Study Desk

God promised Abraham and his descendants that he would give them the world. This promise wasn't made because Abraham had obeyed a law, but because his faith in God made him acceptable.

God becomes angry when his Law is broken. But where there isn't a law, it cannot be broken.

Everything depends on having faith in God, so that God's promise is assured by his great kindness. This promise isn't only for Abraham's descendants who have the Law. It is for all who are Abraham's descendants because they have faith, just as he did. Abraham is the ancestor of us all.

The Scriptures say that Abraham would become the ancestor of many nations. This promise was made to Abraham because he had faith in God, who raises the dead to life and creates new things.

God promised Abraham a lot of descendants. And when it all seemed hopeless, Abraham still had faith in God and became the ancestor of many nations.

But Abraham never doubted or questioned God's promise. His faith made him strong, and he gave all the credit to God.

Abraham was certain that God could do what he had promised.

So God accepted him,

They were written for us, since we will also be accepted because of our faith in God, who raised our Lord Jesus to life.

God gave Jesus to die for our sins, and he raised him to life, so that we would be made acceptable to God.

By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, because of our Lord Jesus Christ, we live at peace with God.

Christ has also introduced us to God's undeserved kindness on which we take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God.

that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.

But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful.

But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life's blood, we will also be kept safe from God's anger.

Even when we were God's enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son's life.

And in addition to everything else, we are happy because God sent our Lord Jesus Christ to make peace with us.

Yet death still had power over all who lived from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. This happened, though not everyone disobeyed a direct command from God, as Adam did. In some ways Adam is like Christ who came later.

But the gift that God was kind enough to give was very different from Adam's sin. That one sin brought death to many others. Yet in an even greater way, Jesus Christ alone brought God's gift of kindness to many people.

Death ruled like a king because Adam had sinned. But that cannot compare with what Jesus Christ has done. God has been so kind to us, and he has accepted us because of Jesus. And so we will live and rule like kings.