REIGNING WITH CHRIST

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By Mae Shurow October 16,2005

Revelation 5:9-10 tells us that God has made the redeemed “unto our God kings and priest; and we shall reign on earth.” We are also told in several passages that the saints will sit on thrones and shall judge the world (Matt 19:28, Rev 20:4, 1 Corin 2:15, 6:2). What can this mean, since we know that Kingdom and Dominion belong to God alone and He is the only Judge? And if we reign with Christ, what do we reign over? Do any of the speculations we may have heard (such as we will each rule over a certain section of the earth in the “millennial kingdom,” or that perhaps we will each reign over a planet in the universe) have any validity? Since the natural man cannot comprehend the things of God, the wise person will always let Scripture interpret Scripture in these matters and seek understanding from the Holy Spirit (who will lead us into all truth).

Romans 5:14 tells us that “…death reigned from Adam to Moses…” Verses 17 and 21 go on to tell us more:

Romans 5:17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
Romans 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

We Reign Over Sin

So we see that Scripture says sin and death reigned over us until Christ. Before Christ came, we were in bondage – powerless! Because of our fallen natures, we had no choice but to sin. But Jesus came to set us free from the bondage we were in! Those who are in Christ now have the ability to choose whether to serve sin or not. It all depends on whom we give ourselves over to – to sin, or to righteousness. Jesus Christ gives the power to reign in life! In Him, we reign over sin, we reign over spiritual death!

Romans 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

We have dominion over sin in Christ Jesus! Remember, Revelation 5:10 says, “And hast made us [the redeemed] unto our God kings and priest; and we shall reign on the earth.” What will we reign over on the earth? By grace, we have been given the gift of dominion over SIN – that sin should no longer reign over us.

Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

Jesus Is On The Throne

Contrary to popular opinion, we do not await a future reign of Christ. Scripture is plain that Jesus is already raised up to sit on the throne. In the following passage, Peter explained to the men of Israel that the Holy Ghost was evidence that Christ is now sitting on the throne of David at the right hand of the Father.

Acts 2:30-33 [David] Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that
God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins,
according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his
throne;

31He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see corruption. 32This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. 33Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.

Acts 3:26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Christ is reigning now! Notice the following verses are all in the past or present tense:

Hebrews 8:1 Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;
1 Cor. 15:25-26 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
Hebrews 2:8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. [All things are under Him, but we are as yet unable to see this reality.]
Ephes. 1:19-22 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, 20Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, 21Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: 22And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,

Although we do await His future coming and the restitution of all things (Acts 3:20-21), Christ has already been seated on the throne in heavenly places. And the Bible says that we have been raised up with Him, seated there with Him! We reign with Him over our enemy (sin!) by His mighty power!

Ephes. 1:19, 2:6 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

PRAISE BE TO OUR LORD CHRIST JESUS, “…Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood, And hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father;” (Revelation 1:5-6)!

Judgment Given To The Saints

The Bible not only informs us that we will reign with Christ, but that the saints shall judge the world as well.

Rev. 20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them…and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
1 Cor. 6:2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
1 Cor. 6:3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
1 Cor. 2:15 But he that is spiritual judgeth all things…
Matthew 19:28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

“Judge” is Strong’s number 2919, and the general meaning is “to separate, distinguish, discriminate between good and evil, select, choose out the good” (Zod. Complete Word Study New Testament Dict.). To understand what judging means from a Biblical point of view, we must go back to the garden – back to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The word “knowledge” which describes this tree is Strong’s number 1847 and means “understanding, wisdom.” 1 When the serpent tempted Eve, he said:

Genesis 3:5-6 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

“Knowing” in this verse is Strong’s number 3045 and means “knowledge, i.e., information that implies wisdom and skill in judgment” ^[1] “to discern, distinguish between right and wrong” (Zod. Complete Word Study New Testament Dict.). We always seem to think of the tree being desirable because the fruit looked so delicious, but what looked so good to Eve was the ability to judge what was wise apart from the direction of God.

The Bible tells us there are two kinds of wisdom – earthly wisdom and wisdom from above.

James 3:15, 17 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

The wisdom derived from the tree of knowledge of good and evil is earthly wisdom. Only God can give true wisdom and ability to judge – to discern between good and evil. Solomon asked of God:

· 1 Kings 3:9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?

And James tells us that we, too, are to ask God for wisdom:

· James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally...

Before we come to know the Lord, we really do not know right from wrong. We think we do, because we – along with all mankind – have eaten from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” We are like the people mentioned in Judges 17:6, where “every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” We suppose that we have the ability to discern right from wrong, but only God can give us the wisdom to see what is truly right or wrong, good or evil. Until a person comes to know Jesus and eats from the Tree of Life, the only thing we have is earthly wisdom (James 3:15). How amazing that what Adam and Eve desired – the knowledge of good and evil, the ability to discern between good and bad – God GIVES to those who are raised to new life in Christ! “...he that is spiritual judges all things...” (1 Corin. 2:15).

How Does This Apply To Everyday Life?

So what does it mean that the saints reign with Christ and judge the world? It is a picture of the fact that God gives those who are following Him the ability – not only to understand what is good and evil – but the power to do what is good and right according to His standards! He gives us discernment of good and evil and dominion over SIN – that sin should no longer reign over us. In the midst of this evil world, the saints of God are given the ability and power to DISCERN and TO DO what is right!

“Execute ye judgment and righteousness, and deliver the

spoiled out of the hand of the oppressor; and do no

wrong, do no violence to the stranger,

the fatherless, nor the widow...”

(Jeremiah 22:3)

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*All emphasis mine.

^[1]Swanson, J. (1997). Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament) (HGK1978). Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc.