GRACE of God (Eph 2:1 NIV) As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, (Eph 2:2 NIV) in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. (Eph 2:3 NIV) All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. (Eph 2:4 NIV) But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, (Eph 2:5 NIV) made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved. (Eph 2:6 NIV) And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, (Eph 2:7 NIV) in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. (Eph 2:8 NIV) For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- (Eph 2:9 NIV) not by works, so that no one can boast. (Eph 2:10 NIV) For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Eph 2:11 NIV) Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)-- (Rom 4:1 NIV) What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, discovered in this matter? (Rom 4:2 NIV) If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about--but not before God. (Rom 4:3 NIV) What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness." (Rom 4:4 NIV) Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. (Rom 4:5 NIV) However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness. (Rom 6:3 NIV) Or don't you know that all of us who were BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST Jesus were baptized into his death? (Rom 6:4 NIV) 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. (Rom 6:5 NIV) If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. (Rom 6:6 NIV) For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-- (Rom 6:7 NIV) because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. (Rom 6:8 NIV) Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. (Rom 6:9 NIV) For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. (Rom 6:10 NIV) The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. (Rom 6:11 NIV) In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Rom 6:12 NIV) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. (Rom 6:13 NIV) Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. (Rom 6:14 NIV) For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. (Rom 6:15 NIV) What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! (Rom 6:16 NIV) Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey--whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (Rom 6:17 NIV) But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. (Rom 6:18 NIV) You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. (Rom 6:19 NIV) I put this in human terms because you are weak in your natural selves. Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness. (Rom 6:20 NIV) When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. (Rom 6:21 NIV) What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! (Rom 6:22 NIV) But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. (Rom 6:23 NIV) For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Rom 11:6 NIV) And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. (2 Tim 1:6 NIV) For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. (2 Tim 1:7 NIV) For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. (2 Tim 1:8 NIV) So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, (2 Tim 1:9 NIV) who has saved us and called us to a holy life--not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us IN CHRIST JESUS [Remember Christ's body is the Church.] before the beginning of time,