The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 4: Positional Grace: The Two Administrations)

Start this post series from the beginning, here.

The Four Cornerstones of Romans (Part 4: Positional Grace: The Two Administrations)

This is the second part of Positional Grace. To gain proper context, please review Positional Grace (Part 1) before reading this post. 

In part 1 of Positional Grace we learned that this first level of grace is set in place in the heavens. In essence, positional grace is your justification. The moment you believe in Jesus Christ, hearing and responding to the gospel of grace, you become eternally saved. There are events that happen in heaven that account for your saved status. This is expounded upon in part 1, but the key points of these events are as follows,

• You are instantaneously and completely justified in the moment you get saved.
• This event is settled in heaven. You have no influence over it. It is as if a contract is signed on your behalf and things are set into place.
• Justification allows God to declare that you are righteous. This is possible because it is not your righteousness, or unrighteousness, that qualifies you, but the righteousness of Christ that is imputed to you. Your justification is based on Christ's life and works, not your own.
• Justification is a permanent status. Your unrighteous nature cannot change your righteous standing before God.
• Justification (that we are made righteous), is God’s work, not ours. We receive this status by grace through faith in His work on our behalf. Since our works did not earn for us this status, our works or lack of works cannot negate it either.

With the above summarized from part 1, let me share one last concept with you regarding justification, or positional grace. Paul deals with this concept in Romans chapter 5. It is a powerful portion of scripture and fully confirms that justification is a work of God and managed from a heavenly (or positional) standing.

ROMANS 5:12-21 – THE ADMINISTRATIONS OF ADAM AND CHRIST

Paul runs a comparison between two administrations in Romans 5:12-21. The image in this post provides a visual display of the two administrations: one of death, and the other of life. Before we get into these, I’d like to bring these spiritual administrations into a practical example.

Consider working in a bank. As an employee of the bank, you are under the modus operandi of this institution. You need to dress a certain way; you need to conform to the standards the institution dictates. You immerse yourself into the culture of this organisation, and many other examples in this regard. This is the first administration.

Next, consider working on a fishing trawler. This is a completely different environment. What works in the bank does not work on the trawler. The dress code is different, the culture is very different, the operating procedures can cause a life-or-death circumstance. Your views and goals are different.

The point is that in these practical examples of two administrations, we can clearly see that they are different. What applies to one is certainly not applicable to the other. Different rules and contexts apply. Similarly, we have the spiritual administrations of Adam and Christ. Paul defines them clearly in our key scripture passage. Let’s review some scriptures before we bring things to a close regarding positional grace.

SCRIPTURE:

Rom 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.

Rom 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 

Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 

It is clearly apparent that these administrations are very different. In addition, these two administrations are well established and have been in effect LONG before you got here! When you get born into this world, you get automatically placed into Adams administration, whether you like it or not! So, you start in Adam’s administration, and all these attributes, (condemnation, law, sin, disobedience, death, etc), are placed upon you and become your physical reality, whether you like it or not! Why? Because the administration determines it.

Likewise, when you believe in Christ, you are transferred into Christ’s administration, and all the attributes of Christ’s administration, (justification, grace, righteousness, obedience, life, etc), are placed upon you, and become your spiritual reality, whether you like it or not! Why? Because the administration determines it.

You have no choice, because whichever administration you are in, determines what is placed upon you!

The moment you are saved, and God justifies you, you are transferred into Christ’s administration, and you come under a new system of grace. Our program is not condemnation by the law, but righteousness through grace. Our relationship with God has utterly changed. Our mentality must be reprogrammed so that we can start to live by the modus operandi of this new administration. Adam’s administration has no more dominion over us because God no longer deals with us according to works or law, but rather according to His grace. As we were condemned by the sin of one man, likewise, we are justified and made righteous by One Man's obedience. Until we learn to live under Christ, you're never going to understand the full effects and blessings of grace that God offers you as a free gift in Christ.

Righteousness, (now, for us who are in Christ), is not something that results from activity in our flesh, it is the operation and work of the grace of God, through Jesus Christ. It has nothing to do with us! It’s not something we do or can do. It is already done 2000-years ago by Christ, and it is what He has done that is accounted to us by imputation.

These administrations are spiritual and therefore a matter of faith! We cannot see it. We cannot feel it. Nothing supernatural happens in our flesh! It is something we must learn and accept. It is something that should provide you great joy and comfort. Lastly, and in preparation for the next level of grace which we will soon dive into, when living under Christ’s administration and the grace of God, there should be a transformation away from the effects of Adam's administration. It is this transformation that reveals the next level of grace which we will get into in the next part.