Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - Living as Royalty | New Testament | Romans 5

Episode Date: July 25, 2023

Are you exactly who God created you to be? Are you living like it? Patrick uses today's episode in Romans 5 to discuss the reality that God created you to reign as a king or queen in creation. Here's how to live like it. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Join the TMBT community in reading the entire New Testament in one year. Get your FREE reading plan here. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter@TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Passages: Romans 5

Welcome to 10 minute Bible talks, where we connect the Bible to your life. In the time it takes to get to work. I'm Patrick Miller. As we read through Romans, we've explored the story of human rebellion in the fall, of Israel's self-righteousness because they received the law and not the Gentiles. And we've also looked at the story of Abraham's faith, by which he took hold of the promises of God. But the story doesn't end there. Jesus enters into the story. He enters into the story. He enters into history, to carry forward a great act of salvation in a way that no one expected. He did this for you, even though you didn't seek him, even though you deserved God's justice against your wrongdoing.

Paul writes in Romans 5 verse 6, you see, at just the right time when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for an unrighteous person, though for a good person, someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him? For if, while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life? Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Therefore, just as sin entered into the world through one man, he's talking about Adam,

and death through sin, and in this way, death came to all people because all sinned. To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone's account where there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command. as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if many died by the trespass of the one man, Adam, how much more did God's grace in the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many? Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man's sin. The judgment followed

one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. for if by the trespass of one man death reign 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? Maybe I should reread that last line. Paul says that by God's grace and the gift of Christ's righteousness, we will, quote, reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ. just stop and think about that through jesus you will reign in jesus you will be a king or a queen in creation

if you know all of the old testament and if you know anything about some ancient near eastern residences this isn't a shocking conclusion you see in the ancient world it was common for kings to make physical images of themselves using stone or wood or metal and those images of the king were placed throughout the kingdom as symbols to the people living there Don't forget, this guy's in charge. And so in Genesis, when God creates Adam in his image and tells him to multiply and fill the earth, he's playing on that exact idea. Humans are not made of stone.

We're not made of metal or wood. We are living and breathing images of the king. And wherever we go, we are living, breathing symbols that God is in charge there. Now, it's worth saying, unlike the ancient rulers of empires who used violence and intimidation and threats to rule, God's images were to care for creation, ruling over creation with his love, his justice, his mercy. The problem is that Adam rebelled. He became a broken image ruling in a broken way. He was only a dim mirror of the king he was designed to reflect. But through Jesus, the image is restored. In him, we once again become living images of the king. So one day, when we are resurrected on a renewed earth, we will be kings and queens because we are,

reflections of the second Adam, the perfect image bearer of God, because he is God himself, Jesus, our king. What's that mean in the present? It means that your reign in Christ? It's already begun. You have been set free to reflect him right now in the present, not by intimidation, power, or impressiveness, or the ways of the world. No, we've been called as kings and queens to rule as Jesus rules by laying down our lives for others, by serving rather than commanding by putting other people first, by loving our enemies and turning the other cheek. Are you living in to your true identity? Are you enjoying the glory of being a king, a queen in his image?

Don't wait. Live today as you really are. Live today as you will be one day. Before you forget, sign up for the 10-minute Bible Talks newsletter. Hit the link in the show notes and you'll get an email every Wednesday. that's going to help you beat that midweek slump and go deeper in your walk with Jesus. Thanks for listening.