For if because of one man’s trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace (unmerited favor) and the free gift of righteousness [putting them into right standing with Himself] reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One).
Romans 5:17, AMPC
What does it mean to reign as a king in life? Why would the Holy Spirit place this shocking statement in this particular portion of the Bible, and what does it mean for you and me today? Let’s continue our study of the inheritance rights we’ve received from God and explore what it looks like to really reign in life as a Heavenly king. Are you ready to learn something brand new from the Word of God today?
We realized that Joshua and Caleb’s tremendous statements of faith in Numbers 14:9 apply to our inheritance in Christ today. Like the Israelites, we have been given exceedingly great and precious promises through the written Word, the logos, of God. Ten of the twelve spies lost out and never experienced the fullness of the promise that was rightfully theirs, but these two faith-filled men did.
We studied their statements in Your Giants Are Trembling and discovered that as soon as the inhabitants of the Promised Land heard that God’s people were on their way, they began to tremble and quake in fear. They recognized the God of Israel as the true God, even confessing that “the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” We concluded that this is true today; in fact, it is a higher perspective of reality that because of our heavenly position in Christ, we are above and not beneath; the head and not the tail; and we are to be God’s holy representatives on the earth today. That is something to shout about!
Receiving God’s Promise Expresses Thanks
I want to call your attention to an important passage of scripture in Psalms. These verses should be evidence enough that walking in victory is not an option; it is an obligation. We are about to see that receiving and operating in every blessing that God promises us in this life is an appropriate response of thanksgiving to God for His blessings to us!
What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me? I will take up the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the LORD.
Psalm 116:12-13
Did you see it? The Psalmist asks a question: “What on earth can I do to render thanks to God… He is so good, I am so small. How shall I even do justice to His goodness to me? I know! I will receive absolutely everything He provided to me. That will reveal my true heart of thanksgiving and praise to God. I will show Him with my life that I am thankful for His blessings.”
I have a wonderful sister-in-law whose primary love language is giving and receiving gifts. Besides my wife, she is the most thoughtful person I’ve ever met when it comes to giving gifts. Every single present I’ve received from her I still use on a daily or near-daily basis, even presents from many years ago. It’s incredible to me that she had such creativity and foresight to purchase gifts that I would actually use for years to come.
Gift-givers love researching, thinking, and planning out the perfect gifts for their loved ones, but the real payoff comes when the gifts are opened and they see others’ reactions to their labor of love. Even though our families are separated by thousands of miles, she still loves to see our reactions when opening her gifts on video calls around Christmas and birthday times.
Is God any different? Don’t you think it blesses Him beyond compare when we “open” His gifts? How would my sister-in-law feel if—after such hard work determining just the right present for me—I took a casual look at her present and never opened it? In the same way, God expects us to “open” all His gifts—and He put more thought and effort into His blessings through the sacrifice of Jesus than any human being ever has.
Reigning in Life
Now we are ready to explore the word that is translated reign in Romans 5:17. This is the Greek word basileuō, which means to be king, to exercise kingly power, to reign. This word also describes one who exercises the highest influence over something or controls something. The Greek text leaves no room for speculation: the Holy Spirit says in Romans 5:17 that “those who receive [God’s] overflowing grace and the free gift of righteousness” are the ones who are to “basileuō as kings in life through the one man Jesus Christ.”
So what does this kind of life look like? From Psalms 116:12-13, we know that taking up every bit of inheritance that God offers us, including the right and privilege to reign as kings, is a powerful and appropriate expression of our gratitude and thanks to God. We know that living a victorious life is intended to be for the benefit of those around us, too.
Reigning as kings looks like something. You can feel it when you are around someone walking in the promises of God. You can perceive the spirit of victory in them; they walk different, they talk different. They leave a mark on those whom they come into contact with. We are to be people of God’s presence—reigning, bringing the culture of Heaven’s royalty with every footstep.
If you study out the kings mentioned in the Bible, you find that they did not live in bubbles. That is, they experienced plenty of hardship and issues during their time “in office”. In the midst of their troubles, the ones who sought God and trusted in Him won the battles and received praise from God Himself. In the same way, you and I have been anointed and given kingly rights and authority (more on this later in the Authority Series) by our son/daughter relationship with God through Jesus, and as such, are expected to handle our powers wisely.
There is so much to say along these lines! For now, however, I feel the Holy Spirit wants to do a work in your heart right now concerning the things we’ve covered today.
Three Questions Kings Ask
This is a great opportunity to take your spiritual pulse. One of the most valuable characteristics of a godly king is humility and tenderness before the Lord; a godly king is willing to be corrected, led, and challenged in every aspect of his life, wither or not they be found in God’s ways (2 Chronicles 34:27, Proverbs 21:1). I encourage you to set aside some time to be quiet before the Lord and ask these three questions:
In what area(s) of my life am I letting someone else reign? This is a powerful question. If a king is allowing others to rule certain parts of “his” kingdom, he is not fully enforcing his dominion, and he is at risk of being overthrown. If we are not actively enforcing the victory that Jesus won for us, we are not “opening the present” that God gave us through salvation, and we are not living up to our full potential in Christ. For instance, walking in unforgiveness or bitterness is allowing sin to reign, not the freedom of the Spirit. This doesn’t mean you are a bad person, that God is mad, or anything like that—but it does mean you are letting someone other than you reign in this area. Reigning as a king in this situation looks like partnering with the Holy Spirit and receiving healing from Heaven, choosing to forgive, and choosing to walk in love. This is easier said than done, but know that these things take time, prayer, intimacy with God, and oftentimes are fully healed in the context of relationship with fellow believers.
How should I respond to MY king? Good kings have always understood that they are not God. Ruling well and being aware of human frailty has provoked deep thinking from many rulers through our history. Godly kings look to Almighty Yahweh as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
It would be impossible to articulate everything God has done for us; He has done immeasurably above what our imaginations can permit. We can, however, minister to His heart (Acts 13:2) and honor Him with our lives (Romans 12:1). Like the Psalmist wrote, we ought to ask “what shall we render to the Lord for His benefits towards us?” When you seek to honor God with your thanksgiving, the Holy Spirit will give you creative ideas of ways you can bless God. Oftentimes, this looks like yielding spaces of your life to Him in worship by accepting His precious gifts into those places.
What do I need to change? King Josiah asked this question when he found out that Israel had been living in sin for many years, ignoring the Law of God. As soon as the truth was revealed to him, he humbled himself with a tender heart and inquired of the Lord. If this word today has pricked your heart with conviction and truth, it is now your responsibility how you choose to react. I pray that we keep soft hearts towards God’s eternal Word and allow the Holy Spirit to bring lasting change to our lives.
Final Thoughts on Victory
It is God’s will that we walk in victory. Walking in victory not only blesses us, but it also glorifies God in many ways. First, we glorify God by living a life above the noise; we are shining lights in the darkness, full of joy, peace, and prosperity in the midst of a struggling, drowning world. We are beacons of hope, light, and life when others are sinking all around us. The power of the Holy Spirit and the love of the Father emanate through our beings into the darkest corners of the globe, fueling the fire of revival in the closing moments of this age. It is our duty and obligation to keep the fires of revival alive and well in our hearts, first through intimacy and then sharing what we have with the world.
Taking up the full cup of salvation is not just for human benefit, either. Our thoughtful and ever-loving Father, God is blessed when we open His carefully wrapped presents—every promise in the Bible—and unwrap it with gleeful abandon before His eyes. In doing so, we lay down our lives for the glory of God and yield to His goodness in everything He designed for us to be and do.
Photo by Ben White on Unsplash