OUR DAILY WORK: THE FIGHT AGAINST SIN AND THE SEARCH FOR SANCTIFICATION ...
ARE YOU PERFECT? SURELY NO, I DIDN'T! WE SIN, WE WRONG, WE FAIL EVEN WITHOUT REALIZING. AS THE APOSTLE PAUL: “BECAUSE I DON'T DO THE GOOD I WANT, BUT THE EVIL I DON'T WANT, I DO” (Romans 7: 19-20)
ROMANS 5: 1-21
Justification by Faith and Peace with God
1 Having therefore been justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ;
2 Through which we also have an entrance by faith to this grace, in which we stand, and we boast in the hope of the glory of God.
3 And not only this, but we also boast in tribulations; knowing that tribulation produces patience,
4 And patience is experience, and experience is hope.
5 And hope does not cause confusion, because the love of God is poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
6 For Christ, while we were still weak, died in due time for the wicked.
7 For only someone will die for the righteous; for it may be that for the good one dares to die.
8 But God proves his love for us, in that Christ died for us, while we are still sinners.
9 Much more now, having been justified by his blood, we will be saved from wrath by him.
10 For if we, being enemies, were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, having already been reconciled, we will be saved by his life.
11 And not only this, but we also boast in God for our Lord Jesus Christ, for which we now achieve reconciliation.
For one man came sin and death. For a man also came the grace that overflowed with sin
12 Therefore, as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, so also death passed on to all men because of all that they sinned.
13 For sin was in the world until the law, but sin is not imputed, and there is no law.
14 However, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the offense. Because, if by the offense of one many died, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is of one man, Jesus Christ, abounded over many.
16 And the gift was not like the offense, for the one who sinned. Because the judgment came from a single offense, in fact, for condemnation, but the free gift came from many offenses for justification.
17 For if, by the offense of one, death reigned over him, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of justice, will reign in life for one, Jesus Christ.
18 For just as by one offense judgment came upon all men for condemnation, so also by one act of justice grace came upon all men for justification of life.
19 For as if by the disobedience of one man, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many will be made righteous.
20 However, the law came so that the offense would abound; but, where sin abounded, grace abounded;
21 So that, just as sin reigned in death, so grace might reign through justice for eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
ROMANS 6: 1-23
Grace does not allow us to remain in sin, but frees us from the power of sin
1 WHAT shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 Not at all. How can we, who are dead to sin, still live in it?
3 Or do you not know that all who were baptized in Jesus Christ were baptized in his death?
4 So we were buried with him by baptism in death; so that, as Christ was raised from the dead, by the glory of the Father, so may we also walk in newness of life.
5 For if we were planted together with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be planted in his resurrection;
6 Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, so that the body of sin may be undone, so that we no longer serve sin.
7 For he who is dead is justified from sin.
8 Now if we have already died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him;
9 Knowing that since Christ was raised from the dead, he no longer dies; death no longer has dominion over him.
10 For as far as he died, he died to sin at once; but as for living, he lives for God.
11 So you also consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
12 Therefore, sin should not reign in your mortal body, to obey it in its lusts;
13 Neither do you present your members to sin as instruments of iniquity; but present yourselves to God, as living from the dead, and your members to God, as instruments of justice.
14 For sin will have no dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.
15 Why? Will we sin because we are not under the law, but under grace? Not at all.
16 Do you not know that to whomever you present yourselves as servants to obey him, you are servants of him whom you obey, or from sin to death, or from obedience to righteousness?
17 But thank God that, having been servants of sin, you have heartfelt obedience to the form of doctrine to which you have been given.
18 And being freed from sin, you were made servants of righteousness.
19 I speak as a man, because of the weakness of your flesh; for as you have presented your members to serve uncleanness and wickedness to wickedness, so now present your members to serve righteousness for sanctification.
20 For when you were servants of sin, you were free from righteousness.
21 And what fruit did you have then of the things that you are now ashamed of? Because their end is death.
22 But now, freed from sin, and made servants of God, you have your fruit for sanctification, and ultimately eternal life.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life, through Christ Jesus our Lord.
IF SIN ...
1 JOHN 2: 1-17
1 My little children, these things I write to you, that you may not sin; and if anyone sins, we have an Advocate for the Father, Jesus Christ, the just.
2 And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not only for ours, but also for those of the whole world.
Observing the commandments. Brotherly love. The separation from the world
3 And hereby we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments.
4 He who says, I know him, and does not keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
5 But whoever keeps his word, God's love is truly perfected in him; hereby we know that we are in it.
6 He who says he is in him must also walk as he did.
7 Brothers, I am not writing you a new commandment, but the old commandment, which you had from the beginning. This ancient commandment is the word that you have heard from the beginning.
8 Again I write a new commandment to you, which is true in him and in you; because darkness is passing, and the true light is already illuminating.
9 He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is still in darkness until now.
10 He who loves his brother is in the light, and there is no scandal in him.
11 But he who hates his brother is in darkness, and walks in darkness, and does not know where to go; because darkness has blinded his eyes.
12 Little children, I write to you, for your sins are forgiven you by his name.
13 Parents, I write to you, because you have known him who he is from the beginning. Young people, I write to you, because you have overcome the evil one. I wrote to you, children, because you knew the Father.
14 I wrote to you, parents, because you have known him who he is from the beginning. I wrote to you, young people, because you are strong, and the word of God is in you, and you have overcome the evil one.
15 Do not love the world or what is in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father's love is not in him.
16 For everything in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but of the world.
17 And the world passes by, and its lust; but he who does the will of God remains forever.
SOON,
ROMANS 8: 1-17
The new life under grace, according to the spirit of holiness and adoration
1 THEREFORE, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
2 For the law of the Spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, delivered me from the law of sin and death.
3 Because what was impossible with the law, since he was sick with the flesh, God, sending his Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin, condemned sin in the flesh for sin;
4 That the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who are after the flesh bow down to the things of the flesh; but those who are according to the Spirit for the things of the Spirit.
6 For the inclination of the flesh is death; but the Spirit's inclination is life and peace.
7 For the inclination of the flesh is enmity against God, for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can it be.
8 Therefore, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, that person is not his.
10 And if Christ is in you, the body is actually dead because of sin, but the spirit lives because of righteousness.
11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit who dwells in you.
12 So, brothers, we are indebted, not to the flesh to live according to the flesh.
13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the works of the body, you will live.
14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are children of God.
15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery, for once again you were in fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption of children, for which we cry out: Abba, Father.
16 The same Spirit testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.
17 And if we are children, then we are also heirs, heirs of God, and co-heirs of Christ: if it is certain that we suffer with him, that we also may be glorified with him.
ROMANS 8: 30-39
30 And he who predestined these he also called; and to those he called to these he also justified; and to those whom he justified, he also glorified.
Song of victory: God is for us
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who spared not even his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how can he not also give us all things with him?
33 Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones? It is God who justifies them.
34 Who condemns? For it is Christ who died, or rather who rose from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, and also makes intercession for us.
35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? The tribulation, or the anguish, or the persecution, or the hunger, or the nakedness, or the danger, or the sword?
36 As it is written: For your sake we are put to death all day long; We are reputed as sheep for the slaughterhouse.
37 But in all these things we are more than winners, by the one who loved us.
38 For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor the present, nor the future,
39 Neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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