"For
if by the one man's offense, death reigned through the
one, much more will those who receive the abundance
of grace and the free gift of righteousness will reign
in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Romans
5:17).
---This
is a word that awakens the spiritual hunger of the believer
who seeks to please the Lord and a word of encouragement
for those who have encountered difficulties in their
path, either by their own failures or by being defrauded
by others.
---Paul,
with the grace of the Lord, that inspires him, sends
us a precious challenge: we can be able to reign in
this life, if only we receive the abundant grace that
is offered to us!
---We
know that Adam's transgression and fall passed on all
the consequences that we see daily in ourselves and
in the evils that thrash humankind. The expression:
"For I do not do the good I want, but the evil
I do not want is what I keep on doing" (Rom.
7:19), resumes the drama of the human race. There is
no scope in human tasks that does not have this seal.
For example, we are aware of the damage that we cause
the environment, yet we continue to pollute it. We know
that certain foods are not healthy for us, but we continue
to consume them. Like these examples, we could continue
to name many more.
---Man
continues to be a slave to the principle of "good
and evil", knows what good is without being able
to put it to work, and recognizes evil without being
able to avoid it. It is Adam's syndrome, whose transgression
passed on death, pain, impotence, and failure in all
its forms.
---On
the contrary, the expression, "much more"
has the strength to give us hope; thus, being witnesses
of the fatal effectiveness of Adam's principle, we see
death everywhere. What is now being offered to us must
be much more effective; since, without a doubt, Christ
is much greater than Adam, the transgressor.
---Our
Lord Jesus Christ provided us with a new start; his
precious blood cleansed all our sins (its remembrance
no longer produces frustration, another form of death),
his death on the cross has become our death, because
"I have been crucified with Christ"
(Gal. 2:20), and even more "raised us up with
him" (Eph. 2:6). What is this but "the
abundance of his grace"?
---Forgiveness
of sins is a wonderful experience for the believer;
yet, if the believer does not receive God's provision
in Christ, if the believer has not appropriated the
Lord's death and resurrection, he is still fighting
with his own strength. This explains the failure of
many Christians, who are conformed only with the initial
experience of receiving forgiveness which causes them
to be an easy target of discouragement; death reigns
over them.
---The
abundance of the grace that the apostle invites us to
receive includes the fullness of the work and the person
of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us, therefore, take hold
of everything that has been given to us in Christ. By
receiving the abundance of his grace we will reign in
life, thus being buried with him (Rom. 6:4), we were
also risen with him. The powerful life of resurrection–which
the ones who are of Christ have received– cannot
be touched by death in any of its forms. By this life,
standing firmly over this terrain in Christ, and having
risen with him, we begin to reign.
(Translation:
Betsy Calvo, USA).
