Rom 5:17 ...much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. (18) ...so also it was through one righteous act unto justification of life to all men. (19) ...so also through the obedience of the One the many will be constituted righteous.
Praise the Lord that we have the second man, the second act, and the second result! What is the result of Christ's obedience? Grace came through the obedience of Christ. "The grace of God has abounded to many" (5:15). Paul does not say that life has abounded. This is similar to Adam's transgression, in which sin came first and death followed. Likewise, through the obedience of Christ grace came first and life followed. Death is versus life, and grace is versus sin. Sin came from Adam's transgression, but grace came through Christ's obedience. Sin is Satan personified, come to poison us, damage us, and bring death into us. Grace is God personified, come to give us life and enjoyment. Through Adam's transgression, sin entered the human race as poison for man's destruction, but through Christ's righteous, obedient act God came as grace for our enjoyment. When the living God comes into our being as grace, we are constituted righteous. A further result of Christ's obedience is that we have been justified unto life. Since we have been constituted righteous, we have come up to the standard of God's righteousness and now correspond to it. Thus, we are justified unto life spontaneously. In Adam, through his one offense, we were condemned unto death; in Christ, through His one righteous act, we are justified unto life. Justification is for life. First we have justification, then we have life. A prayer Lord Jesus, thank You for Your obedient act of dying on the cross. I am now a blessed person because You have come into me to re-constitute me and be my daily enjoyment. Help (blank) to see the great result of Your obedience. Amen.
Bible verses are taken from the Recovery Version of the Bible and Words of Ministry from Witness Lee. Life-study of Romans, pp. 117-118. Both are published by Living Stream Ministry, Anaheim, CA. Please visit us at www.emanna.com. Send comments to: [email protected].
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