Romans 4:14 “For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all 17 (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; 18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” 19 And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. 20 He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. 22 And therefore “it was accounted to him for righteousness”.
In this same book Rom. 6: 23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”. I have seen that verse plastered on almost every church banner I’ve come across ever since I was a kid. Most street preachers shout it at the top of their lungs. However, before becoming a Believer, myself included, had ever really given those words a heck of a lot of thought. Maybe more people would stop and think more if those who proclaim The Gospel added just a little bit more of an explanation. For instance, why do wages have anything to do with death? After all, everybody dies eventually. Wages usually have to do with payday, money earned at the end of a hard weekly or bi-weekly tour of blood, sweat, and tears. In Romans 6: 23 death is the payday. However, the catchword between “wages” and “death” is “sin”. Whether we live a godly or ungodly life, one-day death will come knocking at your door. On the one hand, there is a gift at the end of this earthly life; it’s called “the gift of God…Eternal Life”. On the other, the Word of God has concluded that we have a choice, we can believe and be baptized into Christ, or we can choose not to believe and received condemnation (Mark 16:16).
The Apostle Paul always made a clear distinction between the righteous and the unrighteous. Yet, many Christians who say that they study their Bibles seem to discount the verses that repeatedly say the same thing. Here is one example:
1 Timothy 1:8 “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, 9 realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers 10 and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching,” (NASB). Please take note of everything on that list. Look, I did not make this list, I just added the numbers. So go dig Paul up and stone him.
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ungodly
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sinners
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unholy
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profane
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those who kill their fathers or mothers
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murderers
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immoral men
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homosexuals
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kidnappers
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liars
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perjurers
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whatever else is contrary to sound teaching
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