REIGNING IN LIFE
A Vision of Rom 5:17
Contrary to the old saying that Christianity only promises “pie in the sky in the hereafter”, You say,
“the one who keeps on receiving the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in this life through the One, Jesus Christ”(Rom 5:17). Two things we need to keep on receiving in order to reign in moment-by-moment victory over our enemies (the world, the flesh and the devil);
1) the abundance of grace, and
2) the gift of righteousness
Why both? If we don’t receive righteousness as a gift, then we will automatically default into going out to establish our own righteousness by our works. And therefore, no grace from God will come, because grace cannot be earned or deserved! We who set out to live by the Law, we have fallen from grace and severed ourselves from the resources of Christ in the here and now, choosing rather to live life by our own human effort instead.
“For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to all those who believe.” (Gal 5:4) “He who knew no sin became sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor 5:21)
The abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness always come as a package, you can’t have one without the other. So reign in life by receiving both, all the time!
“Godliness actually is a means of great gain(in this life and the next) when accompanied by contentment”(1 Tim 6:6).