In Romans 5:15b-21a Christ is presented as the one man through whom we receive the grace of God and the gift in grace for our justification that we may have life and reign in life.
Romans 5:15b says, “For if by the offense of the one the many died, much more the grace of God and the free gift in grace of the one man Jesus Christ have abounded to the many.” This verse reveals that grace—the Triune God Himself as our enjoyment—and the free gift in grace of the one man—the gift of righteousness given to us by God—have abounded to the many. Here grace is of God, and the gift is related to Christ, for the free gift in grace is of the one man Jesus Christ. God never gives us grace directly; He always gives us grace through Christ.
The grace of God and the gift in grace of the one man have abounded to the many unto justification out of many offenses. Romans 5:16b says, “The gracious gift is out of many offenses unto justification.” Here the gracious gift refers to the gift of righteousness, which we have received from God (v. 17). Furthermore, the justification out of many offenses mentioned in verse 16 is the justification of life to all men mentioned in verse 18. Christ’s righteous act of dying on the cross resulted in justification of life. Verse 21 says that grace reigns through righteousness unto life. These verses show that life comes as the result of righteousness (8:10). Life is the goal of God’s salvation; thus, justification is “of life” (5:18). Justification is not an end in itself; it is for life. Life in verse 18 refers to the eternal, divine, uncreated life of God (Heb., zoe), which is Christ Himself as life to us. Through justification we have come up to the standard of God’s righteousness and correspond with it, so that now He can impart His life to us. Justification changes our outward position; life changes our inward disposition. Justification unto life indicates that justification results in life and that the organic union of life is an issue of justification. The grace of God and the gift in grace of the one man are for our justification, and our justification is for us to have the divine life that we may live it out.
The grace of God and the gift in grace of Christ abounded to the many unto justification of life to all men that many would reign in life through Christ. In Romans 5:17 Paul says, “If, by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” The goal of being justified is to have life and reign in life. We are saved in life to the extent that the life we have received enthrones us as kings to reign over all things. God’s complete salvation is for us to reign in life by the abundance of grace—God Himself as our all-sufficient supply for our organic salvation—and of the gift of righteousness—God’s judicial redemption applied to us in a practical way. Those who receive the abundance of grace are able to reign in life, for life issues out of the abundance of grace. We have received righteousness objectively, but we still need to continually receive the abundance of grace so that we can reign in life subjectively.
God causes the believers to have life that they may reign in life, subduing the insubordination of sin, death, and all the negative things belonging to sin and death. To reign in life is to be under the ruling of the divine life. Thus, today there is the need for all the believers who have received the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness to practice the life of restriction and limitation in the divine life.
To reign in life is to rule as kings. To reign is to conquer, subdue, and rule over Satan, the world, sin, the flesh, ourselves, and all our environmental circumstances. In Romans 8 Paul says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” (v. 35). Then he goes on to say, “We more than conquer through Him who loved us” (v. 37). Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ because we are more than conquerors over all the troubles in our environment. We should conquer all things and reign in life by grace. Our Christian life today should not only be a victorious and overcoming life; it should also be a kingly and reigning life. This should be our experience today. Instead of waiting for the millennium in order to reign with Christ, we should desire to reign in life as kings today.
Furthermore, to reign is to be God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead. In the universe only God reigns and only He is the King, but we as the children of this King can also reign in His life. God reigns and we reign. Since we reign as God does, by reigning in life we become God in life and in nature but not in the Godhead.