God credits righteousness through our faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, Paul tells us, we have peace with God though our Lord Jesus Christ. As sinners, we are subject to God's awesome wrath. But because of Jesus Christ, God's wrath doesn't fall on us. We are reconciled to him! We are justified before him by the blood of Jesus! Not only is this so, we have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Because of this, we have hope. This life is full of suffering. Even the most devout Christian suffers because we live in a fallen world. But we can rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that they are from God so that we may grow in perseverance, character, and hope. Where does this hope come from? From the love of God and of Jesus Christ, who died for us while we were still sinners.


Application: Father, we are sinners. But through the love of Jesus Christ, we can have hope in you for our salvation. Thank you for your hope!
One Word: Because of Jesus, we have hope in eternal life