The word reign in Greek is basileuo, where the word basilica or kingdom comes from. It means to be king, to exercise kingly power, to reign.
Reigning implies that someone is ruling and others are being under the ruling. To rule speaks of authority, established on a certain rightful foundation. Throughout the world’s history, typically it has been based on who was the strongest that ended up conquering, thus gaining the right to rule over the conquered.
Well, in the beginning, God gave Adam the authority to rule over the earth, God said, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:28).
But Adam lost that authority over to Satan when he disobeyed God and partook the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and ever since mankind has been a servant of sin and condemned to death, and so death reigns over mankind. Not just the physical death itself, but death in every area: health, provision, mind, or even relationship.
Who or what is ruling in your life today?
Did you know that if you are believers in Christ, you should be the one reigning, and reigning in the area of life and not death? As shared above, to rule there ought to be a rightful foundation. So how did we get back the authority that Adam had lost due to sin? What is our foundation to reign? Sin is like a debt, and debt, it must be paid.
The Rightful Foundation
There was a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
The king in the story is God, and the servant who owed a great amount of money he could not pay is all of us. God knew we could not pay our debts, but instead of condemning us to what we deserved, He provided the payment for our debts in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His Son, where His Son who did no sin and in Him was no sin, shed His blood to atone for our sins as the only payment that could. Such love…
So God took the blood of His Son and forgave us who believe on that basis – this is the grace of God, and He calls us righteous for there was no more sin found in us – this is the gift of righteousness. Our sins, which is debt, were forgiven through the blood of Jesus Christ. This is the reason why we now reign by Christ, no longer death reigns, but we reign in every area of life: health, well-being, peace, joy, good relationships, and provisions in every area. We now have the legal foundation to be blessed, to receive good we do not work for, because we are righteous in Christ.
The Gift of Righteousness
Righteousness is the one gift, and I believe it is the greatest gift that the Lord gave us at the cross, because only the righteous have the right to live, and only the righteous inherit the land. Being righteous means being like Christ, thus Father treats us the way He treats Christ. That is why in the book of Romans, the Holy Spirit spent so much time and emphasis on the gift of righteousness, because this is the one foundation for us to be blessed and to reign in life. And it is a gift because no one can attain it, for all men are sinners, therefore it can only be given.
When you meditate upon this truth and walk in it daily, you can expect good things to happen to you because the Word says that grace will reign in your life through (because of) righteousness by our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 5:10-21
