Romans 5:17
"For if, because of one man's trespass [Adam], death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one-man Jesus Christ."
Q: Who lives in the abundant grace of God?
A: "Those who receive..."
This verse contrasts Adam’s sin, which brought death into humanity, with Christ’s gift, which brings life into humanity. The idea here is that sin’s power, is totally outmatched by God’s grace and righteousness. It’s like sin is a candle, and grace is the sun; there’s no competition.
When we tie this idea of God's sovereign grace to human sainthood, it’s fascinating because the Bible doesn’t portray saints as people who’ve earned perfection through flawless behavior. The bible resists the idea that grace can be earned. Instead, the bible teaches that it’s faith—trusting in Christ—that makes us righteous in God’s eyes. Not religion. This "gift of righteousness" isn’t something we hustle for; it’s handed to us through grace. So, in a way, being a saint isn’t about being sinless but about being transformed by faith into someone who "reigns in life" through Jesus. So, it’s not about who’s worthy or who’s racked up enough good deeds. It’s about the ones who accept it, who say "yes" to the grace God’s offering. That’s the entry ticket to living in this abundant grace.
Q: Who gets the ticket to God's grace?
A: Anyone who accepts God’s gift of grace and righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not a VIP list based on merit, status, or flawless behavior.
Q: Why is this the case?
A: The "why" is beautifully simple yet deep...God’s love and generosity. This verse in Romans sets up this contrast; sin came through one guy (Adam), and messed things up for everyone, but grace comes through one-man (Jesus) and is offered to all who’ll take it. It's no more difficult than that.
Q: So why that hang up? Why do so many resist the idea?
A: The catch is, (and it’s not really a catch), is that it’s voluntary. You don’t get forced into it; you opt in by faith. God leads us into faith. God gifts us with faith. God calls us to grow in our faith. And God instructs us to walk in that faith.
Get the idea? God did it, God's doing it, and God will do it.
John 1:12 ties into this too:
"Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God."
But if we aren't willing to trust in his judgment, trust in his authority, trust in his means of grace that are ALL grounded in his Son Jesus Christ, then we're obviously not accepting his gift of faith.
Trust is the linchpin. When we reach out our hands for other means of grace we are reaching back into our sinful ways. We're saying, "thanks but no thanks" to God's gift of faith. It’s like refusing to board a plane because we don’t trust the pilot, even though he’s the only one who can get us where we’re going.
Hebrews 11:6 pops to my mind
"Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
No trust, no faith; no faith, no receiving.
Q: And yet couldn't "those who earnestly seek him" in Hebrews 11:6 suggest for some that they must "earn"estly seek faith? As if to say they must work to "earn" that faith?
A: The Greek word there is ekzēteō, which means to seek out diligently or desire earnestly. It’s not about punching the religious clock, racking up spiritual hours to prove your spiritual worth. It’s about the posture of your heart, it's about a genuine longing to know God. Faith isn’t the reward for the effort; it’s the means by which you seek Him.
Q: So faith enables earnest trust, earnest walking, earnest commitment?
A: Faith is like the engine that powers all of it. Faith begins by trusting in God's promises. So, he initiates that spiritual power in you. Then that trust naturally spills over into how you walk in Christ. So, God is filling you up with faith and making the overflow. It’s circular, or maybe wrapped up together. Faith enables the earnestness, and the earnestness strengthens the faith.
Galatians 5:6 ties it together:
"The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love."
That "expressing itself" is the earnest walking and commitment in action.
So, God is really responsible for all of it. He initiates it and he grows it. He activates it and fulfills it. God’s the one behind it all. He initiates the faith (Ephesians 2:8-9 calls it a gift), He grows it (Philippians 1:6 says He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion), He activates it (Hebrews 12:2 names Jesus the "author and perfecter" of our faith), and He fulfills it (Romans 8:30 promises He’ll see it through from justification to glorification). We are the responders not the initiators. God makes the first move and turns out he made every other move along the way. Faith is us leaning into what He’s already set into motion.
John 6:44 has Jesus saying...
"No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them."
Which leads me into the real point I wanted to explore:
Q: How is God wrapped up in it all? When I do his will, trust his Son Jesus, obey his words, how is he responsible for that faith? Is it truly possible that God is present within my choices and my responses?
A: Gods wrapped up in it all because He’s the source and sustainer of everything that makes faith possible. When we trust Jesus, obey His words, or do His will, that’s not us pulling ourselves up by our spiritual bootstraps. Scripture points to God being the one who plants and nurtures that faith in us.
Philippians 2:13 says
"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose."
So now we're getting into what I really really want to explore:
Q: What does that mean [God] "works in you".
A: What Does “Works in You” Mean?
"Works" here (in the Greek: energeō) means to be active, operative, or effective. God’s not just cheering from the sidelines, He’s dynamically involved in shaping our desires. The Bible leans hard into the idea that God’s Spirit dwells within believers, (1 Corinthians 6:19, Romans 8:11, John 14:17, John 4:24).
Q: But is The Spirit genuinely and physically alive within us, is He occupying space within us, or is scripture merely using relational and spatial language to get a message across?
A: Jesus said this to the Samaritan woman at Jacobs well:
John 2:24
"God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
The Holy Spirit is not just some vague force, but He is someone with will, intellect, and emotion (like in Ephesians 4:30 where He can be grieved, or John 16:13 where He guides and speaks). That’s foundational. He’s not an impersonal energy resource; He’s relational, active, and alive.
Then there’s Jesus saying in Matthew 5:14, "You are the light of the world," right after the Beatitudes, and in John 8:12 calling Himself "the light of the world." Ephesians 5:8 echoes it: "For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light." This light isn’t just metaphorical—it’s tied to who we are in Him, reflecting His presence. That’s the Spirit’s work, illuminating us from within.
I went down all that long winding theological roadway to get you to here: (Keep Reading)
Think 1 John 1:5
"God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."
Q: Physically speaking, light’s a force, made up of electromagnetic waves, it's energy that moves and affects matter. Could the Spirit’s indwelling have a physical dimension like that?
A: There’s precedent for God’s presence showing up physically. At Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:16), the Spirit descends like a dove-visible, and tangible. At Pentecost (Acts 2:3), tongues of fire appear. Even Moses’ face glowed after meeting God (Exodus 34:29). These suggest the Spirit can interact with the physical world, maybe even as light-like energy. So, if we’re "temples of the Holy Spirit" (1 Corinthians 6:19), and He’s in us, the Shekinah glory idea of a "presence of light" dwelling within isn’t crazy.
Q: Some mystics (and even quantum physics buffs) speculate about unseen forces tying spirit and matter together—could the Spirit’s presence be that bridge?
A: "Shekinah" isn’t a word you’ll find verbatim in the Bible, but it’s a Jewish theological term rooted in Hebrew shakan (meaning "to dwell"). Think of it as the spotlight of God’s nearness breaking into our world. The Burning Bush (Exodus 3:2-4), Pillar of Cloud and Fire (Exodus 13:21-22), Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:16-17), Jesus and the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:2), Pentecost (Acts 2:3) Tongues of fire rest on the disciples as the Spirit comes.
Fire, radiance, brilliance, light keeps popping up. It’s not just symbolic; it’s a physical manifestation people see and feel. The Shekinah glory links the unseen (God’s spiritual essence) with the seen (our world). In the New Testament, this glory shifts from external (cloud, fire) to internal, living in us as temples of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16).
The Spirit might not be photons in a physics textbook sence, but He’s a real, and active force, maybe a divine "light" that’s both spiritual and perceptible.
Ezekiel 36:27 ties it together:
"I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees."
That’s the Shekinah presence internalized. God’s glory not just with us but in us, bridging the gap, lighting us up from within.
(Keep Reading It Just Keeps Getting Better)
* Shekinah as the "In-Between"
God’s manifest presence does seem to occupy a threshold kind of liminal space. And for the most part humanity has seen it as "just there" in an untouchable spiritual realm. Could it be more than a divine cameo, though? Could it be the glue that binds all matter and spirit together?
Colossians 1:16-17
"For in him [Christ] all things were created…all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together."
Hmmm...
John 1:14
"the Word became flesh…we have seen his glory"
Double Hmmm...
Q: But is the Shekinah His light at work inbetween and surrounding all things?
A: Hebrews 1:3
"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory…sustaining all things by his powerful word."
The universe doesn’t just float around on its own; it’s held together by Him.
Psalm 104:29-30
"When you hide your face, they are terrified; when you take away their breath, they die…When you send your Spirit, they are created, and you renew the face of the earth."
The Spirit (linked to Shekinah) animates life itself. Maybe not just with a spark of life, but in the ongoing thread of life from one generation to the next. Not just popping in for big spectacular spiritual moments (Sinai, Temple), but constantly undergirding our reality itself.
Philosophers like Augustine pondered that God’s being is the ground of all existence. I've always believed this to be the case in a very real sense. Nothing exists apart from Him. Not in a pantheistic sense, for the Bible is clear that Christ alone is that source of life giving creative power. But more and more I'm seeing God presence in the inbetween. God’s glory as the "in-between," threading through every quark and galaxy. Maybe it's that so called "dark matter" science talks about.
Dark Matter 101:
Dark matter’s this mysterious stuff, about 27% of the universe’s mass-energy, per NASA’s numbers. It doesn’t emit, absorb, or reflect light, so we can’t see it directly, but we know it’s there because it bends gravity, holds galaxies together, and keeps the cosmos from flying apart.
Q: Is the Shekinah operating inbetween in that dark matter realm?
A: That creative light shining in darkness (John 1:5), glory veiled in humility (Jesus’ incarnation). God’s glory working where we least expect it. Hidden in mystery, or is it? Maybe it's been there all along. Maybe it’s not "dark" to Him; maybe it’s just our eyes that can’t catch His wavelength. Maybe this is why noone can survive seeing God face to face. Maybe what science calls "dark" is not the absence of light, but beyond our sight.
Genesis 1:2’s "darkness was over the face of the deep" gets spicy when we start thinking like this. Could it be that the Spirit hovering there (linked to Shekinah) is working through what we now tag as "dark"?
Cosmically speaking, if the dark matter is the Shekinah's mode of creative action, it then becomes the glue of the universe, binding matter, life, and everything to it. Maybe there’s even a "dark matter" parallel in our souls. Unseen spiritual depths where God’s light dwells, beyond our grasp but as real as gravity.
That’s biblical to the core. Think Jesus, the light, descending into death’s darkness to conquer it. That outer-darkness.
Hmmm. Maybe there's even more to see here.
Outer-darkness is a place of exclusion, judgment, separation from God’s presence—often paired with fire (Matthew 13:42) or torment (Revelation 14:10-11). It's chaos, disorder. Dark matter’s everywhere, threading through the cosmos. "Outer darkness" as a judgment place could imply a realm that’s not confined to one spot but a state of existence, maybe omnipresent in its own way? Like a conduit for God's glory to create. Like a primordial ocean we're all floating in, and the only thing (not a thing) keeping us alive is God's Spirit.
Cosmologists describe it [Dark Matter] as a vast, filamentary structure, the "cosmic web." Simulations show it lace-like, permeating space, connecting all matter. Like the skeleton of the universe. And so, if dark matter’s a refractive essence for divine light, it suggests it’s not passive but responsive, it's catching God’s glory and scattering it. And Jesus captures, focuses, and redirects that divine glory energy. Like a prism doesn't create light, it scatters it, and Jesus focuses it again in the way he commands.
Science sees dark matter as inert, no light, no charge, just gravity. But if it’s refractive for divine light (Shekinah glory), it’s not just sitting there—it’s reacting. Not alive, not the source, but a web that resonates when divine light hits it. Maybe it's the divine resonance light-stream.
Then comes Jesus, the game-changer. If dark matter’s web refracts glory, Jesus is the lens, the prism’s master. Scripture’s loaded with Him as the conduit of God’s light and glory.
John 1:14:
"The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory…"
He’s the Shekinah incarnate, capturing God’s radiance in human form.
Hebrews 1:3
"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being…"
He doesn’t just reflect; He is the glory, refocusing it with creative precision.
Colossians 1:15-17
"He is the image of the invisible God…in him all things hold together."
He directs that Shekinah glory energy, channeling it to sustain creation. It’s like the universe is a symphony of dark strings, humming faintly until the Conductor—Jesus—strikes the note.
Genesis 1:3
"And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light."
Imagine those inert dark matter threads suddenly come alive as creation flows through them and begins to build the universe we see. Those crystalline, refractive threads weaving through the chaos, silent, lifeless, a "dark stream" of potential. They’re not holding anything together yet, not alive, just there—like strings on a cosmic harp, taut but unplayed. The Spirit’s hovering, poised, but the threads stay dormant.
Then—bam!—"And God said, ‘Let there be light.’" Jesus, the Word (John 1:1), the Conductor, drops the baton. Light Itself (Genesis 1:3) comes into existence. Structure Emerges (Genesis 1:6-10). Life Blooms (Genesis 1:11-27). The dark matter doesn’t build the universe, it’s the conduit. And the universe unfolds out of the mind of the Creator who is using it.
And now that creative Spiritual power lives within those who receive him. The Dark Matter Web, The Spirit and Us.
Q: Are we the Divine Conductors finale, or just a new beginning?
A: Receive it and find out.
