Henderson says emphatically: “There’s no such thing as comprised of.”

Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary informs us that Henderson’s assertion has been debated and that “if you wish to avoid criticism…, you may want to choose a safer synonym such as compose or make up.”

Henderson has dedicated a lot of his time and energy to correct the misuse of the phrase.  Over a four-year period, this computer engineer from San Jose, California searched for every instance of “comprised of” on Wikipedia – the 36 million page online encyclopedia.  He found – and corrected – more than 16,000 references.  According to the way the incorrect phrase was used in the sentence, Henderson would insert “composed of” or “comprised” (without the “of”) to give the intended meaning.  Henderson has also written a computer program that instantly roots out any entries of the phrase into the pages of Wikipedia. *

By way of application, we must acknowledge this truth: each of our lives is comprised of composed of (or contains) sin.  “For ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).  This is not a matter of semantics; it’s a matter of life and death: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

But here is the Good News:  even though we have sinned, God loves us and wants to save us from sin.  He gave His Son Jesus – the sinless Son of God – to die on the cross for our sins so that we can live eternally with Him in heaven (John 3:16).  “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7).

God has promised to save and give the gift of eternal life to us when we place our faith and trust in Jesus (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sin in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  Then, as we walk in the light of His Word, the blood of Jesus will continue to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7).

Rather than being lost, separated from God, and doomed to destruction because of our sins (Isaiah 59:1-2; Matthew 7:13-14), God desires that our lives consist of forgiveness, fellowship with God, and the hope of eternal life that comes through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Titus 3:7).

Won’t YOU accept His offer of salvation and life on His terms?