20/03/2026
"The gift of righteousness"
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 5:17)
Many years ago I asked the Lord what He wanted me to do. He told me that I would be singing. It would be another seventeen years before I realized that God had given me a voice.
The "gift of righteousness" is a gift of a new life, a gift of being free from sin. As Adam gave us the gift of sinning, (Rom 5:19), we are now free from sin to walk in righteousness, to walk in newness of life (Rom 6:4).
I didn't realize I could sing until years later. Did that mean I didn't have the gift? No, it simply meant that I didn't believe I had it. The gift lay dormant in me until I was convinced otherwise. I did try to sing during that time though. I was told by someone that I was tone deaf which didn't really encourage me. One day, when God was able to get me to trust my voice, I heard it. If you have ever sung before then you know in order to sing you have to give it your all.
What if God has given us a life without sin. Isn't that what Paul is describing in the latter part of Romans five and more completely in six. We have this gift, a gift of righteousness, a gift of life, a gift of being free (Rom 6:2).
I know this is hard to wrap your head around, but it doesnt make it any less true. In spite of what you see and believe, you are a new creation, a new person. It wasn't until years later it dawned on me that I could really blow so to speak. It didn't make it any less true that I had it all this time. The fact was there hidden from me by my unbelief.
This is why Paul and many others are so adamant to walk in the Spirit. It is not because you can't, but that you can. It is there within you the power to walk in holiness.
It took God a little while to get me to the place where I could see the truth. It didn't make the gift any less true, we have the "gift of righ
