Today's Verse: We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. (The Holy Bible : New International Version. electronic ed. Grand Rapids : Zondervan, 1996, c1984, S. Ro 6:4) When Jesus died, our sins also died, so that we are no longer sinners under the law but children under His righteousness.

Today's Comments: Tonight, I went to a party, and the host at the party was telling me that he was having a hard time believing that God exists. He was raised in a strict Roman Catholic school where the message was driven down his throat that humans are incapable of not sinning and that we must continually confess to a priest and do penance in order to absolve ourselves of sin. I suggested that he read the Book of Romans and something about Martin Luther. It was only when Luther discovered the power in the grace of God that he understood what Christ's death meant to the sinner. No longer could we, who have accepted Jesus Christ into our hearts, be classified as "sinners." But, by God's grace, we are absolved of sin under the law and offered a new life in Christ. And though we may stray and commit sinful acts, our sins are washed away in the blood of Jesus Christ for all time.