A Free Gift
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But what fruit were you getting at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:20-23
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A Free Gift
When we pretend to serve ourselves in the selfish way the world promotes, we fool ourselves. And though the one who serves sin has no desire to serve God and pays little attention to His will, we never-the-less serve an even harsher taskmaster, sin. And the rotten results of sinful actions are the results we bear in our lives. However, our loving Father comes to us through His Word and Sacraments and changes everything. And it is only after conversion that we fully recognize the sinfulness of our past lives. Having been given new life through the blood of the Lamb, the old lives devoted to sin yielding only sinful results die, and our new lives devoted to God yield holy results, as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us. To be sure, sanctification does not earn eternal life. Christ won salvation and eternal life for us. But through faith, the Holy Spirit imparts those gifts to us and sanctifies us. And though we deserve death as the punishment for sin, we have the free gift of forgiveness and salvation in Christ Jesus.
Romans 6:20-23
+
A Free Gift
When we pretend to serve ourselves in the selfish way the world promotes, we fool ourselves. And though the one who serves sin has no desire to serve God and pays little attention to His will, we never-the-less serve an even harsher taskmaster, sin. And the rotten results of sinful actions are the results we bear in our lives. However, our loving Father comes to us through His Word and Sacraments and changes everything. And it is only after conversion that we fully recognize the sinfulness of our past lives. Having been given new life through the blood of the Lamb, the old lives devoted to sin yielding only sinful results die, and our new lives devoted to God yield holy results, as the Holy Spirit sanctifies us. To be sure, sanctification does not earn eternal life. Christ won salvation and eternal life for us. But through faith, the Holy Spirit imparts those gifts to us and sanctifies us. And though we deserve death as the punishment for sin, we have the free gift of forgiveness and salvation in Christ Jesus.
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2026
January
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January
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