In the preceding three messages we saw the six major items in God’s organic salvation: regeneration, renewing, sanctification, transformation, conformation, and glorification. With this message we begin to cover the matter of reigning in Christ’s life.
The first four chapters of Romans show us the aspect of judicial redemption in God’s complete salvation; the remaining twelve chapters show us the aspect of organic salvation in God’s complete salvation. We were redeemed, justified, and reconciled to God through the death of Christ. This is on the judicial side. However, Romans shows us that God’s salvation has not only the judicial aspect but also the organic aspect. The organic salvation is referred to in 5:10, which says, “...much more we will be saved in His life.” Today we are passing through the processes of God’s organic salvation that we may be saved in His life. On the one hand, we have been saved; on the other hand, we are still being saved.
However, there is a further revelation concerning our being saved in life. It is for us not only to be saved in God’s organic salvation but also to reign in Christ’s life. How much we are saved in God’s organic salvation determines how much our reigning in life is manifested. Our reigning in life is proof of our experience of God’s organic salvation. It means nothing for someone to claim that he is healthy. He needs to take a blood test, and if his red blood cells, white blood cells, cholesterol, etc., test normal, then this is proof that he is truly healthy. To know whether we are truly experiencing God’s organic salvation, we must see if we are reigning in Christ’s life.
Romans 5:17 says, “For 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.” Here, the abundance of the gift of righteousness refers to judicial redemption, and the abundance of grace is the processed Triune God. This grace will accomplish God’s organic salvation in us.
The life which we received not only saves us from certain things but also enables us to reign over all things. Such reigning far surpasses our being saved in life. We have received righteousness objectively, but we still need to receive continually the abundance of grace (the processed Triune God as the consummated Spirit) that we may reign in life subjectively. Romans 6—16 unveils the meaning of reigning in life. Our dying with Adam and living with Christ, our being overcoming in all circumstances, and our living a grafted life with Christ—all these matters show us the meaning of reigning. However, none of them is by our own striving but by our receiving the abundance of grace.
How do we know that we are reigning in life? If we have the living and experience portrayed in the revelations in Romans 6—16, this is evidence that we are definitely reigning in life. We will use three messages to look at the items covered in those chapters.
First, in this message we will see the following matters: in dying with Adam and living with Christ, in being overcoming in all circumstances, and in living a grafted life with Christ.