God’s Gift of Eternal Life

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

Have you ever asked yourself what righteousness, by God’s standard is? Romans 6:23 gives us an idea. Notice it doesn’t say, “One of the gifts of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Eternal life is not one of the gifts of God; it is THE gift of God. It encapsulates all the other gifts of God. When God gives you eternal life, it means you’ve got everything else.

In Romans 5:17, Paul declared, “For if by one man’s (Adam) 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.” Observe the term “the gift of righteousness.” It’s the same gift he referred to as “the gift of God” in Romans 6:23. This immediately lets us know righteousness is eternal life.

Eternal life doesn’t only mean an unending life where you live on forever. The English rendering didn’t have a better way to express it than to call it “eternal” or “everlasting” life, but it’s the life that God has as God. Now we’re made to understand that that life is righteousness. Righteousness is the nature of God that qualifies Him to be who He is. You can’t really know what’s right till God does or approves it, or what’s wrong till He says no to it. That’s because He’s the standard for measuring rightness; He is perfection personified.

Now, God’s life cannot fail or be wrong. It doesn’t know any defeat and cannot be put down or crack under any pressure. No wonder Paul says if you’ve received abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness—the very nature, life and character of God—you’ll reign in life. When you have and are fully conscious of the life of God, you can’t live any other way than to reign. It is what gives you the boldness to stand in the presence of God without guilt, inferiority, or condemnation, and also before Satan and the cohorts of hell without fear but with authority and dominion, Hallelujah

Powerful, Loving, And Sound

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7)

As Christians, we have an extraordinary amplitude of comprehension because the wisdom of God is in our spirits.  Our minds are anointed to produce excellence.  We've also been anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power, and the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts (Romans 5:5).  All these are by the Holy Spirit.  He has made you powerful, loving and sound.  What an excellent life!

Some people are powerful, but not loving.  For us Christians, these three qualities are complete.  Acts 1:8 says, "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you... "Every Christian who has received the Holy Spirit has received power, because the Holy Spirit is the power of God. 1 John 4:4 says, "Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. "The One who resides in you is greater and more powerful than all the forces in the world! Therefore, be bold to say, "...truly I am full of power by the spirit of the LORD..."(Micah 3:8).

The same Holy Spirit has caused the love of God to be shed abroad in your heart.  it's natural for you to walk in love, because love is the life of the new creation.  The Bible says God is love (1 John 4:8); and as He is, so are you (1 John 4:17).

Declare always that you're full of power, love, and have a sound mind; and use your sound mind for excellence in all you do