The gift of God is eternal life in Christ.
Ephesians 2
Made Alive in Christ
1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. 3 Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.
11 Therefore remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separate from Christ, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. 14 For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall, 15 by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, which is the Law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, thus establishing peace, 16 and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. 17 And He came and preached peace to you who were far away, and peace to those who were near; 18 for through Him we both have our access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.
Romans
6
Dead
to Sin, Alive in Christ
1 What shall we say, then?
Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means!
We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or
don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized
into his death? 4 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.
5 For if we have been united
with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a
resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was
crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that
we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died
has been set free from sin.
8 Now if we died with Christ,
we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that
since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has
mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for
all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11 In the same way, count
yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore
do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do
not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but
rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to
life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of
righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because
you are not under the law, but under grace.
Slaves
to Righteousness
15 What then? Shall we sin
because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! 16 Don’t
you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are
slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death,
or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? 17 But thanks be to
God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your
heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. 18 You
have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
19 I am using an example from
everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer
yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now
offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When
you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What
benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those
things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from
sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and
the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
