There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.  Romans 8:1

如今，那些在基督耶稣里的就不定罪了。–罗马书8章1节

Just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead.Romans 5:21 NLT

就如罪作王叫人死；照样，恩典也藉着义作王。-罗马书5章21节

Mom noticed four-year-old Elias as he scurried away from the newborn kittens. She had told him not to touch them. “Did you touch the kitties, Elias?” she asked.

妈妈发现四岁的伟伟匆匆离开小猫的窝，因为之前妈妈曾告诫他别碰刚出生的小猫，所以就问他：“你摸过小猫吗？”

“No!” he said earnestly. So Mom had another question: “Were they soft?”

“Yes,” he volunteered, “and the black one mewed.”

他一本正经地回答：“没有。”妈妈再问：“它们很柔软吧？”他马上说：“是啊”，又自动补一句：“小黑猫还叫了一声。”

With a toddler, we smile at such duplicity. But Elias’s disobedience underscores our human condition. No one has to teach a four-year-old to lie. “For I was born a sinner,” wrote David in his classic confession, “yes, from the moment my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5 nlt). The apostle Paul said: “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned” (Rom. 5:12 nlt). That depressing news applies equally to kings, four-year-olds, and you and me.

对于幼童口是心非的行为，我们只能一笑置之。但伟伟不听妈妈的话，却显出人性的真实面貌，四岁的孩子即使没人教也会说谎。大卫著名的忏悔诗写道：“我是在罪孽里生的，在我母亲怀胎的时候就有了罪”（诗篇51篇5节） 。使徒保罗说：“这就如罪是从一人入了世界，死又是从罪来的，于是死就临到众人，因为众人都犯了罪”（罗马书5章12节）。这段令人沮丧的话，适用于所有的王公贵族、四岁小孩，以及你和我。

But there’s plenty of hope! “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were,” wrote Paul. “But as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant” (Rom. 5:20 nlt).

但我们还是有极大的盼望！保罗说：“律法本是外添的，叫过犯显多；只是罪在哪里显多，恩典就更显多了。”（罗马书5章20节）

God is not waiting for us to blow it so He can pounce on us. He is in the business of grace, forgiveness, and restoration. We need only recognize that our sin is neither cute nor excusable and come to Him in faith and repentance.

上帝不是在等我们犯罪，然后执行惩罚，而是要对我们施恩、饶恕、修复。我们只要承认自己的罪，凭着信心来到祂面前悔改，就能得到祂的赦免。

Father, be merciful to me, a sinner.

天父啊，求祢开恩可怜我这个罪人！

Romans 5:12-21New International Version (NIV)

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

整理：于姊妹