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
It is an unfortunate fact that much of the beautiful and precious body of Christ on the earth today is walking in defeat, hardly differentiated from their unsaved coworkers and neighbors. Friends, this ought not be the case. The light should appear to be brighter than the darkness. The men and women of God ought to shine brightly as stars in the midst of a darkened and perverse generation, beautiful and glorious as a full silver moon set against a pitch-black sky.
Friend, I want to encourage you to take up your full inheritance in Christ and begin to “reign as a king” in life through that inheritance. It is more important now than ever before that we, as the Body of Christ on the earth today, rise up in the fullness of our identity and show the world that Jesus is truly alive, well, and is the only answer to the darkness of sin and death.
That certainly sounds like a big assignment! But if you do your part in your sphere and I do my part in mine, we can begin a chain reaction that will turn the world right side up. A large part of that assignment involves you and I taking up our inheritance, walking in our identity as sons and daughters of the Most High God, and exercising our authority in the spiritual realms to affect a healing and a change on the earth today.
Paul gives us vital insight into our God-given inheritance in Romans 5:17, that the ones who have received the gift of righteousness through Jesus out to “reign as kings in life through the one Man Jesus Christ.” Let’s see what that means to us today!
First, I want you to notice the fact that this verse involves a comparison. Here the Holy Spirit compares the act of one man, Adam, and the result of that act. When Adam sinned against God and yielded to Satan in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), he gave up his rightful place as “god of the world” to Satan (See 2 Corinthians 4:4). As a result, death entered into the world and “reigned.”
The Greek word for “reign” here is the word basileuō, and is used to describe someone or something that is king, exercises kingly power, or who reigns. This word carries the idea of exercising the highest influence possible in a domain, to control, or to exercise royal power.
This is what death has been doing over the human spirit since Adam fell to Satan’s deception. Death has full reign over the human spirit until one receives full reconciliation and redemption back to God’s family through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
This means that death is in the business of exercising kingly power, influence, and control over the human spirit that is not yet born again. This is a picture of you and me before receiving Jesus! Aren’t you thankful for His finished work on the cross? Aren’t you thankful for His present-day ministry in the presence of God as He intercedes for you and me daily? I am so thankful for the redemption that Jesus purchased for me, and I want to do everything I can to bring others into the family of God and experience this life of freedom from sin and death as well.
In contrast, however, to death’s reign, we have this glorious phrase: “…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.”
Glory to God forevermore. Much more surely will we who receive God’s overflowing grace—His grace overflows! It is so much more than enough grace. His grace and favor are much more than enough to just get by. His grace and favor overflow to such a degree that we are immediately put into a high position upon receiving it—we are elevated to the position of “king.”
Again, the word for reign in “reign as kings in life” is the same word as before, basileuō, and is used to describe someone or something that is king, exercised kingly power, or one who reigns with the highest possible level of influence, power, and control.
Here’s the amazing thing: through the Blood of Jesus, we ought to be reigning (basileuō) in life as kings! This scripture literally says that if you are born again into the family of God, you ought to be walking around like a powerful, influential, and royal king! We ought to be exercising the highest level of influence, control, and power in our daily lives in the same way that a king would exercise dominion over his province.
Take A Deeper Look
There is so much to this, but for now, I want to encourage you to take a look at your own life right now.
Can you honestly say you are reigning as a king in your domain? Or are there areas in which you are allowing things in that you shouldn’t let in?
Are you tolerating sickness or disease in your life or your family’s life that you should instead be exercising your God-given authority over?
Are you allowing a scarcity mindset to rule in your finances, when you should be ruling and reigning over them instead, causing the finances God has entrusted you with to grow and multiply under your watch?
Are you living a defeated, depressing life? Are you allowing thoughts of anxiety and fear to run rampant in your mind, permeating your day with worry and constant ‘what if’ scenarios, stealing your joy?
Friend, I know this may be difficult to admit, but we all need to grow in this area. We, as the Body of Christ, ought to appear to the unsaved world as different, confident, victorious, and full of the favor of God. The world ought to see something in us that they desire—that is, the power of God flowing in our lives to such an extent that we are truly living out our identities and “kings and priests” (Revelation 1:6, 5:10) in this life.
Rivers of Living Water
We ought to be walking in such a degree of basileuō that we move beyond mere survival and that we each become an oasis in the dry desert for weary, hungry souls; that we allow fresh rivers of living water to flow out of our lives that refresh those around us, bringing their parched and cracked spirits into an invigorating encounter with the glory of the Lord Jesus. That by our lives, fully yielded to the Holy Spirit, would bring forth fruit in every season, watering those around us, brining life that flows only from the throne of God.
Of course, walking in the kingly power and authority that comes from Jesus is part and parcel of being clothed, or endued with the power of the Holy Spirit. As we continue our study of speaking in tongues and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit (as a separate and subsequent experience to salvation), we will see how the Holy Spirit clothes us with Himself and wrapping us with His royal power and might–enabling us to live a life worthy of a king-child of God!
Photo by Tony Mucci on Unsplash