HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 1386
RO MA N S 5
18 Even when there was no reason for hope,
Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would
become the father of many nations. For God had
said to him, “That’s how many descendants
you will have!”* 19 And Abraham’s faith did not
weaken, even though, at about 100 years of age,
he figured his body was as good as dead—and
so was Sarah’s womb.
20 Abraham never wavered in believing God’s
promise. In fact, his faith grew stronger, and
in this he brought glory to God. 21 He was fully
convinced that God is able to do whatever he
promises. 22 And because of Abraham’s faith,
God counted him as righteous. 23 And when
God counted him as righteous, it wasn’t just
for Abraham’s benefit. It was recorded 24 for
our benefit, too, assuring us that God will also
• Protection
R O MA NS 5 :3 -5
Praying for protection comes to us naturally; we can all readily think of situations
we’d avoid if we had the choice. But Paul
assumes that believers are not always
guaranteed safety from trials and suffering. While God does not keep us from all
hardship, he does promise to transform
our struggles into strong character and
patient hope. And he also promises us
an eternal home where these difficulties
will be no more. In times of trouble, faith
assures us that when God does not grant
safety or healing, he gives us something
better—himself.
• Sin
R O MA NS 6 :1 2 -1 3
All addictions begin in the same way:
A person decides to dabble in something. That initial experience creates a
desire for more, which, over time, leads
to a sense of powerlessness before the
substance or behavior. Sin operates in
much the same way. It attacks the will
and the soul, here and there, until we
are deadened to its impact on our lives.
Sin, like an addiction, becomes a power
that seeks to dominate our lives. In this
passage, Paul encourages us to offer our
bodies and ourselves to God, as though
they were actual sacrifices given up for
his purposes. Are you willing to sacrifice yourself to a loving God in order to
escape the destructive power of sin?
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count us as righteous if we believe in him, the
one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
25 He was handed over to die because of our
sins, and he was raised to life to make us right
with God.
Faith Brings Joy
Therefore, since we have been made right
in God’s sight by faith, we have peace* with
God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has
done for us. 2 Because of our faith, Christ has
brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently
and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us
develop endurance. 4 And endurance develops
strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. 5 And this
hope will not lead to disappointment. For we
know how dearly God loves us, because he has
given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with
his love.
6 When we were utterly helpless, Christ came
at just the right time and died for us sinners.
7 Now, most people would not be willing to die
for an upright person, though someone might
perhaps be willing to die for a person who is
especially good. 8 But God showed his great
love for us by sending Christ to die for us while
we were still sinners. 9 And since we have been
made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ,
he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation. 10 For since our friendship with God was
restored by the death of his Son while we were
still his enemies, we will certainly be saved
through the life of his Son. 11 So now we can
rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with
God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us
friends of God.
5
Adam and Christ Contrasted
12 When Adam sinned, sin entered the world.
Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to
everyone, for everyone sinned. 13 Yes, people
sinned even before the law was given. But it was
not counted as sin because there was not yet
any law to break. 14 Still, everyone died—from
the time of Adam to the time of Moses—even
those who did not disobey an explicit commandment of God, as Adam did. Now Adam is
a symbol, a representation of Christ, who was
yet to come. 15 But there is a great difference between Adam’s sin and God’s gracious gift. For
the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to
many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace
and his gift of forgiveness to many through this
other man, Jesus Christ. 16 And the result of
God’s gracious gift is very different from the
result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led
4:18 Gen 15:5.
5:1 Some manuscripts read let us have peace.