reign – Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: reign

Romans 15:12 – The Root of Life

Posted on January 11, 2019 by Will

And again, Isaiah says: "There will be a Root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope."

Truth to Learn

Every Christian’s hope is a result of the resurrection of Christ.

Behind the Words

“Root” is from the Greek noun rhiza (from which we get our English horticultural term rhizome), meaning “a root or an offshoot growing up from the root.” When a rhizome is planted in the ground, it produces new life in the form of the shoots that rise up from the life-giving rhizome.

The word “rise” is translated from anistēmi, which is a compound word made up of ana, meaning “again” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” Hence, anistēmi literally means “to stand again.”

“Reign” is translated from archō, meaning “to be first in rank or political position.”

Meaning Explained

Paul uses yet another reference from the Old Testament to make his point about Gentile praises. This one is from the prophet Isaiah,

And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who stands as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10)

As mentioned above, rhiza can refer to a root or to its offspring. In this case it refers to the offspring of Jesse. If you read through I Samuel 16, you will see that Jesse was the father of King David. So the root of Jesse is a reference to the offspring of David. In the book of the Revelation the Lord Jesus Christ is twice referred to as “the root of David.”

And one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep. Look, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome to open the scroll and its seven seals." (Revelation 5:5)

"I, Jesus, sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star." (Revelation 22:16)

So Paul’s quotation here of Isaiah 11:10 is a proclamation that Jesus Christ shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, and in Him shall the Gentiles hope and expect salvation.

One final point: notice in Paul’s quote of Isaiah he said that the root of Jesse “will rise to reign.” Isaiah did not say “rise” by accident. If Christ had not risen from the dead, then He would not be able to reign over the nations. But because He did rise, He is become King of kings and Lord of lords. It is because of the resurrection that we have expectant hope, and it is because of the resurrection that we should continually be praising God.

Application

Jesus was “planted” in death and “rose again” with new life so that our sins might be forgiven and we might share in His new life. This is an incredible truth that we should proclaim daily to those around us who are still lost in their sins. When was the last time you shared this blessed truth with someone?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 6:12 – Who’s Your Ruler?

Posted on January 19, 2018 by Will

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, to obey it in its lusts.

Truth to Learn

Don’t let sin take control of your life.

Behind the Words

“Reign” is a word we looked at in the final verse of the previous chapter of Romans. It is basileuō, which means “to be king or to have ruling power over.” It is expressed here in the imperative mood indicating it is a command, “do not allow sin to rule over your mortal body!”

The word translated “mortal” is thnētos, which is derived from the verb thnēskō, meaning “to die.” Hence, thnētos refers to something which is subject to death.

“Obey” is from the Greek word hupakouō, which is made up of hupo (or hypo) meaning “under” and akouō, meaning “to hear.” Hence, hupakouō literally means “to hear under.” It is a picture of a disciple listening to, hearing, and obeying the teaching of his or her master.

The word, “lusts” is a translation of the Greek word, epithumia, which is made up of epi, meaning “above or over” and a form of thumos, meaning “the mind.” As we put these together we see it means “to have overly strong thoughts or desires.”

Meaning Explained

This verse and the next form a two part summation of what Paul has been saying in the past few verses with some explanation added. He just told us that we should consider ourselves dead to sin, but living to God. Here he tells us what he means by considering, or reckoning, ourselves dead to sin. He says, “Don’t let sin reign in your mortal bodies.” In other words, the way we reckon ourselves dead to sin is to not let it have control. If sin is reigning in our life, it is ruling over us and we are submitting ourselves to it; we are letting it control us. If we are dead to sin, then we are separated from the dominion of sin and we will not live in obedience to it.

The second half of this verse has been viewed by some Biblical scholars as questionable. They believe that it has been added and was not part of the original letter. Others, and I agree with them, believe that it rightly belongs here since it appears in most reliable manuscripts.

Paul says that the way we keep sin from reigning in our mortal bodies is by not obeying it in its lusts. God has put desires within us that are necessary for survival, such as the desire to eat, the desire to rest, and the desire to procreate. However, when we allow these thoughts and desires to get so strong that they overcome us and control us, then they become sinful to us. The Apostle John says that these desires (lusts) are not of God but are part of the world system:

Because all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)

We should not allow these desires to control us.

Application

If you are living to God through Jesus Christ then you must have control over your sinful desires. Don’t let the world system stir up your desires. Don’t let the world system rule over you. Take control of your life by submitting to God!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 15:12 – The Root of Life

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Will

Romans 15:12 – The Root of Life

And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a Root of Jesse; and He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in Him the Gentiles shall hope.”

Truth to Learn

Every Christian’s hope is a result of the resurrection of Christ.

Behind the Words

“Reign” is translated from archō, meaning “to be first in rank or political position.”

Meaning Explained

Paul uses yet another reference from the Old Testament to make his point about Gentile praises. This one is from the prophet Isaiah,

And in that day there shall be a Root of Jesse, Who shall stand as a banner to the people; For the Gentiles shall seek Him, And His resting place shall be glorious. (Isaiah 11:10)

But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose its seven seals.” (Revelation 5:5)

“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16)

So Paul’s quotation here of Isaiah 11:10 is a proclamation that Jesus Christ shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, and in Him shall the Gentiles hope and expect salvation.

One final point: notice that Isaiah said that the root of Jesse “will rise to reign.” Isaiah did not say “rise” by accident. If Christ had not risen from the dead, then He would not be able to reign over the nations. But because He did rise, He is become King of kings and Lord of lords. It is because of the resurrection that we have expectant hope, and it is because of the resurrection that we should continually be praising God.

Application

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 6:12 – Who’s Your Ruler?

Posted on March 15, 2010 by Will

Romans 6:12

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

Truth to Learn

Don’t let sin take control of your life.

Behind the Words

The word translated “mortal” is thnētos, which is derived from the verb theēskō, meaning “to die.” Hence, thnētos refers to something which is subject to death.

Meaning Explained

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)

We should not allow these desires to control us.

Application

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 5:21 – Eternal – Death or Life

Posted on February 24, 2010 by Will

Romans 5:21

so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Truth to Learn

Even though we were ruled over by sin in the past, God’s grace will reign over us because of the righteousness that He imputes to us when we submit to Him as our Lord.

Behind the Words

The words “reigned” and “might reign” are translated from basileuō, meaning “to reign” or “to be king” as we saw back in verse fourteen. The verb forms in this verse are very telling. “Reigned” is in the aorist, active, indicative indicating a past action occurring at a point in time. Hence, it could be translated as “began to reign” or “reigned” as we have it in this translation. However, “might reign” is an aorist, active, subjunctive, which implies something that is not necessarily occurring at the moment but that might occur in the future.

“Eternal” is translated from the Greek word aiōnios, which is from aiōn, meaning “an age” or “a long period of time.” Hence, aiōnios means “perpetual, everlasting, or eternal.

The word translated “Lord” is kurios, which comes from the noun kuros, meaning “might or power.” The word kurios means “one who is supreme in authority or power, a master, or an owner.” When we refer to Jesus Christ as our Lord we are saying that he is our owner, the one who has supreme authority over all that we do and that we have submitted our will to His.

Meaning Explained

Paul now ties-up the entire chapter in this one verse. Previously Paul taught us that the Law came in to make the presence of sin much more evident. It was the spotlight that made sin undeniable. And he said that where sin was more apparent, grace was even more so. That is, as the knowledge of sin became greater, the recognition of the immenseness of the grace became even greater. To use a military analogy, the greater and more powerful the enemy, the greater is the reputation of the army that conquers that enemy.

Paul now makes the final comparison. On the one hand, sin has reigned unbeatable in the past, producing death. From 2Thessalonians we know that this death is everlasting:

… and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

But in the final showdown, grace will defeat the enemy. It will reign over death and through righteousness (imputed by that grace) it will produce in us eternal life. This grace which allows righteousness to be imputed to us is only made possible through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Application

Thank you, Heavenly Father for helping me see my sinfulness and for your gracious gift, the blood of your only begotten son that paid for my sins. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for the promise of eternal life rather than the eternal punishment that I deserve. Truly, you are worthy of my worship and my praise! You are my Owner, my Master, and my Lord, and I willingly submit my will to yours. Amen.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 5:17 – A Reigning Gift

Posted on February 18, 2010 by Will

Romans 5:17

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)

Truth to Learn

We will reign with Christ because of what He has done for us.

Behind the Words

“Offence” is from the word paraptōma, which we saw a couple verses back meaning “a falling by the wayside.”

“Death” is a word we haven’t looked at yet. It is from the Greek word thanatos, which is based on the verb thaneskō, meaning “to die.” Thanatos is actually an adjective in form but it is a noun in usage. It is used to refer to physical death (the death of our physical bodies) as well as spiritual death (exclusion from the presence and favor of God). The base meaning of this word implies separation. Regarding physical death it is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. With respect to spiritual death is the separation of the spirit from the presence and favor of God.

The word “receive” is translated from the Greek word lambanō, meaning “to take, to accept, or to receive.” It is expressed here as a participle (who are receiving).

The word translated “abundance” is perisseia, which is based on the verb perisseuō, which we also saw a couple of verses back. Perisseia roughly means “more than enough” or “an overflowing.”

Meaning Explained

Paul now combines and summarizes the previous two verses in a single statement. He starts off with, “For if by one man’s offense death reigned.” This is another first class conditional phrase as we saw two verses back, so we can read it as, “For since by one man’s offense death reigned” But the word, “man’s” is not present in the original, so we can read this as, “For since by one offense death reigned by one (man).” Paul says death has reigned as a result of one offense by one man.

The next phrase starts out with “much more.” In other words, this phrase is of even greater impact than the previous phrase. This phrase, “those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness,” is talking about those of us who have been saved by grace through faith.

He now makes a play on words in the midst of this very difficult passage. In the first part of this verse, Paul talked about death reigning over all of mankind as a result of sin. Now he says that we who are saved will reign in life; that is, in heaven we will reign with Christ in a state of eternal life. And that reign of ours, with Christ, will be as a result of one man, Jesus Christ.

Now let’s read this entire verse: “For since by one offense death reigned by one (man), much more those receiving an excess of grace and the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One (man), Jesus Christ.”

Application

Death reigns over us because of what Adam did, and no matter how much good we try to do, we cannot earn our way out of it. Our eternal reign with Christ, however, is God’s overflowing gift to us because of what Jesus Christ has done for us.

In God’s service, for His glory,

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