Sin and the gift of grace

Romans 6--- a new heart and a new life

   The new rain changes everything does it not?  While I am writing this today it has not rained, but I am already seeing it change things when it does come.  Today we celebrate the goodness of God in His love in giving us eternal life.  Sometimes the sun breaks through the clouds and we see a rainbow and we know that despite everything going wrong we rejoice in what God has done in giving us more than we can ask or hope for.  He has given us His Son and without Him we are without hope.  God uses all things in our lives and all people and even in the hard times we know He is working out His will among us and in us.

    The letter to the Romans is such a letter about new life.  FF Bruce in his commentary on Romans said it this way, " There is no telling what may happen when people begin to study the Epistle to the Romans.  What happened to Augustine, Luther, Wesley and Barth launched great spiritual movements which have left their mark in world history.  But similar things have happened, much more frequently, to very ordinary people as the words of this Epistle came home to them with power.  So, let those who have read thus far be prepared for the consequences of reading further: you have been warned!"

     I would not see it in a negative way because we want our church, our friends and family to be bathed in the grace of God and showered with His gracious providence.  That is the way of success in this life and in the life to come.  Nothing can beat knowing God and enjoying His presence in all times and in all places.

     I like how the apostle says it in romans 6:17, " But thanks be to God that you were bondmen of sin, but ye obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered to you."   Before we knew God we knew bondage .  That word is slave, and comes from the word to bind.  Literally it means a slave.  In Romans 1:1 , Paul calls himself a bondman of Jesus Christ.  It is the same word used.

     We are all slaves to someone or something.  Addicted people know what I am talking about.  Of course most of our culture understands this as well.  You cannot but serve the addiction.  It has a hold on you .  We are thankful when people get freedom for that to truly live their own lives and not the addicted one.  Later in this passage we read, " for when you were bondmen of sin , you were free from righteousness.  What fruit had you therefore then in the things of which now you are ashamed?  for the end of these things is death." 6:21  This is what those who are in their sin are working for.  There is no reward except death.

      This new life begins in Christ when our hearts are changed .  " But thanks be to God that you were bondmen of sin, but you obeyed from the heart .."  a new life .  "  set free from sin , and having become bondmen to God , ye have your fruit unto sanctification , and the end life eternal."  6:22  This verb is a very long one in the original, and it means to set free.  I think we know what that means.  All of us have an example of freedom we could probably tell.  It may be something small or something quite large.  Freedom allows us the ability to make choices that are good and healthy for ourselves and allows to be available to others too. 

      Those veterans on Normandy beach know what freedom is.  You do not have to explain it to them.. Just say the word Normandy Beach and talk to one of those veterans.  They encountered much fighting and lost many friends , but tread valiantly up that beach.  They know what it costs.  We do too.  Eternal life is a gift from God but the price is high.  It is the blood of Christ.  Now we are thankful for it and we live for Him because freedom is ours through Christ.

      " For the wages of sin is death...."  The word wages is actually what it says....pay.  We earn death by our sinful deeds.  That is what the end is.  We cannot change that.  It goes on.  But " the gift"  Here the word is a familiar one.  It is the word for grace.  It is charisma.  Charis is grace.  It is translated gift but it actually means free grace.  And all of us have heard of that.  We do not earn that.  We simply receive it. 

     I think of that hymn, " Marvelous grace of our loving Lord.  Grace, grace, God's grace.  The actual hymn goes like this:

   " Marvelous grace of our loving Lord,

      Grace that exceeds our sin and our guilt!

      Yonder on Calvary's mount outpoured,

      There where the blood of the Lamb was spilled."

The refrain ,"

Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that will ponder and cleanse within;

Grace, grace, God's grace,

Grace that is greater than all our sin."

The last vs is the key.  "Marvelous, infinite, matchless grace,

                                            Freely bestowed on all who believe!

                                            You that are longing to see His face,

                                            Will you this moment His grace receive?"

words Julia Johnston,1911 and music Daniel Towner, 1910.