“I’ll do it myself!” From toddler to teenager and beyond we utter these words because there’s a bit of stubborn control freak in each of us. We want to control our own destiny, and before we meet Jesus we set our whole life, including our eternity, on that premise. We put our confidence in our upbringing or our life choices to bring about the impossible — righteousness apart from Christ. The Christians in Rome were no different. Many of them had spent their lives following Jewish laws and customs. They assumed they had a special pass through the gates of heaven simply because of their upbringing. Paul made it clear that nothing about their life before Jesus could make them right with God. It was only by God’s amazing grace, available to all who believe.
It was hard for them to grasp this.
Doesn’t being raised to know God give you special access to His grace?
How could God offer grace to “those people”? What good was it to be raised to know God and to check off all the religious boxes if it didn’t give them special access? Paul assured them that although being Jewish couldn’t save them, it did have much benefit. They were entrusted with the whole revelation of God. They knew who God was and what He had done throughout history. They had a head start.
If you were raised in a Christian home, you know these things, too. Growing up with a knowledge of the truth will give you a head start, but it isn’t a guaranteed pass. You must own it and act on it.
Why does God condemn sin if it gives Him a chance to showcase His glory and grace?
It seems like a crazy question and Paul doesn’t even answer it but to say, “Those who say such things deserve to be condemned.” God doesn’t condemn us as sinners because He’s on a power trip. His grace and His glory stand on their own. The fact that we are even breathing is evidence of that. We are condemned as sinners because we sin. No one is righteous – not even one!
God’s grace is not a “get out of jail free” card! Shrugging off sin because God is gracious demonstrates a misunderstanding of His grace and a trampling of Christ’s sacrifice. A believer who willfully sins can only do so after ignoring the Holy Spirit. God forgives us and our salvation is secure in Christ, but there are still consequences for sin. God’s amazing grace may be free, but it came at a tremendous cost.
But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds, we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned – every one – to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. – Isaiah 53:5-6 ESV
God condemns sin because He is just, but he provided a Savior because He is love. Salvation doesn’t come from our upbringing or our attempt to follow a certain set of rules. It is only by God’s grace that we are saved, and His amazing grace reaches far and wide to everyone who puts their faith in Jesus Christ.
I am still in my deep dive of the book of Romans and have made it as far as Chapter 3. Paul is drilling home the point that we are all in need of His grace!
