Royalty with Christ

 

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! Therefore, I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; if we are faithless, he remains faithful— for he cannot deny himself. (2 Timothy 2:12 ESV).

 

When we begin to think of “royalty” it is most common to think of the British Royal Family. In this picture taken before the death of Queen Elizabeth II, we see all of the family together. Recently there has been much written and spoken on the news about differences within the British family. I am always a bit surprised by the global interest in such things, though I suppose it makes sense when you think of the long history and influence felt across the world. Our reading today tells us about a different “royal family” of which we are a part. In fact, the Apostle Paul says that as Christ reigns and rules forever, we also will live and reign with him forever.

 

Genesis 1-2 and Psalm 8 remind us that God made us the crown of his creation and appointed us to take care of it and rule over it for his glory. Because of sin we forfeited our ability to do this completely, but Christ has succeeded in reigning over creation as a fully human being who is also fully God. So, we can look forward to the final day when the reign and rule of Christ is perfectly realized.

 

In the meantime, we should not forget that we are even now reigning with our Savior. Sin no longer has dominion over those who believe in Jesus, for we live in the gracious era in which we have been adopted as God’s children (cf. Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 3:26-4:7). By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can now conquer sin and grow in holiness. We are also free from the tyranny of the law. Forgiven in Christ, we may fulfill the royal law of love in serving our Creator.

 

We may not often think of ourselves as kings and queens who rule over (take care of) creation, but this result of being saved in Christ connects us with who we are created to be in the first place. Our salvation sets us back on our rightful throne. Easter reaffirms this truth. It also gives us even more to celebrate.