Reading Romans 5 & 6 today, the hope that God holds out for every single person, regardless of their past, shows through in chapter 5, verse 6, "...when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly." and again in verse 8, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." If I were to think of myself as better than someone else because I have accepted Christ, this disproves that. He died to bring life to those who don't deserve it, and I am in that category the same as anyone else. In fact, those who are saved ought to be the most humble people, because we own up to the fact that we needed saving. You can't do that and still look at yourself as above others. Also, that ought to give us an excitement about what God can do in those around us, since no matter how ungodly, or powerless to help themselves someone is, Christ died for them. There is always hope, and I need to hold out the same hope for others that God does.
I love the encouragement to purity, holiness and righteousness that I see in Romans 6. Running quickly through it, I see passages that say, "We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?.... we too may live a new life.... that we should no longer be slaves to sin.... count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God... and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master.... You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness." It shows that our past doesn't determine our future, and gives hope of living a sin-free, godly life. It's not only important, but by God's grace it's possible!
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