Study Desk

(Those who are not Jews do not have the law, but when they freely do what the law commands, they are the law for themselves. This is true even though they do not have the law.

You think you are a guide for the blind and a light for those who are in darkness.

There is no one who understands. There is no one who looks to God for help.

"Their throats are like open graves; they use their tongues for telling lies." Psalm 5:9 "Their words are like snake poison." Psalm 140:3

We know that the law's commands are for those who have the law. This stops all excuses and brings the whole world under God's judgment,

God makes people right with himself through their faith in Jesus Christ. This is true for all who believe in Christ, because all people are the same:

God sent him to die in our place to take away our sins. We receive forgiveness through faith in the blood of Jesus' death. This showed that God always does what is right and fair, as in the past when he was patient and did not punish people for their sins.

Is this blessing only for those who are circumcised or also for those who are not circumcised? We have already said that God accepted Abraham's faith and that faith made him right with God.

So people receive God's promise by having faith. This happens so the promise can be a free gift. Then all of Abraham's children can have that promise. It is not only for those who live under the law of Moses but for anyone who lives with faith like that of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

Abraham was almost a hundred years old, much past the age for having children, and Sarah could not have children. Abraham thought about all this, but his faith in God did not become weak.

Those words ("God accepted Abraham's faith") were written not only for Abraham

but also for us. God will accept us also because we believe in the One who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.

Jesus was given to die for our sins, and he was raised from the dead to make us right with God.

When we were unable to help ourselves, at the right time, Christ died for us, although we were living against God.

Very few people will die to save the life of someone else. Although perhaps for a good person someone might possibly die.

But God shows his great love for us in this way: Christ died for us while we were still sinners.

So as one sin of Adam brought the punishment of death to all people, one good act that Christ did makes all people right with God. And that brings true life for all.

Yes, when Christ died, he died to defeat the power of sin one time—enough for all time. He now has a new life, and his new life is with God.

I use this example because this is hard for you to understand. In the past you offered the parts of your body to be slaves to sin and evil; you lived only for evil. In the same way now you must give yourselves to be slaves of goodness. Then you will live only for God.

But now you are free from sin and have become slaves of God. This brings you a life that is only for God, and this gives you life forever.