1 By faith we have been made acceptable to God. And now, thanks to our Lord Jesus Christ, we have peace with God.
2 Christ has also introduced us to God's gift of undeserved grace on which we now take our stand. So we are happy, as we look forward to sharing in the glory of God.
3 But that's not all! We gladly suffer, because we know that suffering helps us to endure.
4 And endurance builds character, which gives us a hope
5 that will never disappoint us. All of this happens because God has given us the Holy Spirit, who fills our hearts with his love.
6 Christ died for us at a time when we were helpless and sinful.
7 No one is really willing to die for an honest person, though someone might be willing to die for a truly good person.