There is always hope because God doesn’t just make us better, He makes us new.  When God begins a work, He finishes it.  You and I may write people off as hopeless, but God never does. You might write yourself off as hopeless, but God never does. If you are in Christ, you are a new creation.

             A businessman once put a warehouse up for sale. As he took a prospective buyer around the warehouse, he pointed out the building’s flaws. “The place has been vacant for a while,” he said. “Vandals broke out the windows and kicked in the doors, but we’ll make those repairs. Don’t worry about the roof, we’ll take care of those holes. Oh, and we’ll clean up all this trash and paint over the graffiti and—” ...

            “Don’t say another word,” said the buyer. “You don’t have to fix the place up. I don’t want the structure. I just want the site. I’m going to remove this warehouse and put up a brand-new building.”

            That’s what God does in our lives. He doesn’t patch us up, fix us up, or paint us over. When He comes in, the old is gone and He makes everything new.

Why did God give His Law?  According to Romans 5:20, one of the purposes of the Law is so that sin increases. Knowledge of the Law actually causes more sin. But the good news is that where sin increased, God’s grace abounded all the more.  Donald Grey Barnhouse put it this way, “Where sin reached a high-water mark, grace completely flooded the world.” The abundant and sufficient grace of God is the answer to the evil in the world and the sin of our own lives.

Why did God give His Law?  According to Romans 5:20, one of the purposes of the Law is so that sin increases. Knowledge of the Law actually causes more sin. But the good news is that where sin increased, God’s grace abounded all the more.  Donald Grey Barnhouse put it this way, “Where sin reached a high-water mark, grace completely flooded the world.” The abundant and sufficient grace of God is the answer to the evil in the world and the sin of our own lives.

Death is God’s penalty for Adam’s sin, imposed on all his posterity. Death reigns if you are still "in Adam." So how do you escape the curse? You must be "in Christ!"

Death is God’s penalty for Adam’s sin, imposed on all his posterity. Death reigns if you are still "in Adam." So how do you escape the curse? You must be "in Christ!"

If someone came to you and said they are having trouble in their marriage, how would you encourage them to be reconciled? If someone came to you and said that he was estranged from his parents, what would be your counsel? If someone came to you and said that they are far from God, what would you say? Romans 5:9-11 tells us how we can be actively involved in the ministry of reconciliation that God has entrusted to each one of us as believers in Christ.

If someone came to you and said they are having trouble in their marriage, how would you encourage them to be reconciled? If someone came to you and said that he was estranged from his parents, what would be your counsel? If someone came to you and said that they are far from God, what would you say? Romans 5:9-11 tells us how we can be actively involved in the ministry of reconciliation that God has entrusted to each one of us as believers in Christ.

Are you in anyway unsure that God really loves you?  Because of your circumstances and situation, do you ever doubt His love?  Paul’s letter to the Romans is packed deep with heavy theology. But in these verses in Romans 5:6-8, Paul wants you to feel and know and experience the great love of God that He has for you. You really can experience and feel the love of God.

How can we be sure of God’s love?  How do we really know, not just in our heads, but in our hearts the love of God? These are important questions because the surety of God’s love is the major secret of joy, peace, freedom, hope, confidence, and a sense of well-being.

When we think of doctrine, particularly the doctrine of justification by faith alone, we tend to think of something that is dry, boring, maybe even irrelevant. But understanding and experiencing the Doctrine of Justification is the key to our peace, our perseverance, our ability to stand, and even our hope. In other words, we actually experience the blessings that are ours on account of being justified by faith.