How do you introduce yourself to a person you already sort of know? It is an awkward thing, isn’t it? It is weird to start with your name, since they already know it, and you know theirs. On the other hand though, you just cannot easily go into a conversation since you don’t really know the person. So how do you do it? Paul the Apostle had this dilemma as he wrote his letter to the Romans. Paul had never met these Christian congregations before or stayed with them. He had only heard of them, and they of him. He had always planned to visit them but things always seemed to come up. So what does Paul do? He writes a letter!
He writes to these Roman Christians a letter that is about the basics of the Christian faith. The book of Romans focuses on the righteousness of God and on grace. Paul writes them this letter to introduce himself and to layout his teachings before he visits them. He hopes that this will lead to an approval of his message and that it will generate support for a mission trip that he plans to make to Spain.
This summer, we will focus on the book of Romans. As we start in chapter five, we already see one of themes of the letter: grace. Paul describes grace here as a free gift. But if life has taught us anything, it is this: nothing is ever free. We even have a saying that supports this. “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” Free things in our lives often have strings attached. Free things in our lives can also be pretty cheap, useless, and lame. Really, nothing in life is free! However, when it comes to God’s grace, Paul debunks these thoughts this morning. He tells us that God’s grace is free!
God’s grace has no strings attached. This is a sharp contrast to our lives. In our lives, when people give us free things, there are often strings or conditions attached. Let’s use the example of a free lunch. When you get a free lunch, it can be for a variety of reasons. It can be done because someone likes or loves you, maybe it is because you are nice to them, and that motivates their actions. It can be done because someone wants to earn your favor or because they want you to do something. We especially see that when people move as they offer something like pizza and adult beverages for those who help. You can get a free lunch in expectation that you will pay for it next time around, or because it settles a debt. In the end, it really isn’t a free lunch. You either earned it, or it is because someone wants you to do something.
Paul tells us that with God’s grace, that is, His undeserved mercy and kindness, there are no strings attached. Listen to what he says in verse six. He writes: “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.” Weak here describes someone who is powerless, or unable to do anything. Ungodly describes a person whose lifestyle is dishonorable and is lived in a way that rejects God’s existence. But it is when we were in this state that Christ died for us. Jesus didn’t do it because of future good works that we would do, or because we had a spark of good in us. We don’t. It was not because He owed us something or so that we would serve Him and pay Him back. He wasn’t bribed or coaxed into doing it. We didn’t deserve Him to do this one bit!
Paul uses an example to prove his point. He says, “For one will scarcely die for a righteous person-though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die”. He is right. In life, we might die for a spouse, significant other, or special friend. We also might die for a child or someone who did us a charitable deed. But these kind of people would be it. Now listen to the type of person that Jesus died for. Paul penned, “but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Jesus died for sinners, for people who were evil, fallen, lost, and hostile against Him. He died for people who didn’t deserve it one bit. But He did it out of love, and His death in our place shows His love. It shows the depth and greatness of God’s love for us. It shows its unconditional nature, and that no strings were attached! Christ’s death shows that God’s grace is free! His death for sinners shows it! There are no strings attached.
Paul tells us next that God’s free grace is a good gift. In life, free things are rarely good, and certainly don’t last forever. As a kid, when my Grandma would take my brother and me to the Lake County Fair, she would always give us each a bag to get all of the freebies in the commercial building. Sometimes the freebie would be a piece of candy, a coupon, or a cheap plastic toy. Other times it would be an object with advertising on it, or something made of paper. They all had in common that they weren’t very good, valuable, or even long lasting.
This is unlike God’s grace, Paul tells us. The apostle announces that God’s grace is a great gift that does many wonderful things. In verses nine and ten, he tells us what God’s grace does for us. He says, “Since, therefore, we have now been justified by His blood, much more shall we be saved by Him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.”
On account of the grace shown to us through Jesus, God declares us “not guilty” of the sin that we are guilty of doing! Christ’s blood has paid the price for our salvation, and His blood gives us not only the hope but also the assurance that we are right with God. This declaration of being pardoned of our sin means that we will be saved from His wrath on the Last Day. We don’t have to fear it!
By God’s grace, we have been reconciled to Him by the death of His Son. But for us to be reconciled with Him, His precious Son had to die. Could you be reconciled with a person who cost you your prized possession, or the person you love most in this world? Could you truly be right with the person who cost you a spouse, child, friend, or parental figure? Could you truly be okay with them after that, or say to them, “I love you. I’m not mad. I forgive you?” God could and did. His reconciliation with us cost Him dearly, but it was worth it to Him.
This reconciliation is more than a removal of hostility. It carries with it a positive relationship and peace. It reveals to us a God Who is personal, caring, and gracious to us because of Jesus. This reconciliation with Him leads to rejoicing in Him, and how could it not? We are right with the God that we have horribly offended. We are at peace with Him, and well. Can you think of a free thing that does something better? Can you think of something free that is more valuable? God’s grace is a great free gift that leads to many wonderful things!
Paul ends by saying that God’s gift of grace is truly free and is for all. In our own life experiences, things aren’t exactly free, nor are they for everyone. If you get a coupon for a free product, you often have to meet the requirements for it. Perhaps you might need to buy another product to get something free. Or maybe you need to spend a certain amount to get that free thing. If you win something on a game show, you have to pay the taxes on what you have won. You can only be eligible to try to win something if you are chosen. Not everyone will get an opportunity. In both of these cases, you have to qualify for the “free” gift. In both cases, they aren’t free.
To show us that God’s gift of grace is free and for all, Paul makes a comparison with Adam, the first man. He writes, “Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”. Paul says that through Adam, sin came into the world, and because of sin, death came too. The death that he talks about is all encompassing. It is physical, spiritual, and eternal death. And more than that, Paul says that we have earned this. Why? Because we all have sinned. There are somethings in life that we cannot blame others for, and this one of them. Our sin has brought upon us death and damnation.
But Paul says we have not earned what he talks about next, grace. He says, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” Sin and death came through one man, but so has grace and life. Grace belongs to and comes from Jesus. He won us this grace and life through His perfect life and death in our place. We had nothing to do with this!
Paul describes this grace by calling it a free gift. God’s grace is not something that is earned, but rather, it is given. We see this in how God gives us His grace. His grace is given through the waters of baptism where weak, ungodly infants receive new life and God’s peace. His grace His given through a spoken word that is heard and does what it says. It forgives and restores! His grace is given through bread and wine that delivers to us the body and blood that won us salvation. With all of these things, we are passive, and we receive God’s grace. We do nothing, we only receive through faith.
This gift of grace is not something that we qualify for or earn. We could never pay God back for it if we tried! His gift of grace in Christ abounds for all and is for all. No one is left out! All we can do is reject this gift, like any gift in real life. His grace is free, and is for all who believe.
In life, we have reason to skeptical about free things. Nothing in this world is free! There can be strings attached along with hidden motives behind acts of kindness. Free things can also be disappointing and not actually free. Paul tells us though of one thing that is entirely free for us: God’s gift of grace that is given through Jesus. In Christ, there is such a thing as a free lunch. IN JESUS’ NAME, Amen.
