January 26th - Hope for Humanity

“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God…." (Romans 8:18-19)

There are more schools of higher education, government bureaucracies, and religious institutions on this planet today than at any other time in history; and yet they have failed to bring peace and unity. 

Does the Bible give a reason why? yes

"…for the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it..." (Romans 8:20)

It was God who "subjected" the creation to futility. The educators, governments, and religions of humanity will continue to try to repair the world but will fail. Creation can be "set free from its bondage to corruption" only by the God who "subjected" it in the first place - humanity can only "wait for it with patience".

"...the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God...in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience..."  (Romans 8:21-25)

Only those who love God know that He is working it all for "good"...

"...we know that for those who love God all things work together for good..." (Romans 8:28)

God has declared that ALL creation will be "set free from its bondage to corruption" and "obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God" when they are "conformed to the image of His Son". Humanity is predestined to enjoy the new creation.

"...For those whom He foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that He might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified." (Romans 8:29-30)

God will save humanity because Jesus Christ, the Lord of all, has ransomed "ALL".

"There is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for ALL...by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous...at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the gloy of God the Father." (1 Timothy 2:5-6...Romans 5:21...Philippians 2:10-11) 

There is hope for humanity in spite of the chaos seen in the world today. Humanity has done a poor job of having dominion over the Earth. That will change - soon I hope!

"Yea, I am coming swiftly. Amen, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all of the saints! Amen!" (Revelation 22:20-21)

January 25th - Eat, Drink and be Merry, Life is no longer Meaningless

"Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom."  (Ecclesiastes 9:10)

The author of Ecclesiastes was the master of common sense. He spent his life seeking common sense answers to all of life's experiences. If the author was King Solomon...

"He composed some 3,000 proverbs and wrote 1,005 songs. He could speak with authority...And kings from every nation sent their ambassadors to listen to the wisdom of Solomon." (1 Kings 4:32-34)

All that wisdom told him "everything is meaningless". 

"I observed everything going on under the sun, and really, it is all meaningless--like chasing the wind...There is nothing ahead but death anyway. There is hope only for the living...the dead know nothing." (Ecclesiastes 1:14;9:3-4)

He knew about God and and His commandments so Solomon's final advice as to what we should do in this life was to...

"Fear God and obey His commandments, for this is everyone's duty. God will judge us for everything we do..." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)

This fear and judging was not a fear of judgment AFTER death for he had concluded that "the dead know nothing". He was referring to the consequences for bad behavior in this life.

He told us  what he thought God "approves" in this life...

"Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne! Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun." (Ecclesiastes 9: 8-9)

Again, the wisest man of the time had no hope in life after death and that made him "most miserable". The apostle Paul said people without hope of the resurrection continue to be miserable as they approach death.

"If in this life only we have hope...we are of all men most miserable." (1 Corinthians 15:9)

But there is good news! After the birth, death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, God gave humanity information about what happens after death, and now we have the  "blessed hope" of life after death.

"For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people...look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. " (Titus 2:11, 13)

"...I tell you a secret, when the last trumpet sounds, we shall all be changed in an instant, as quickly as the blinking of an eye. For when the trumpet sounds, the dead will be raised, never to die again, and we shall all be changed. For what is mortal must be changed into what is immortal; what will die must be changed into what cannot die. So when this takes place, and the mortal has been changed into the immortal, then the scripture will come true: “Death is destroyed; victory is complete!” ...thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" (1 Corinthians 15:51-57)

It still makes common sense to fear God and obey His commandments, but unlike Solomon, we know life is not "meaningless" even though it seems so at times.

Believers have three things to carry into the next life - faith, hope and love.

"Three things will last forever - faith, hope, and love - the greatest of these is love." (1 Corinthians 13:13)

So eat, drink and be merry today, enjoy your family - and fear God in this sinful life destined for the grave. - but know that the best life is yet to come!

January 24th - Power to the Weak!

" He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall." (Isaiah 40:29-30)

At my age I am beginning to relate to the words of Isaiah. But there is "hope"according to God that our strength will be renewed. When it happens, we will never get old and tired again!  

"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength, they will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." (Isaiah 40:31)

Yea! - but when? 

Obviously not in this life. Our "hope" in this life is in the "mystery" of the next.

"Listen, I am telling you a mystery. We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the blink of an eye, at the the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed...then shall be brought to pass the saying - death has been swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:51-54)

For now we must "hope in the LORD" that our failing strength will one day be renewed. When we trust God with our death we can enjoy the life we have left. King Solomon said this about life and death in this age...

"The living at least know they will die, but the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth. So go ahead. Eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, for God approves of this! Wear fine clothes, with a splash of cologne! Live happily with the woman you love through all the meaningless days of life that God has given you under the sun. The wife God gives you is your reward for all your earthly toil. Whatever you do, do well. For when you go to the grave, there will be no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom." (Ecclesiastes 9:7-10)

I no longer allow religious traditions to rob me of the joy of life. My hope for life after death is in the hands of a gracious God and His Son Jesus Christ. They will change me from a corruptible pile of dust into an incorruptible spiritual being at the last Trump!  The "mystery" of our victory over death will have become reality.

"For the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people." (Titus 2:11)

God gets mad at us sometimes, as all good Father's do, but on the "morning" of our transformation we shall be "changed" and become like Him. Then we will "soar on wings like eagles".

"Power" is the destiny of the weak - all because of the grace (unmerited favor) of our Father God and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ!

"For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes with the morning." (Psalm 30:5)

"...our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of His glorious body, by the power that enables Him to subject everything to Himself." (Philippians 3:20-21)

January 23rd - The Faith of Jesus

“Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the just one by faith shall be living." (Habakkuk 2:4)

"Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith…” (Hebrews 12:2)

Pride comes in many flavors but the worst is religious pride. Quite frankly, Jesus was not the "author" of my personal faith for most of my life. My faith was authored by the doctrine of the institutional Church I had grown up in. It was faith in their teaching.

I, nor anyone else, will be "justified" by having faith in what religious leaders teach. To do so calls for pride in the wisdom of humanity. Our hope for salvation is "Jesus Christ's faith", and in the "grace" of God.

"Yet now, apart from law, a righteousness of God is manifest (being attested by the law and the prophets), yet a righteousness of God through JESUS CHRIST'S FAITH, for all, and on all who are believing, for there is no distinction, for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. Being justified gratuitously in HIS GRACE, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 3:21-24)

Over 15 years ago, I exchanged my faith in a church's doctrine for "Jesus Christ's faith". My faith in religious teachers had only identified me with the Pharisee who prayed...

“God, I am thanking you that I am not like the rest of these people; cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I'm certainly not like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and give you a tenth of my income." (Luke 18:11-12 NLT)

I now realize that it is the tax collector who had it right when...

"...standing afar off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his chest, saying, God, have mercy on me, the sinner!" (Luke 18:13)

The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross revealed God's love for, and mercy toward, the humble sinner. God accepted the shame of the tax collector and rejected the pride of the Pharisee...

"I am saying to you, this man descended to his home justified, rather than that one, for everyone who is exalting himself shall be humbled, yet he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.” (Luke 18:11-14)

It was a humbling experience when I learned that tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the Kingdom of God before the chief priests and teachers of the law.

"Verily, I am saying to you that the tribute collectors and the prostitutes are preceding you into the kingdom of God." (Matthew 21:32)

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” Now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem. On the way, he took the Twelve aside and said to them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn Him to death and will hand Him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day He will be raised to life!” (Matthew 20:16-19)

Again, each humans is made righteous (justified) by "Jesus Christ's faith", not our own faith. Jesus had faith that His Father would raise Him from the dead after He, the sinless sacrificial lamb, atoned for the sins of the world.

"Being justified gratuitously in His grace, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus...a justifier of the one who is of the faith of Jesus." (Romans 3:24, 27)

By the grace of God, all humans will eventually be raised from the dead to enter and see the Kingdom of God. The order of entrance is those who rely on "Jesus Christ's faith" in this age, then last of all, those who in this age place their faith in good deeds, obedience to the law, and membership in a synagogue, church, or mosque.

"...having perceived that a man is not being justified by works of law, except alone through the faith of Christ Jesus, we also believe in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by the faith of Christ." (Galatians 2:16-17)

So, I no longer brag about my faith, or beat myself up because I have so little. I simply trust in "Jesus Christ's faith". His faith makes this sinner righteous and saves me and everyone else from our sins.

"She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21)

"For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all—the testimony that was given at just the right time." (1 Timothy 2:5-6)

"...we have set our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of everyone, and especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things." (1 Timothy 4:10-11) 

January 22nd - What is Faith?

"Now faith is an assumption of what is being expected, a conviction concerning matters which are not being observed; for in this the elders were testified to. By faith we are apprehending the eons to adjust to a declaration of God, so that what is being observed has not come out of what is appearing." (Hebrews 11:1-3 CLNT)

Above is the Biblical definition of "faith".  It is having a "conviction" that what God promises will happen even though it seems impossible. When you have this faith you trust God will "adjust" things eventually so that what He has promised will happen.

Having faith in what you want, or what men say, or what you think should be done is not worth much. But having "faith" in what God has promised is of great value, and having that faith is considered "righteous" by God. An example of Biblica; faith is Abraham who believed God when He told him he would have a son in his old age and he would have many descendants.

"Then He brought him forth outside and said: Now look up toward the heavens and count off the stars if you can number them. And He promised him: Thus shall become your seed. Now Abram believed Elohim, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness." (Genesis 15:4-6)

Believing God is the right thing to do. Yet, Abraham died long before his descendents became as numerous as the stars he saw that night. And he is not alone, many others named in the Bible died without seeing the promises God made to them fulfilled.

"And these all, being testified to through faith, are not requited with the promise of God..." (Hebrews 11:39)

Satan is a liar and his job has always been to convince people not to believe what God says. The Apostle Paul warned of this deception...

"Now the spirit is saying explicitly, that in subsequent eras some will be withdrawing from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the teachings of demons..." (1 Timothy 4:1-20

The apostle Paul tells us what not to believe...

"Now profane and old womenish myths refuse..." (1 Timothy 4:7)

Paul then tells us a promise from God that we should have faith in, and teach to others...

Faithful is the saying and worthy of all welcome (for for this we are toiling and being reproached), that we rely on the living God, Who is the Savior of all humanity, especially of believers. These things be charging and teaching." (1 Timothy 4:9-11)

Any teaching which limits salvation to less than "all humanity" is not having faith in what God says, it is simply unbelief . Those few who have faith in the salvation of all know salvation is by the grace of God, apart from anything we do on our own.  

"For in grace, through faith, are you saved, and this is not out of you; it is God's present, not of works, lest anyone should be boasting..." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

Jesus Christ had biblical faith and his faith will eventually be possessed by all humanity.

"…a righteousness of God through Jesus Christ's faith, for all, and on all who are believing...”. (Romans 3:21-22 CLNT)

Some versions change the phrase "Jesus Christ's faith" to read “through faith in Christ Jesus” thus robbing humanity of the truth.

"For the One not knowing sin (Jesus), He makes to be a sin offering for our sakes that we may be becoming God's righteousness in Him.  Now, working together, we are also entreating you not to receive the grace of God for naught. For He is saying, 'In an acceptable day I reply to you, and in a day of salvation I help you. Lo! Now is a most acceptable era! Lo! Now is a day of salvation!" (2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2) 

Only a few have this faith of Jesus in this present age, but we should rest assured that ALL will have this faith after the resurrection of the dead. Then all will affirm that Jesus Christ is Lord which will bring glory to God.

“For all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God. Being justified gratuitously in HIS GRACE, through the deliverance which is in Christ Jesus ...For the ration of Sin is death, yet the gracious gift of God is everlasting life, in Christ Jesus, our LORD.” (Romans 3:23-24; 6:23)

"I, the LORD, speak the truth; I say what is right. Come, gather together, and draw near, you fugitives from the nations...There is no other God but Me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but Me. Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is no other. By Myself I have sworn; truth has gone out from My mouth, a word that will not be revoked: Every knee will bow before Me, every tongue will swear allegiance. Surely they will say of Me, In the LORD alone are righteousness and strength.’ ” (Isaiah 45:19-24)

"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, existing in the form of God the Father, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross. Therefore God the Father exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:5-11)

Many say that when all finally confess Jesus as Lord it will be too late to be saved. To me, such teachers are "giving heed to deceiving spirits and the teachings of demons."

January 21st - Deliverance of Humanity

The word translated "sin" in the Bible means to miss the mark. The mark for humans was to be the "image of God", but all humanity falls short of that mark. They are estranged from God as the result, and stand in need of salvation, reconciliation, and transformation.

"...for all sinned and are wanting of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23)

"...the wages for sin is death, yet the free gift of God is everlasting life, in Christ Jesus our Lord."  (Romans 6:23)

God's plan for saving humanity from death involves "bloodshedding" to cleanse - but the blood must come from a sinless source.  

"And almost all is being cleansed in blood according to the law, and apart from bloodshedding is coming no pardon." (Hebrews 9:22)

The blood of ordinary human beings or animals could not atone for sin. This was clearly shown in the history of Israel. The bloody sacrifices of animals was only a "shadow" of the permanent cleansing that God the Father would provide by the "free gift" of His Son.

"For the law, having a shadow of the impending good things...with their same sacrifices which they are offering year by year, are never able to perfect to a finality...in them there is a recollection of sins year by year; for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and of he-goats to be eliminating sins." (Hebrews 10:1-4)

The blood of Jesus, a sinless human son of man and the only begotten Son of God, was sacrificed once and for all humanity. That sacrifice of Jesus took "away the sin of the world". Jesus saved humanity from perishing in death, and reconciled humanity to God.

"On the morrow he is observing Jesus coming toward him, and is saying, Lo! the Lamb of God which is taking away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

"...yet now, once, at the conclusion of the eons, for the repudiation of sins through His sacrifice, He is manifest." (Hebrews 9:26)

Jesus always did the will of His Father, and it was the Father's will for Him to shed His "blood" to take away the sins of the world and bring reconciliation to the entire creation. 

"My little children, these things I am writing to you that you may not be sinning. And if anyone should be sinning, we have an Entreater with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Just. And He is the propitiatory shelter concerned with our sins, yet not concerned with ours only, but concerned with the whole world also." (1 John 2:1-2)

"God is commending this love of His to us, seeing that, while we are still sinners, Christ died for our sakes." (Romans 5:8)

"God was in Christ, conciliating the world to Himself, not reckoning their offenses to them...For the One not knowing sin, He makes to be a sin offering for our sakes that we may becoming God's righteousness in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:18-21)

God sacrificed His only begotten Son for our sake.

"This one, given up in the specific counsel and foreknowledge of God, you, gibbeting by the hand of the lawless, assassinate...Yet what God announces before through the mouth of all the prophets - the suffering of His Christ - He thus fulfills." (Acts 2:23; 4:18-19)

The "love" of God did this for all "ungodly" sinners, not just a few.

"For Christ, while we are still infirm, still in accord with the era, for the sake of the ungodly, died" (Romans 5:6-7)

"Yet now, in Christ Jesus, you, who were once far off, are become near by the blood of Christ." (Ephesians 2:13)

God is "for us" sinners, not against us as some suggest, so we need not worry about the future of humanity.

If God is for us, who is against us?  Surely He who spares not His own Son, but gives Him up for us all, how shall He not, together with Him, also, be graciously granting us all?"  (Romans 8:31-32)

Do not let the religious doctrines of men rob you of the truth of God's great love for all humanity, and rob you of the knowledge that His plan is to save and reconcile all humanity to Himself in His "grace" through the "blood" of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who blesses us with every spiritual blessing among the celestials, in Christ, according as He chooses us in Him before the disruption of the world, we to be holy and flawless in His sight, in love, designating us beforehand for the place of a son for Him through Christ Jesus; in accord with the delight of His will, for the laud of the glory of His grace, which graces us in the Beloved." 
(Ephesians 1:3-6)

That is how I understand the glorious plan of God the Father!

"...in Whom we are having the deliverance through His blood, the forgiveness of offenses in accord with the riches of his grace, which He lavishes on us.; in all wisdom and prudence making known to us the secret of His will." (Ephesians 1:7)

The salvation of all humanity is no longer a secret.

"And the Word became flesh and tabernacles among us, and we gaze at His glory as of an only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John is testifying concerning Him and has cried, saying, 'this is He of Whom I said, He Who is coming after me, has come to be in front of me, for He was first before me, for of that which fills Him we all obtained, and grace for grace. For the law through Moses was given; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. God no one has ever seen. The only-begotten God, Who is in the bosom of the Father, He unfolds Him." (John 1:14-18)

Finally, our Lord Jesus will transform all of us from a mortal living inside a sinful body of flesh and blood into an immoral living inside a body of pure spirit. Only then will we enter and become citizens of the Kingdom of God.

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables Him to subject all things to Himself, will transform our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body." (Philippians 3:20)

"There are bodies celestial as well as bodies terrestrial. But a different glory, indeed, is that of the celestial, yet a different that of the terrestrial...Thus also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is roused in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor; it is roused in glory. It is sown in infirmity; it is roused in power. It is sown a soulish body; it is roused a spiritual body. If there is a soulish body, there is a spiritual also... And according as we wear the image of the soilish, we should be wearing the image also of the Celestial. Now this I am averring, brethren, that flesh and blood is not able to enjoy an allotment in the kingdom of God, neither is corruption enjoying the allotment of incorruption." (1 Corinthians 15:40-50)

Now we can only have faith in the promise of God, but then we will know for sure.

"Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when Christ appears, we will be like Him, for we will see Him as He is." (1 John 3:2)

January 20th - Why Death?

Why death?

"And God instructed the human, saying: From every tree of the garden you may eat, yea eat, but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you must not eat from it; for on the day you eat from it, to die you shall be dying." (Genesis 2:16-17)

The first human beings lived in a garden paradise on Earth prepared specifically for them. God gave them only one commandment to obey - don't eat the fruit from the tree of the "knowledge of good and evil". 

They did not have a "knowledge" of good and evil so they did not know the difference. God allowed them to obtain that knowledge of good and evil. Through a serpent, Satan tempted Eve and she disobeyed and ate the forbidden fruit. Then she gave some to Adam and he ate. This is how Satan, the "man-killer", influenced the serpent to deceive and kill humanity. 

And thereafter, the once perfect world became filled with imperfect people.

"...the ancient serpent called Adversary and Satan, who is deceiving the whole inhabited earth." (Revelation 12:9)

"He is a man-killer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth." (John 8:44) 

Yet, we are told in the Bible that it was God who created Satan to do what he does, deceive and bring death to humans.

"Yahweh has made every thing for its own outcome, Yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." (Proverbs 16:4)

"I am Yahweh, and there is no other. Former of light and Creator of darkness, Maker of good and creator of evil." (Isaiah 45:7)

"And I Myself created the ruiner to harm." (Isaiah 54:16)

Although God created and planned for evil and death to come into the world, He works ALL THINGS for good, even death. 

"Now we are aware that God is working all together for the good..." (Romans 8:28)

God will eventually save humanity from death and reconcile them to Himself. When that reconciliation is complete, God's love will have been demonstrated, along with His grace and mercy. That is His promise to humanity, and our only hope to be free of the evil that causes so much death and misery.

"And I perceived a new heaven and a new earth, for the former heaven and the former earth pass away, and the sea is no more. And I perceived the holy city, new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I hear a loud voice out of the throne saying, "Lo! the tabernacle of God is with mankind, and He will be tabernacling with them, and they will be His peoples, and God Himself will be with them...He will be brushing away every tear from their eyes.  And death will be no more, nor mourning, nor clamor, nor misery; they will be no more, for the former things passes away. And He Who is sitting on the throne said, Lo! New am I making all! And He is saying, Write, for these sayings are faithful and true." (Revelation 21:1-5)  

The evil, suffering, and death of this world will have served its purpose. For now, we are just imperfect people living in an imperfect world. Our imperfection ends in death, yet out of death springs a new perfect life in the perfect world to come. I now live in expectation of that eternal life in Christ Jesus!

"For the saving grace of God made its advent to ALL humanity, training us that, disowning irreverence and worldly desires, we should be living sanely and justly and devoutly in the current eon, anticipating that happy expectation, even the advent of the glory of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who gives Himself for us, that He should be redeeming us from all lawlessness and be cleansing for Himself a people to be about Him, zealous for ideal acts." (Titus 2:11-15)

"For the wages of Sin is death, yet the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord." (Romans 6:23)