For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Romans 3:23-24 KJV
This is just a good example of the amazing contrast you find in Jesus Christ. Two consecutive sentences in the bible: one speaks to the very inevitable judgment that is linked to sin, and the other speaks to the very inevitable grace the death and resurrection of Jesus has brought to all who come under its cover. The first part does not give me a choice; the simple fact that I was born into the world brings me under the shadow of condemnation that sin gives. Now, the second part of what you have read above is the offer; it is my response to the offer that will define the rest of my life. One leaves me no choice; one gives me a choice. Both have eternal consequences, so it will be very important that I pause and consider all that is laid before me so I can make the right choice.
Sin makes no distinction between race, colour, creed or language. It is the foundation of all men born of women after the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. There is no one left out; all have sinned. The best of men is a sinner first, then saved by grace. It had nothing to do with the circumstances of birth or the circle of influence. Nothing in me could stop that which sin had birthed, which is death. I could not save myself from the consequences of my own actions. I could not do anything about the direction my life was headed. Even though I knew death was the end of the natural man who dies without Christ, I could not save myself. In stepped Jesus, in whom true life is found and by whom true life is sealed.
The same brush that sin applied to all men is the same brush that grace applied to all men. Just as death came in through one man, Adam, so does life come in through one man, Jesus. Just as death is the natural consequence of submitting to sin, so is eternal life the natural consequence of submitting to God's grace. This is the clincher: the conclusions of both sin and grace were established by God. His rules are such that they cannot be bent for anyone, no matter how special you may think you are. Whichever one I submit to becomes the operating system over my life, directing its affairs and leading me into eternity.
So, I have the clear offer today: condemnation or justification. Both are free to me, as I qualify for one simply by natural birth and the other by spiritual birth. I am not asked to bring a price for either, but there is a price and prize connected to the one I am found in when the end of my natural life comes. The emphasis on the free grace of Christ is important here: sin is actually not free. There is a huge price attached to it, as it can cost you all that you have now, as well as eternal life with God. What does it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet loses his own soul? It may look free now, as it demands nothing from me, but on the long run, it is a trap that can lead to eternal damnation.
So, I am encouraged to weigh my options and choose right. I have all that I need to make the right choice: I am alive and can read this. The exercise of a man's free will is God's best gift to a man. No other man or person can give you that which is promised here. Man needs help, and only Jesus can provide the right kind of help that man needs. The invitation still stands; it remains in place only as long as the natural life remains. When the owner of life comes calling for it, then it is too late to change. May I not wait until it is too late before I embrace the gift of life that has been freely given to me. His time of favour is here.
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