2. Through faith in Jesus we have received God's grace. In that grace we stand. We are full of joy because we expect to share in God's glory.
3. And that's not all. We are full of joy even when we suffer. We know that our suffering gives us the strength to go on.
4. The strength to go on produces character. Character produces hope.
5. And hope will never let us down. God has poured his love into our hearts. He did it through the Holy Spirit, whom he has given to us.
6. At just the right time Christ died for ungodly people. He died for us when we had no power of our own.
7. It is unusual for anyone to die for a godly person. Maybe someone would be willing to die for a good person.
8. But here is how God has shown his love for us. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9. The blood of Christ has made us right with God. So we are even more sure that Jesus will save us from God's anger.
10. Once we were God's enemies. But we have been brought back to him because his Son has died for us. Now that God has brought us back, we are even more secure. We know that we will be saved because Christ lives.
11. And that is not all. We are full of joy in God because of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of him, God has brought us back to himself.
12. Sin entered the world because one man sinned. And death came because of sin. Everyone sinned, so death came to all people.
13. Before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not judged when there is no law.
14. Death ruled from the time of Adam to the time of Moses. Death ruled even over those who did not sin as Adam did. He broke God's command. But he also became a pattern of the One who was going to come.
15. God's gift is different from Adam's sin. Many people died because of the sin of that one man. But it was even more sure that God's grace would also come through one man. That man is Jesus Christ. God's gift of grace was more than enough for the whole world.