Theme: Heirs by grace and mercy, not goodness and merit

Exegetical note
This doctrinal incursion into an otherwise largely ethical discourse states a central theme in Paul's theology, namely, that salvation comes by God's grace and mercy rather than by human goodness and merit. What is added here is the notion that, as a result of God's initiative in outpouring the Holy Spirit in the Christ, the recipients are, in effect, adopted as children who are destined to inherit eternal life.

Call to…