4050&t=KJV, accessed 5-22-14
6Vine, W.E. “gift” (dōrea), Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Minneapolis, MN, 1984. Print.
7G1343 (dikaiosynē), Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, website: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G1343&t=KJV, accessed 5-22-14
8G936 (basileuō), Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, website: http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G936&t=KJV, accessed 5-22-14″
