Study Desk

You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law.

No wonder the Scriptures say, "The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you."

For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision.

True, some of them were unfaithful; but just because they were unfaithful, does that mean God will be unfaithful?

Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.

For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith."

But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

Now, is this blessing only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.

Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.

That is what the Scriptures mean when God told him, "I have made you the father of many nations." This happened because Abraham believed in the God who brings the dead back to life and who creates new things out of nothing.

And because of Abraham's faith, God counted him as righteous.

He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.

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.

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.

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.

So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God.

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.

Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.

We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.

Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.