Genesis 3:17-19 

And to Adam He said, “Because you have hearkened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: cursed is the ground for your sake.

In sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field.  In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return to the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and to dust shall you return”.   

Hebrews 9:27-28

And as it is appointed to men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin to salvation.   

What is death?  And why is it necessary?

 Some of the comments in this article are adapted from books in my library. No recognition is given because they are not intended as authorities, but are used because they express my understanding clearly. All the ideas expressed in this article, right or wrong, are my own.

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What is death?  And why is it necessary?

Answer:

First of all let me say that death is NOT necessary.  It was not in God’s plan at the creation of Adam because death is a separation from Him who is the God of life.  Death was FORCED on Him when Adam sinned.  In fact, He lost control of the whole world at that time and has been struggling since to keep it and its creatures from self-destructing totally!  Most of His earthly activity is taken up trying to repair the messes we have got ourselves into.  So He is a victim, and death is His enemy. 

He is doubly a victim because He is limited in what He can do.  For instance, God cannot sin or do wrong for it is against His character. That’s why the Ten Commandments are a picture of that character.

1.  He honours our freedom of will,

for that is our authority;

2.  He does not take back the life He has given to us,

for He is not an “Indian” giver;

3.  He does not come between us and any other god we desire,

for that would be adultery;

4.  He does not take what we own without our permission,

for that would be stealing;

5.  He does not lie,

for He keeps His word;

6.  He does not desire anything we possess,

for that would be coveting.

As seen above, there is interaction between Creator and creature, just as there is between creature and creature.

It was Satan who accused Him of being above the law, of having favourites, of being arbitrary: but He is not, He is “good”, therefore He is on trial.  Matthew 19:17; Revelation 14:7.

Contrasting Himself with the destroyer, the Son of God says, “The thief (the evil one) comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:  I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly”.  John 10:10.  But He has not been successful with many – in fact, only two Christians have ever believed Him totally.

Thus we have our text:

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Genesis 3: 

17 And to Adam He said, “BECAUSE you have hearkened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: cursed is the ground for your sake. 18 In sorrow shall you eat of it all the days of your life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you; and you shall eat the herb of the field. 

 

19  In the sweat of your face shall you eat bread, till you return to the ground; for out of it were you taken: for dust you are, and to dust shall you return” [as a result of your actions].   

***************(End Quote)

The Son of God (He is called the LORD God in Genesis 2:4) was not pronouncing a punishment, but simply stating a fact.  It is written, “The wages [result] of sin is death”, and that’s where it had come from.  Romans 6:23. 

When faced with death Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Son of man recoiled in horror, and pleaded in great agony that this should not be His fate, for He had not been separated from His Father before this.  “And He was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if You be willing, remove this cup from Me: nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done’.  And there appeared an angel to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in an agony He prayed more earnestly: and His sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground”.  Luke 22:41-44. 

He had said, “He that sent Me is with Me: the Father has not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him”.  John 8:29.  They had never been separated, but now He was taking the sins of the world upon Himself and they were coming between Them, and He was feeling that separation, which hurt Him badly.  (His Father was there in the dark cloud but He could not feel Him.  Matthew 27:45.)  That’s because God NEVER withdraws from us – we have to leave or forsake Him, for it is written, “Let your conduct be without covetousness; and be content with such things as you have: for He has said, ‘I will never leave you, nor forsake you’.”  Hebrews 13:5.  [See Genesis 28:15; Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Isaiah 41:10 and others]  This was happening because Christ was choosing to bear the sins.

Our other text says: “And as it is appointed to men once to die, but AFTER this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin to salvation”.  Hebrews 9:27-28.  We should be able to see the explanation of this now.  “Appointed” simply means that death has passed onto all men and women because of their own actions, as well as from the inheritance from Adam.  We are also told that only AFTER we have stopped sinning permanently (by death), can we be judged.

It is written, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”.  Romans 5:12.

Since that time the LORD has been trying to get across to us that death is NOT inevitable.  Seeing it has been caused by Adam’s sin, and He has paid for that in His plan of salvation, we are free of it now.  (I’ll explain this more fully later in this article.  The text also mentions that after taking the results of our sins from us, He returns without it sometime in the future.  What He has done with it in the meantime is another subject.) 

However, we are also the authors of our own misfortune in that WHEN we die depends on how we live!  Behaving foolishly will cause our early death, while living healthfully can delay it.  We are told, “Be not over much wicked, neither be you foolish: why should you die before your time?  It is good that you should take hold of this; yea, also from this withdraw not your hand [don’t ever give up on this]: for he that fears [listens to] God shall come forth of [outlive] them all”.  Ecclesiastes 7:17-18.

It’s as simple as smoking or not smoking!  For instance, the insurance companies will bet that a smoker will die about 15 years before the non-smoker of similar circumstances.  And if we drink and drive the odds on dying become much higher.  Similarly, if we live a dangerous life, or eat fatty foods, we lay the foundation for a shorter life.  So our behaviour influences the length of life.  God also says as one of His Ten Commandments, “Honour your father and your mother [have respect for authority, listen to those who have experience]: that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God gives you”, which shows us another aspect of how to live longer.  Exodus 20:12.

When the nation/church of Israel was facing annihilation in Daniel’s time, the Son of God said, “I spoke also to Zedekiah king of Judah according to all these words, saying, ‘Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon [surrender to him], and serve him and his people, and live.  Why will you die, you and your people, by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence, as the LORD has spoken against the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon?’”  Jeremiah  27:12.  It was obviously their choice.

But why would anyone in his or her right mind choose death?

The words “right mind” give us the clue.  For example, the suicide is driven to death by the despair in his mind.  But it is his choice to die early.

In like manner, because the “sinner’s” mind is twisted by the sin or sins he/she has been committing, he/she is really choosing the “wages” through those actions, even though they may struggle against it.  Like the drug addict, they don’t want to do the action because they know that it is going to kill them, but they can’t stop it.  There is a compelling power inside the unregenerate person which drives him or her on and on.  It is this destructive “power” which the LORD offers to take from us and replace with a good “power” or “heart” which He will supply.  He says, “And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh: that they may walk in My statutes, and keep My ordinances, and do them: and they shall be My people, and I will be their God”.  Ezekiel 11:19-20.

He also says, “But he that sins against Me wrongs his own soul: all they that hate Me love death”.  Proverbs 8:36.  Does anyone “hate” God?  The answer is “yes”, for all those who reject His calls and continue to do their own thing are “hating” Him.

This is how it is portrayed in the Bible:

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Romans 7:

14 For we know that the law [of God, the Ten Commandments] is spiritual [of heavenly origin]: but I am carnal [of this earth], sold under sin [a slave to the sin-master in me]. 15 For that which I do, I allow not [that which I do, I don’t want to]: for what I would, that do I not [I can’t do the right thing]; but what I hate, that do I. [That’s a good description of slavery!]  

16 If then I do that which I would not, I consent to the law that it is good [I know I should do the right thing according to God’s law].  

17 Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin [the sin-master] that dwells in me [it’s not my fault]. 

18 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing [only a bad one]: for to will is present with me; but HOW to perform that which is good I find not [my problem is HOW to stop doing bad things].  19 For the good that I would, I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do [it’s hopeless]. 

20 Now [to sum up] if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me.

[There is an inward power that causes us to do actions of sin. e.g. I can’t stop overeating, drinking alcohol, stealing, lying etc.  We don’t all have the same sins, but we all have enough of them to kill us, for even one wrong trait of character, one sinful desire, persistently cherished, will eventually neutralize all the power of the gospel. Every sinful indulgence strengthens the soul's aversion to God.]  

21 I find then a law [a principle], that, when I would do good, evil [sin] is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man [in my mind]:

23 but I see another law [a stronger principle] in my members [my body parts], warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  [It’s that second principle which controls me.]  

24 O wretched man that I am!  Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? [If I go on like this I’m lost!] 25 [But] I thank God through Jesus Christ our LORD [who has offered to save me from that power]. 

So then [until I’m changed,] with the mind I myself [want to] serve the law of God; but with the flesh [I serve] the law of sin .  .  .    

Chapter 8:2  

[But then comes the change] for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has [now] made me free from the law of sin and death. 

***************(End Quote)

But it’s not only sinners that die!  Those whom we consider to be righteous also die.  Why should the “righteous” also perish?

Because this question appears unanswerable many believe that the God who gives life also initiates death, but in this they are wrong.  Job is often charged with having that thought, but he actually said, “Naked came I out of my mother's womb [without earthly possessions], and naked shall I return there [possessing nothing I’ll go into the grave]: the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away [whatever I collected while alive]; blessed be the name of the LORD.  In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly”.  Job 1:21-22.

This question has been with us from the beginning.  Enoch, of the seventh generation from Adam, also had been troubled in regard to the dead.  It had seemed to him that the righteous and the sinner went to the dust together, and that this would be their end, for he could not see the life of the righteous beyond the grave.  However, because of his “importunity” in prayer (Luke 11:8), he was able to be instructed in a prophetic vision concerning the future temporary death of the Son of man, and was shown His coming in glory, attended by all the holy angels, to ransom His people from the grave.  See Jude 1:14-16.  Behind this he saw the permanent “death” of the Son of God as recorded in the following verse.  “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him [Satan], whose names are NOT written in the book of life of the Lamb SLAIN FROM THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD. If any man have an ear, let him hear”. Revelation 13:8-9.

He also saw the corrupt state of the world when Christ should appear the second time – that there would be a boastful, presumptuous, self-willed generation, denying the only God and the LORD Jesus Christ, trampling upon the law, and despising the atonement.  In his vision he saw the righteous crowned with glory and honour, and the rejecters rushing into the presence of the LORD, and being destroyed by a fire of their own making, which gave him the answer to his questions.  (See also Revelation 20:12-15.)

After that he was taken into heaven without seeing death, which is called “being translated”.  By the translation of Enoch the LORD designed to teach an important lesson.  This was:  “Treasures of wickedness profit nothing: but righteousness delivers from death” (Proverbs 10:2), but unfortunately not many people have believed this, or if they have, they have applied it only to the second death. 

There was danger that the followers of God would yield to discouragement because of the fearful results of Adam's sin.  Many were ready to exclaim, “What profit is it that we have feared the LORD and have kept His ordinances, since a heavy curse is resting upon the race, and death is the portion of us all?”  (See Malachi 3:14.)  But the instructions which God gave to Adam, and which were repeated by Seth, and lived out by Enoch, swept away the gloom and darkness, and gave hope to man, that as through Adam came death, so through the Redeemer had come life and immortality. 

We should note the comparisons which are made below:

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Romans 5:

14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude [likeness] of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of Him that was to come.

15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift [one balances the other out, but in a larger way].  For if through the offence of one many be dead, MUCH MORE the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, has abounded to many. 

16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences to justification [one balances the other out, but in a larger way].  

17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; MUCH MORE they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign [victorious] in life by one, Jesus Christ.

18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation [to death]; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life.

19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound.  But where sin abounded, grace did MUCH MORE abound: 21 that as sin has reigned to death, even so might grace reign through righteousness to eternal life by Jesus Christ our LORD. [If this is not clear, then see Note 1.]  

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But when faced with the overwhelming greatness of this statement, many of us behave as Martha did when she was asked about it.  “Then said Martha to Jesus, ‘LORD, if You had been here, my brother had not died [because his faith depended on seeing You]. But I know, that even now, whatsoever [any thing] You will ask of God, God will give it You’. [Martha expressed great faith in His connection with the Life-giver.] 

“Jesus says to her [to test the depth of that faith], ‘Your brother shall rise again’. Martha says to Him, ‘I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day’”.

[This is what many Christians believe today.  But He was asking; “Why not now?”  He had already called six others to life before this:  (1) Moses, Jude 1:9;  (2) the son of the widow through Elijah, 1 Kings 17:21-22;  (3) the Shunammite’s son through Elisha, 2 Kings 4:32-36;  (4) the unnamed man who was cast into Elisha’s sepulchre, 2 Kings 13:20-21;  (5)  Jairus’s daughter, Mark 5:37-43;  (6) the widow of Nain’s son, Luke 7:13-17.  Lazarus (the 7^th) would complete the picture before He raised Himself (the 8^th), John 10:17-18; Romans 1:4.] 

“Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection, AND the life: he that believes in Me, though he were dead, yet shall he live [through the resurrection].  [Then He added,] and whosoever LIVES and believes in Me shall NEVER die.  Believe you this?’ [This was different question, which Martha bypassed.]  She said to Him, ‘Yea, LORD: I believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world’.  John 11:21-27.  She missed that He was the Son of God from the foundation of the world, by looking only to the future.

Since the beginning Satan has been urging upon men the belief that there is no reward for the righteous, or punishment for the wicked, and that it is impossible for humanity to obey the divine statutes.  But in the case of Enoch, God declares “that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him”.  Hebrews 11:6.  He shows what He will do for those who keep His commandments.  By Enoch’s life we are taught that it is possible to obey the law of God.  That even while living in the midst of the sinful and corrupt, we are able, by the grace of God, to resist temptation, and become pure and holy.  It is written for all of us; “For I am the LORD that brings you up out of the land of Egypt [the spiritual “land” of sin], to be your God: you shall therefore be holy, for I am holy”.  Leviticus 11:45.   “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them, [If you share in My life] You shall be holy: for I the LORD your God am holy”. Leviticus 19:2.  He passes that condition on to His children: “Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin; for His seed remains in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever does not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loves not his brother”.  1 John 3:9.

We should be able to see in Enoch’s example the blessedness of such a life; and his translation as an evidence of the truth of his prophecy concerning the hereafter, with its award of joy and glory and immortal life to the obedient, and of woe and eternal death to the rejecter.  We cannot EARN that blessed state by our behaviour, but our obedience demonstrates the change of heart to the people of the universe.

By faith Enoch “was translated that he should not see death . . . for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God [and the heavenly creatures]”.  Hebrews 11:5.  In the midst of a world doomed to destruction by its sinfulness, Enoch lived a life of such close communion with God and belief in His word that he did not have to come under the power of death.  It is written, “For if the Firstfruit be holy, the lump [the remainder] is also holy: and if the Root be holy, so are the branches”. Romans 11:16.  Enoch rejected Satan and his wages, not God and His gift.  Romans 6:23.

Satan’s part in death is clearly stated in the next quote:

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Hebrews 2:

11 For both He [Christ] that sanctifies [not just saves but upholds also] and they who are sanctified [Christians, Christ-like ones] are all of one [origin]: for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brothers [and sisters], 12 saying, “I will declare Your name [of “Father”] to My brothers [and sisters], in the midst of the church will I sing praise to You”. [Psalm 22:22.]

13 And again [He says], “I will put My trust in Him”. [Psalm 18:2; Isaiah 12:2.]

And again, “Behold I and the children which God has given Me”. [Isaiah 8:18.]

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of [human] flesh and blood, He also Himself likewise took part of the same [flesh and blood (as the Son of man)]; that through [His] death He might destroy HIM THAT HAD THE POWER OF DEATH, that is, the devil; 15 and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage [the slavery of death].

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God has not punished Satan and his angels, or those humans who have sinned.  In fact, he has taken the punishment of the latter upon Himself!  Rather than kill the transgressor, He died for him! 

He emphasises this by using the godly character of the prophet Enoch to represent the state of holiness which must be possessed by those who shall be “redeemed from the earth [not the grave]” at the time of Christ's second advent.  Revelation 14:3.  Then, as in the world before the Flood, iniquity will prevail.  Following the promptings of their corrupt hearts, and accepting the teachings of a deceptive philosophy, most men and women will be rebelling against the authority of Heaven. 

But, like Enoch, God's people at that time will seek for purity of heart and conformity to His will, until they shall reflect the likeness of Christ.  Like Enoch, they will warn the world of the LORD's second coming and of the judgments which are the result of transgression, and by their holy conduct they will condemn the sins of the ungodly. 

Then, as Enoch was translated to heaven before the destruction of the world by water, so the living righteous will be translated from the earth before its destruction by fire.  Says the apostle: “We shall not all sleep [the sleep of death], but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the [righteous] dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed [into that incorruptible state also]”.  1 Corinthians 15:51-52. 

“For the LORD Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the LORD in the air: and so shall we ever be with the LORD.  Wherefore comfort one another with these words”.  1 Thessalonians 4:16-18. 

When I wrote earlier that we are “free” from death, I was referring to a verse we have since read.  I’ll repeat it in the following quote:

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Romans 8:

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh [who are not controlled by it], but after the Spirit [they are being guided by Him]. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death [note how that sin and death are really one].

3 For what the law [of life] could not do [on its own], in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh [the sin-master in us]: 4 that the righteousness of the law [of life] might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. 

[How does this come about?] 

Romans 6:

5  “For if we have been planted together [baptised by water and the Spirit] in the likeness of His death [spiritually], we shall be also in the likeness of His resurrection: 6 knowing this, that our “old man” [the sin-master] is crucified with Him, that the body of sin [the sinful heart] might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. 7 For he that is “dead” is freed from sin.  

8 Now if we be “dead” with Christ, we believe that we shall also “live” with him:

9 knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death has no more dominion over Him. 10 For in that He died, He died to sin once: but in that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be “dead” indeed to sin [once, at conversion], but alive to God through Jesus Christ our LORD [being “born again”]. 

12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body [as your master], that you should obey it in the lusts thereof [now that you have the power and choice]. 13 Neither yield you your members [body parts] as instruments of unrighteousness to sin: but yield yourselves to God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members [body parts] as instruments of righteousness to God [keep the Commandments].

14 For sin shall not have dominion [mastery] over you: for you are not under the law [of sin and death anymore], but under grace. 

5 For they that are after [led by] the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace [right now].

7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 

8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God [they need to be changed].

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Conclusion:

Death is something foreign to God’s character and came into this world through a sin instigated by Satan.  God is only a Restorer – Satan is only a destroyer, there is no cross-over between them.  There is a contest going on between them over the salvation of men and women in which Satan is trying to get us to die or be killed before we are saved, and God is repairing all the mistakes we make (as we allow Him) in order to deliver us from death.  The contest appears to be a losing one from God’s side for His people die as frequently as do the devil’s, but He has a special plan which will show the truth at the end of time.  He tells us that, “The LAST ENEMY that shall be destroyed is death”. 1 Corinthians 15:26. 

Then He will resurrect the people from both sides of the argument at two different times to show their individual choices, and the rightness of His word and His actions. It is said, “Your word is true from the beginning: and every one of Your righteous judgments endures for ever”.  Psalm 119:160.

oooOooo

Note 1.

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Romans 5:12-21 (The Message translation)

¹² You know the story of how Adam landed us in the dilemma we're in—first sin, then death, and no one exempt from either sin or death. 

¹³ That sin disturbed relations with God in everything and everyone, but the extent of the disturbance was not clear until God spelled it out in detail to Moses.  So death, this huge abyss separating us from God, dominated the landscape from Adam to Moses.  ¹⁴ Even those who didn't sin precisely as Adam did by disobeying a specific command of God still had to experience this termination of life, this separation from God.  But Adam, who got us into this, also points ahead to the One who will get us out of it. 

¹⁵ Yet the rescuing gift is not exactly parallel to the death-dealing sin. 

If one man's sin put crowds of people at the dead-end abyss of separation from God, just think what God's gift poured through one man, Jesus Christ, will do! ¹⁶ There's no comparison between that death-dealing sin and this generous, life-giving gift.  The verdict on that one sin was the death sentence; the verdict on the many sins that followed was this wonderful life sentence. 

¹⁷ If death got the upper hand through one man's wrongdoing, can you imagine the breathtaking recovery life makes, sovereign life, in those who grasp with both hands this wildly extravagant life-gift, this grand setting-everything-right, that the one man Jesus Christ provides?

¹⁸ Here it is in a nutshell: Just as one person did it wrong and got us in all this trouble with sin and death, another person did it right and got us out of it.  But more than just getting us out of trouble, he got us into life! ¹⁹ One man said no to God and put many people in the wrong; one man said yes to God and put many in the right. 

²⁰ All that passing laws against sin did was produce more lawbreakers. But sin didn't, and doesn't, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it's sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. ²¹ All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that's the end of it.

Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.  Back

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