The second reigning thing is death. Death came through sin (5:12), for sin opened the way for death to enter mankind. The sting of death is sin (1 Cor. 15:56). A sting, such as the sting of a scorpion, contains poison. Sin likewise has the element of poison. Once sin poisons us, we experience death.
Through Adam’s offense death reigns over all men (5:17, 14). According to Hebrews 2:14, Satan has the power of death. Hence, Satan is intimately related to death. Sin ushers in death, and death reigns with power in the hands of Satan. Thus, Satan is related to death, death is related to sin, and the power of sin is the law. We all must stay away from the law, sin, death, and Satan.
John 1:14 tells us that when Christ was incarnated as a man, He was full of grace. John 1:17 says that the law was given by Moses, but that grace came through Jesus Christ. Grace came with Christ. This means that when Christ is present grace also is present. As sin is the personification of Satan, grace is the personification of Christ. Therefore, grace is Christ, the embodiment of God. What is grace? Grace is God incarnated to be our enjoyment. God has given Himself to us for our enjoyment. If we compare 1 Corinthians 15:10 with Galatians 2:20, we see that the grace of God is Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul says that he labored more abundantly than the other apostles, although it was not he himself, but the grace of God that was with him. In Galatians 2:20 Paul says that it was no longer he, but Christ living in him. Therefore, grace is the living Person of Christ. Second Corinthians 13:14 also mentions the grace of Christ. Therefore, Christ is the grace of God. When Christ comes to us as God embodied for our enjoyment, that is grace. This grace has come through the second man.
This grace abounds, multiplies, and reigns through righteousness unto eternal life (5:15, 20, 21). We have seen that through the redemption of Christ we have the righteousness of God and that this righteousness gives us the ground to claim Christ as our grace. This grace is constantly abounding and multiplying. The abounding of grace results in reigning unto life eternal. The result is not something that is material and temporal, but something in the reign of grace that is eternal and divine—God’s divine life. The more grace we enjoy, the more life we have. This life is a sanctifying life, a transforming life, a conforming life and a glorifying life. This life comes from grace.
The believers also reign, for believers are kings.
Romans 5:17 says, “those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” How can we reign in life? We reign in life by receiving the abundance of grace. We need to consider the practical significance of the abundance of grace. Suppose you have a certain problem. If you find it easy to care for this problem, it means that you have an adequate supply of grace. If you find your situation unbearable, it proves that you lack the abundance of grace. Although you have grace, you have only a small portion. You do not have the abundance of grace. Many times a brother is offended when we speak a frank word to him. Why is he offended? Because he is short of grace. If he has the abundance of grace, that grace will sustain him and enable him to bear a hard word. The most difficult thing for us to bear is a hard word. We all like to hear soft words, sweet words, sugar-coated words. The smooth talkers know how to sugar-coat their words. However, if you like sugar-coated words, you will be cheated. It is much better to speak salty words. In Colossians 4:6 Paul tells us that our speech should always be seasoned with salt. This means that we must be restricted in our speech. Helpful words are salted words, not sugar-coated words. Learn to accept salty words. If you are filled with grace and have the abundance of grace, you will be happy with any kind of words.
Paul had a certain trouble, a thorn in the flesh, and he asked the Lord three times to remove it (2 Cor. 12:7-9). The Lord seemed to answer him, “I will not remove the thorn. You must suffer it by My grace. My grace is sufficient for you.” What is this grace? It is the incarnation of Christ. It is nothing less than Christ Himself as our enjoyment. When you enjoy this grace, the issue will be life. You will be rich in life. The more you endure hardships by grace, the more you will be filled with life.
Thus, Paul said that grace not only “abounded to the many,” but also that “grace might reign through righteousness unto life eternal.” Life continually issues out of the multiplication of grace. Grace must abound. Romans 5:20 says, “where sin abounded grace has more abounded.” Grace always exceeds sin. Although sin is powerful, grace is more powerful. Grace is stronger than sin. We need to open ourselves to the grace and enlarge our capacity to receive grace upon grace. John 1:16 says, “of his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” Christ is the source of grace and Christ is grace itself. If we open ourselves to Christ and receive “the abundance of grace,” we shall be filled with life.
This life becomes the growing life found in Romans 6. It is also the sanctifying life, the liberating life, the transforming life and the conforming life. Eventually, this life will be the glorifying life. This is the issue of enjoying Christ as grace.
As grace reigns unto life, so we who “receive the abundance of grace shall reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (5:17). From the beginning of Romans through 5:11, there is little mention of life. Romans 5:10 says that we shall be saved in His life, and Romans 1:17 tells us that the just shall have life and live by faith. However, as we enter the section on sanctification, we find a strong word in Romans 5:17, telling us that we “shall reign in life.” Hence, we can “walk in newness of life” (6:4). We reign in life and walk in newness of life because we have received the abundance of grace in Christ. Today through the man Jesus Christ, by the abundance of His grace, we not only have eternal life, but we can reign over all things and all situations in this life and walk in its newness.