Our reading today continues with the example of Abraham as one who was credited with righteousness because of his faith.

Paul reminds us of the story of Abraham and how, although he was 99 and his wife Sarah was 90, and seemingly too old to have children, he did not waver in his faith in God when he was told that he would have a child with Sarah, knowing that God had the power to do it. Paul says we will also receive this righteousness if we can trust in God.

Chapter 5 begins with Paul telling us that if we believe that Jesus has taken away our sin, then we are justified through faith and have peace with God. It is a peace that God has made, but we can enjoy it through our faith. It was Jesus that made it all possible, and nothing can change this, we have this in Christ even though we don’t deserve it; it is God demonstrating His infinite love for us.

Then Paul moves to our sufferings that we will find in our lives, but instead of saying how we will be brought down by them, he says we should glory in our suffering, because suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character and character produces hope (see v.3-5). This process helps us to grow stronger in our faith in God, and so closer in our relationship to Him.

Paul continues to tell us that it is Christ’s death that shows us how much God loves us, and that it is by that death that we receive reconciliation to God. He says that through one man, sin came into the earth and death came to all men, and through Jesus Christ, one man, we reign in life; as one sin resulted in condemnation for all men, so through the obedience of one man many men will be made righteous (v.12).

The first man, Adam may have brought death to the whole of creation, but we have a God who is bigger than that and who has rescued us for eternity.

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Prayer:  Lord, help me to remember today that the one man who rescued us also loves us and is always with us, for eternity. Amen.