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. Romans 5:17 (NKJV)
According to our verse today, you have received God’s grace because of Jesus, and it also reveals how much grace you get—abundant grace!
But what is grace? Grace is God’s power, ability, unearned favour and full provision for your life and it’s freely yours to use anywhere, anytime. Because of grace you can have a relationship with God, which is the biggest benefit of all, but you also have abundant power and ability to help with your relationships, business and life in general.
You received another gift when you chose to follow Jesus: righteousness–right standing with God. This verse also says that you will reign in life through abundant grace and gift of righteousness, much like a king or queen reigns over their kingdom–all because of Jesus.
Your sins are forgiven and heaven becomes your eternal home when you follow Jesus. Although that is amazing, there’s more to being saved. The word saved in the Greek is the word sozo, and its definition extends far beyond being saved from eternity without God.
Sozo’s definition includes the following meanings: to heal, protect, deliver, preserve, make whole, keep well and rescue from destruction. So, when you read, By grace you have been saved through faith (Ephesians 2:8, NKJV), here’s what it really means:
By grace you have been healed, protected, delivered, preserved, made whole, kept well and rescued from destruction through believing in and receiving what Jesus has done for you!