Recent Sermons
Weekly Devotion
Rom. 5:17
For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
One of the keys to accurate biblical exegesis is context. For instance, in Rom. 5:17, what does "reign in life" mean? See that throughout Rom. 5:15-19, the Apostle Paul repeatedly compares the consequences of Adam's headship to that of Christ's:
-v.15: all of humanity died through Adam's trespass; believers receive abundant life in Christ
-v.16, 17: condemnation is the result of Adam's sin; justification is the result of faith in Jesus
-v.19: mankind were made sinners by Adam's disobedience; believers are made righteous in union with Christ
Thus, the context is a comparison of the two and whatever "reign in life" means, it must be the opposite of "death reigned."
The reign of death over human life is a much easier concept to comprehend. Ever since the rebellion of our first parents in the Garden, death has dominated our earthly lives. Consider the fact that all of our fears can be traced back to death. Moreover, the sad reality of this world is that the fun cannot last forever, every great party must come to an end, nothing is as good as the first time, and there is a limit to everything.
And with that, we can hone in on what Paul means. To "reign in life" means that believers, through God's abundant grace and the gift of righteousness in Jesus, gain authority, power, and dominion to live victoriously above sin, death, and worldly troubles. To "reign in life" means that Christians already share in Christ’s resurrected life and we live as victors, no longer victims of sin and Satan.