Lord, we know what’s in God's Love letter for you...
would say. Lead us to know it in our heart, soul, and mind. Amen (make it so!)
Romans
5 New
International Version
Peace and
Hope
Therefore,
since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our
Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace
in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we
know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance,
character; and character, hope. And hope does
not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.
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.
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.
Death through
Adam, Life through Christ
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—
To be
sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged
against anyone’s account where there 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 is a pattern of the one to come.
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 if, by the trespass of the
one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who
receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness
reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!
Consequently,
just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one
righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the
disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the
obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
The law
was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased,
grace increased all the more, so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might
reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our
Lord.
Philippians
1 New
International Version
Paul
and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus,
To all
God’s holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi,
together with the overseers and deacons:
Grace
and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thanksgiving
and Prayer I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of
you, I always pray with joy because of your
partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in
you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
It is
right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart
and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you
share in God’s grace with me. God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection
of Christ Jesus.
And
this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and
depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be
pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled
with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory
and praise of God.
Paul’s
Chains Advance the Gospel
Now I
want you to know, brothers and sisters, that what has happened to me has
actually served to advance the gospel.
As a result, it has become clear throughout the whole
palace guard and to everyone else that I am in chains for Christ. And because of my chains, most of the brothers and sisters
have become confident in the Lord and dare all the more to proclaim the gospel
without fear.
It is
true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of
goodwill. The
latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the
gospel. The former preach Christ out of
selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me
while I am in chains. But what does it matter?
The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true,
Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.
Yes,
and I will continue to rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and God’s provision of
the Spirit of Jesus Christ what has happened to me will turn out for my
deliverance. I eagerly expect and hope that I
will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as
always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean
fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with
Christ, which is better by far; but it is more
necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced
of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for
your progress and joy in the faith, so that
through my being with you again your boasting in Christ Jesus will abound on
account of me.
Life
Worthy of the Gospel
Whatever
happens, conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then,
whether I come and see you or only hear about you in my absence, I will know
that you stand firm in the one Spirit, striving together as one for the faith
of the gospel without being frightened in any way by those who oppose
you. This is a sign to them that they will be destroyed, but that you will be
saved—and that by God. For it has been granted
to you on behalf of Christ not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for
him, since you are going through the same
struggle you saw I had, and now hear that I still have.
We Claim these
things with the Power in the Name of Jesus; Christ the Messiah. Amen.
Footnotes:
- All contents of the Ravi Zacharias International Ministries Web Site are: © 2011 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries and/or its suppliers. All rights reserved.
- Scriptures taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. Purchased Product License 01/09/2015
Notes:
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