“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23, ESV)
Literary editors claim that the phrase “free gift” is redundant. They say the idea of free is implicit in the definition of “gift” and so is unnecessary to mention. However, Paul would beg to differ. He wrote emphatically that the provision of eternal life in Christ Jesus is the direct result of receiving a free gift: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23, ESV).
To express this idea in Romans 6:23, Paul used the Greek word xárisma, meaning an operation of divine favor. Xárisma primarily refers to the Lord’s enabling grace. It is how He freely extends Himself into His creation because of His natural predisposition for extravagant generosity. Xárisma cannot be earned. Because of God’s xárisma, anyone can enter the realm of His reign and enjoy its benefits, not just pious people who hold to the right religion or profess correct beliefs.
Consider King Jesus’ audacious claim, “Whosoever will, may come” (John 3:16; Luke 6:47). Apparently, He thought anyone could turn from their old way of life, believe the gospel, and embrace His offer of life in His Kingdom.
This incredible invitation, however, seems to overlook one small problem.
The King is royal, while the people are commoners. The King is holy, while the people are sinners. The King is righteous, while the people are treasonous rebels. In short, the people of the world whom God loves are not just lost. They are entirely dead to Him and born under the control of His arch-enemy (Ephesians 2:1-2; Romans 5:6-10). So, if King Jesus loves these common criminals and wants them to live in His palace, how can this seemingly insurmountable problem be solved?
“So, if King Jesus loves these common criminals and wants them to live in His palace, how can this seemingly insurmountable problem be solved?”
In exploring this question, I found several places where Jesus declared to ordinary folks who weren’t even aware of the matter that their sins were forgiven (Matthew 9:2; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20; 7:48). He made these outlandish statements in either the simple present or the perfect indicative Greek tense. This means the action was completed and the outcome is still in effect. Apparently, Jesus wanted them to know that their sins (however many they may be) had already been dealt with and forgiven.
But wait a minute. . . . how could Jesus make such an audacious claim? How could Jesus claim to, of all things, forgive people’s sins?
Outrageous Grace
This statement must have sounded utterly outrageous in the ears of pious Jews who believed only God forgave sins―and only for those good Jews who fastidiously kept the letter of the Law. In making these claims, Jesus went way beyond the scope of respectable religion and brought insight into something never before understood about God’s true nature and eternal purpose.
Notice the utterly shocking statements in the following passages.
The next day he [John] saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29, NASB)
“Now all things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their wrongdoings against them…” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19a, NASB)
“My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” (1 John 2:1-2, NASB)
In the preceding verses, we see the scandalous claim that God in Christ has already taken away the sins of the world and no longer holds those sins against them. And if that wasn’t astonishing enough, His provision of reconciliation came utterly unsolicited. God’s provision for pardoning sins and His keen ability to forget them came solely at His own initiative. In fact, He set this grand plan in motion before He even created the world (Matthew 25:34; Ephesians 1:4; Hebrews 4:3; Peter 1:18-21).
“God’s provision for pardoning sins and His keen ability to forget them came solely at His own initiative.”
Ponder the implications of this present-tense reality. God is not waiting for people to realize they are sinners before He offers forgiveness. Forgiveness has already been paid for and freely offered. Through Christ alone, the one insurmountable obstacle keeping people out of the Kingdom has forever been removed.
These incredible truths were openly declared by the Hebrew prophets from long ago and serve as the foundation for the terms of the New Covenant.
“All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the LORD has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on Him. As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, for He will bear their wrongdoings. . . . Because He poured out His life unto death, and was counted with the wrongdoers; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, and interceded for the wrongdoers.” (Isaiah 53: 6, 11-12, NASB)
“Behold, days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. . . . They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will remember no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34, NASB)
“Who is a God like You, who pardons wrongdoing and passes over a rebellious act of His remnant possession? He does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in mercy. He will again take pity on us; He will trample on our wrongdoings. Yes, You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.” (Micah 7:18-19, NASB)
“Who is a God like You, who pardons wrongdoing and passes over a rebellious act of His remnant possession?”
Evidently, showing mercy and forgiving sins is one of God’s chief delights. If we had understood the significance of these Old Testament verses, we could have predicted that whoever God sent to inaugurate the New Covenant would surely mention this vital part about His unsolicited forgiveness. And in fact, this is precisely what Jesus declared when He made the astonishing statement, “Your sins are forgiven.”
But He did not just announce it―He accomplished it.
Moments before Jesus breathed His last from the cross, He cried out, “It is finished.” The apostle John remembered this statement and later recorded it in his Gospel as the single Greek word tetelestai, found in John 19:30.
Tetelestai comes from the verb teleó, meaning to consummate or finish a task. Teleó communicates the idea that a necessary process or mission is complete. However, the term was also used to indicate that a financial debt had been fully paid. First-century Jewish and Roman merchants stamped tetelestai on their customers’ bills when they had collected all outstanding payments. It meant “Paid in Full.”
As Jesus gave up His spirit unto death, God reached out His hand and stamped “Paid in Full” across the top of humanity’s sin debt. This use of tetelestai conveys the significance and necessity of Jesus’ death and resurrection. His finished sacrifice is the means through which God could freely justify guilty sinners and reconcile all His enemies. Through the cross, God accomplished everything necessary to complete redemption and satisfy His holy requirements.
“As Jesus gave up His spirit unto death, God reached out His hand and stamped ‘Paid in Full’ across the top of humanity’s sin debt.”
Paul confirmed this truth in Romans 5:8-9 (NASB): “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.” In 2 Corinthians 5:21, Paul wrote, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”
In an unexpected and stunning move of pure grace, God made His righteousness available to ordinary sinners as a—wait for it—free gift (Romans 5:17).
This divine exchange program is entirely His operation. In Christ alone, God has done the whole job of reconciling people to Himself once and for all (John 19:28-30; Romans 6:12; 2 Corinthians 5:18-19; Hebrews 9:11-12; 1 John 2:2). Through the gospel, God is doing nothing less than forgiving every sinner and offering full amnesty to all His enemies.
This priceless gift is offered freely (xárisma), but like any legitimate amnesty campaign, He requires all to not just believe in the program but lay down their arms and swear allegiance to His throne.
Grace and Works
This last point is crucial because many sincere Christians are confused about where they stand concerning God’s forgiveness and their daily life. I struggled with this reality until I realized that God’s free grace and my voluntary surrender were not opposing or conflicting aspects of my salvation. Paul taught us that we are saved “by grace through faith” (Romans 5:2, Ephesians 2:8). Grace refers to God’s part, and faith refers to our part. Most Protestants celebrate this truth but, sadly, misunderstand its meaning.
This faith Paul talked about doesn’t suggest mere mental agreement with abstract spiritual facts. We don’t enter the Kingdom simply by what we believe conceptually but by what Lord we’re aligned with. To make this point, the Greek word Paul used for “faith” in these verses is pistis and, in addition to belief and trust, also conveys the idea of faithfulness, fidelity, or allegiance. It is a relational term and refers to a mutual pledge of trust that holds two people or parties together.
Thus, Paul meant that we are saved―we receive God’s forgiveness and free gift of righteousness―by His unfathomable grace through the agency of our willing allegiance to Him. It’s not grace alone or faith alone. It’s both working together to accomplish an altogether supernatural salvation that is infinitely beyond the reach of human effort. Jesus set the same terms when He preached His euaggélion. He said, “The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe [pisteuó, the verb form of pistis; entrust yourself to] in the gospel” (Mark 1:15, NASB).
“It’s not grace alone or faith alone. It’s both working together to accomplish an altogether supernatural salvation that is infinitely beyond the reach of human effort.”
Christ offered the good news of the Kingdom without cost but plainly called His followers to a life of faithfulness to His Word (Matthew 7:21, John 14:15). The apostles did the same (Romans 6:16-18, James 2:17-26, 1 Peter 1:1-2). Jesus, the Messiah, is a King. And just like any self-respecting king, He expected His follower’s unswerving loyalty. This allegiance flowed from the awareness that God had, through Christ, rescued them from death and transferred them into His royal family purely by His grace through no effort of their own.
We must be absolutely clear that no one can earn God’s forgiveness through their obedience. Rather, we surrender to the King as a response to His provision of free grace―the evidence of His rich and unfathomable generosity. Obedience is the voluntary response to grace, not grace as a reward for obedience.
Empowering Grace
But there’s more.
This grace we are considering does infinitely more than pay the penalty for our sins. It also empowers us to live in harmony and obedience to God’s perfect and pleasing will. Paul testified, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10, NASB). Paul was keenly aware that the tangible effect of grace on his life gave him the desire and energy to continue faithfully serving the Lord.
Paul wrote to Titus, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and in a godly manner in the present age” (Titus 2:11-12, NASB). Here, we see that grace not only brings salvation but also teaches and trains us how to live. The word “instruct” in verse 12 is paideúō in Greek and means to train or discipline a child. Paul said it is God’s free grace, not religious rules, that trains us and gives us the desire, energy, and ability to walk daily in the ways Jesus taught.
Of course, no one can fully obey God all the time, regardless of how much grace they have. As James wrote, “We all stumble in many ways . . .” (James 3:2, NASB). Allegiance doesn’t mean perfect obedience. But it does mean a conscious intention to honor God’s holy word and consistently live by it in the fear of the Lord. This is how we can openly profess, “Jesus, I love you,” through our daily choices and authentic lifestyle (John 14:21).
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age.”
Personal Reflection
Religious fundamentalism demands commitment to an organization or a cause. Legalism requires obedience to rules and principles. But Jesus did not bring a new cause or ideology. He certainly didn’t bring a new set of religious laws. Instead, He brought God’s kingly reign to earth. And living by His empowering grace under His reign is the only way to experience the glorious, abundant life He promised. When we realize that Jesus has already done the heavy lifting, we can rest from trying to earn forgiveness from our works and receive the benefits of His.
Jesus offered “whosoever wants to come” the promise of eternal life and the prospects of a solid spiritual foundation. And that invitation certainly includes you. Yet, even though He provided eternal life as a gift, He also called all His followers into daily discipline under His loving leadership. Receiving eternal life by faith and living by that grace-inspired life now are inseparable realities.
So, if you have been struggling with the demands of living a Christian life, then Jesus has good news for you. Christ Jesus paid the penalty for your sins once and for all, and offers you His gift of eternal life and a free pass to God’s benevolent Kingdom now and forever. This free grace not only qualifies you as His beloved child but empowers your willing allegiance to honor Him openly as Lord.
“This free grace not only qualifies you as His beloved child but empowers your willing allegiance to honor Him openly as Lord.”
This arrangement is truly God’s masterstroke of genius.
So, maybe it is your turn to examine your spiritual beliefs and contemplate what this free grace has accomplished for you. Your response is the only thing standing between you and a vibrant, grace-empowered life with great rewards―both here and in the age to come.
