United, But To Whom? – Romans 6:5
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. –Parallel verses:John 17:20-23[Jesus speaking]My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the…
Out of Death, New Life – Romans 6:1-4
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory…
Declared Righteous – Romans 5:19-21
For just as through one man’s disobedience [his failure to hear, his carelessness] the many were made sinners, so through the obedience of the one Man the many will be made righteous and acceptable to God and brought into right standing with Him. But the Law came to increase and expand [the awareness of] the trespass [by defining and unmasking sin]. But where sin increased, [God’s remarkable, gracious gift of] grace [His unmerited favor] has surpassed it…
The Upward Grace Spiral – Romans 5:15-18
But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For…
Sin’s Insidious Nature – Romans 5:12-14
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned— for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when their is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who…
A Chain Reaction of Blessings – Romans 5:9-11
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, while we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. A chain…
Timing the Perfect Rescue Mission – Romans 5:6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.Timing. Bottomed Out. Ultimate Sacrifice. Unparalleled Love.I think about the above concepts and realize that all of them were important in this…
The Eternally Consistent Mailman – Romans 5:5
Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. When I was a young boy, my older brothers (8 & 10 years older) used to wrestle with me, sit on me, throw the football at Mach 2 right at the pit of my stomach, and various other big brother tactics to reinforce to me that they were bigger…
A Battle-Hardened Character – Romans 5:3-4
Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.When I think about the military leaders and heroes of infamy-men like George Washington, General Patton, William Wallace in Ireland, etc., they all inspired the men underneath them to face UNCERTAIN ODDS WITH UNCOMMON VALOR. How did they do this? It was because their lives were defined by righteous sacrifice. They had sacrificed so much and…