(Rom 5:12 & 17 NIV) Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned. (v.17) For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
By now I believe I have laid a firm enough foundation for you to understand that Adam introduced sin into the world and sin brought with it death. Most people understand the gospel message as it pertains to the reality that Jesus paid the penalty for sin; they don’t have a problem with accepting the fact that once they repent of their sin and accept Jesus as Lord, they are forgiven and cleansed from all unrighteousness. But that is only part of the Good News of the gospel.
Jesus came to literally get us out of everything that Adam got us into.
In our text Paul teaches us that sin entered the world through one man (Adam) and that death came in through sin. Because of Adam, all have sinned and therefore all are subject to death. In the 17th verse Paul says something interesting; he says, “Death reigned through that one man.” In other words, death reigned because of what Adam did. Think about that for a moment and brood over the language God used through Paul. The word “reign” is a word that pertains to a sovereign. This word connotes royal rule or authority; it paints the picture of a dominating power/influence. Paul tells us that death literally reigned – it had a dominating power and influence over people – because of what Adam did in the garden.
I just did a quick Internet search on the types of phobias (fears) and honestly, I was surprised. The first list brought up 71 phobias and I thought that was a lot until I realized that those were only the ones that start with the letter “A.” The complete list has 588 documented and defined phobias. Wow! Fear is definitely a major problem! The name listed for the fear of death is Thanatophobia and I submit to you that the fear is death is the cause of most of the 588 phobias. I call the fear of death the “Mother of all fears” (see Heb 2:15).
Jesus conquered death, just like He conquered sin.
Paul contrasts the reign of death with our reign in life through Jesus Christ. Paul asks, “How much more?” Meaning that we, as Born-Again believers, should reign in life even to a greater level than the reign of death. If death had great power over you before you gave your life to Christ, then now the reality of life, abundant life, the God-kind of life, should be a greater force in you and over you than death ever was. You and I are to reign in life.
Jesus did not only come so that we could miss hell (fire insurance), He came that we might have and enjoy life, in abundance, to the full, till it overflows (John 10:10 AMP).
So what does this mean to you ? It means that Jesus redeemed you from everything Adam left for you. So you should be life conscious, not death conscious. You ought to be reigning in life, not allowing death to reign over you. But just like anything else, Jesus already made a way for you to be free from the bondage of death, but you have a choice.
You can choose to allow death to continue to reign over you or you can choose to reign over death and enjoy life. The choice is yours!
Father, I align my thinking and my decisions with the reality laid out in Your Word. Your Word has exposed to me the fact that death did reign in the earth, but that it should no longer reign over me. I reign in life and not death. I am life conscious, not death conscious. My focus is on life and not death. I want everything Jesus provided for me and that includes deliverance from the bondage of the fear of death. I am free to enjoy the abundant and overflowing life Jesus died to give me and I declare, by faith, that I will. Fear is NOT a factor for me! In Jesus’ name. Amen!
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