Romans 5:5  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

 6For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

 7For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

 8But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

 9Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.

 10For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 

I believe that if we are of God, we will love our brothers and sisters.  I have witnessed so much lack of love in my lifetime of 'Church' experiences.  I think that if I wanted to, I could write a book about spiritual abuse and abusive situations.  But thanks be to God that HE has given us the victory.  He has given us HIS love.  People will let us down, we will let ourselves and others down, but HE will never let us down.

When we were without strength and without Him, He died for us.  He gave His life on the cross so that we might go free.  What kind of man would reach down His hand and do this for me?  Unworthy to live, and not fit to kill, but a man on the cross, put me in His will, and said that I could still go free.  While we were sinners and without hope, He gave us hope and a chance for eternal life with Him. We now have a hope that is rooted and grounded in our Lord and Savior. We can be born again of the water and the Spirit, and rise to walk in the newness of life.

We can be saved from the wrath to come. We are justified by His blood!  We must have that blood applied by being born again of the water and the Spirit.  It is by God's grace that we are justified. We are not worthy on our own, but we are bought with a price. We who deserve nothing but to be pronounced guilty and condemned are saved and justified by Christ alone and obedience to Him. He can give us His Spirit, and teach us what we must do to inherit eternal life.  Remember, there were three steps to Calvary. The way to accept Calvary in our individual lives is to accept the death,burial, and resurrection of Christ.  The blood must be applied!

What is the one thing in which the spirit, water, and blood agree? Is it not the new birth? His blood covers our sins at repentance; the waters of baptism wash them away, and we are can be made clean for the spirit to come into our lives to dwell. Romans 6:4 says, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism".  When the Roman soldiers thrust the spear into Jesus' side after he died, the scripture tells us that there came forth blood and water (John 19:34).

When we have the fruit of the Spirit, we will behave in a new way.  We will have love for the brethren.  Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Ephesians 3:14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named,
16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;
17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,
18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;
19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

I believe the love of Christ is beyond the human mind's understanding.  "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8).  The blood shed by the Lord Jesus Christ is the ground of our justification for "without shedding of blood is no remission" of sin (Heb 9:22).

"The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." (1 John 1:7).

Sin's penalty has been paid. By grace, God gave his only begotten son to be the propitiation for our sin. We are justified by faith in his blood, the blood of his cross. (Romans 3:25).  There were three steps to the work of Christ to see that these three steps make up the act of being born again spoken of by Jesus. To die, to be buried, and to rise again! Jesus through his death, burial, and resurrection bought for us the plan of being born again spoken of in John 3:3, whereby we receive salvation.  Jesus told Nicodemus, "Ye MUST be born again" (John 3:7)


Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." We can't be born again of a woman. The second birth is a spiritual birth.  Jesus said without being born again we cannot see or enter the kingdom of God. On the day of Pentecost, Peter preached the first message after Calvary, the men cried out, "What must we do?" They wanted to know what to do to be saved!  "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost" (Acts 2:38). Here Peter was giving to them the plan of salvation repentance,baptism and the infilling of the Holy Ghost. Peter told them how to be born again.