Jesus died for all, that those who live
should no longer live for themselves
but for Him who died for them
and was raised again! –2 Corinthians 5:15
Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ Jesus
Therefore just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin and in this way death came to all people because all sinned (See: Romans 6:23) To be sure, sin was in the world before the Law was given but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no Law. Nevertheless, death reigned from the ti me of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a Command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come but the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the (Free) Gift that came by the grace of the One Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Nor can the Gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation but the Gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and the Gift of Righteousness reign in life through the One Man, Jesus Christ!
Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as though disobedience of the one man (Adam) the many were made sinners, so also the obedience (See: Philippians 2:8-11) of the One Man (Jesus) the man will be made righteous.
The Law was brought in so that the trespass might increase but where sin increased, grace increased all the more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring Eternal Life through Jesus Christ, Our Lord!
Dead to Sin, Alive in Christ Jesus!
What shall we say then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin, how can we live in it any longer?
Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. We therefore buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ Jesus was raised from the dead through the Glory of the Father, we too live a new life.
For if we have been united with Him in death like His, we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His. For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.
Now if we died with Christ Jesus, we believe that we also live with Him. For we know that since Christ Jesus was raised from the dead, He cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over Him. The death He died, He died to sin once for all but the life He lives, He lives to God.
In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus! Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life and offer every part of yourself to Him as an instrument to righteousness. For sin shall no longer be your master because you are not under The Law but under grace.
Slaves to Righteousness
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under The Law (of Moses) but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey — whether you are slaves to sin (evil and Satan) which leads to (eternal) death or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? Thanks be to God that though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to Holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! Now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves (obedient) to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness and the result is eternal life! For the wages of sin is (eternal) death but the Free Gift of God is eternal life (in Heaven) in Christ Jesus, Our Lord! –Romans 5:12-20; Romans 6:1-23
You May Know the Joy of Salvation and Eternal Life
in Heaven Today, Though The Good News
of Christ Jesus!
Related: For Today’s Most Holy Scripture Readings on Holy Saturday, Visit: -USCCB
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