Romans – A Treatise
Chapter Fifteen
THE CHALLENGE OF DIVINE GRACE
Scripture Reading: Chapter 15
The doctrinal part of the Epistle actually closes at the end of this fifteenth chapter. The great legal argument concerning the right of our God to show mercy toward Jew and Gentile is consummated with the striking words, “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.”
Perhaps this is the strangest kind of close that has ever been given to a lawyer’s brief. Paul has been on the center stage throughout the entire Epistle as lawyer for the defense. At every turn, he has upheld the court’s honor regarding the question of sin and its depredations on mankind, and on the whole creation in general; in relation to the reconciliation of the creature to his offended God, and the sovereign right of the court to issue a pardon to the criminal who stands before the court condemned. Of course, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is the central figure in this great drama, for it is He who has borne the penalty the offender is due. He has been to Calvary’s Cross, where Jehovah laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He has returned triumphant from the tomb, every last cent paid on behalf of the bankrupt criminal, and in the power of resurrection life He associates the pardoned sinner with Himself. That is what Paul entitles, at the opening of the Epistle, “The gospel of God concerning His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,” and he rests his case with these significant words, “Now the God of peace be with you all. Amen.” What a triumphant note, in spite of all the havoc which man’s rebellion and Satan’s power have wreaked on God’s fair creation.
However, God’s great hatred for sin has appeared throughout the drama, yet in the finality of it all, He is the God of peace. He is the One who, through the Cross of Christ, has effectuated reconciliation of the sinner, has brought him into His own presence in the acceptability of the Risen Christ, and in a very real sense, everyone is happy. Paul, the attorney, has won the case both for the sinner and the court. The criminal has been declared guilty, his mouth stopped, and then he has been justified by the shed blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord Himself, who has taken the place of the sinner, has paid the penalty in full in His death on the tree, and now He is risen and in this universal courtroom reappears, the radiant light of His everlasting love shining on all present. God, who sits on the bench, has been justified in everything the court has done – unequivocally justified in condemning the sinner, Jew and Gentile; justified in exacting the penalty of sin by plunging the sword of divine justice into the bosom of His beloved Son, when He allowed Him to die on the cross; justified now in taking the sinner into His favor in company with His beloved Son, raised from among the dead and seated at His own right hand. This is the drama of the Epistle to the Romans and everyone is happy.
Yet we must remember that the criminal is not just one person. The criminal is represented in all mankind, sinners who have sinned against God, whether of Jews or Gentiles. However, this happiness which reigns in the courtroom, wherein God the judge becomes the God of peace, is only enjoyed by those who truly believe; those who obey the Gospel of Christ – who have been born again. Unbelievers do not come into the wealth of blessing that has been devised by the God of all grace, because they either refuse or neglect so great salvation. This is the challenge presented to us as we come to the close of the doctrinal part of the Epistle to the Romans, and it is a challenge that must be pressed home to every human heart.
The facts are these: in this marvelous Epistle God has put into our hands a legal document of inestimable value, wherein are set forth the principles whereby God can be just and the justifier of him that believes in Jesus. They are the terms of divine justice set forth in magnificent grace. The question that must be answered by us is whether we accept these terms of grace, repent of our sins, confess our guilt before God, and are baptized for the remission of our sins, thus accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as the One who has paid the penalty of our sin – our Savior and Lord. That is the Gospel of God’s grace and it is presented to each of us by the God of peace. He is not a God who is at war with us. He is not condemning. He is not haling us into judgment at this present time. “God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself.”
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only begotten Son of God.
In Mark 16, Jesus Himself commanded that we
Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned.
These are the unequivocal statements of God’s imperishable Word, and they present a challenge to each one of us. Here’s the great question of the ages: how do we stand in relation to the verdict of this universal court?
God, the Judge, has become the God of peace, and because of the perfect, finished work of His beloved Son on Calvary’s tree, He is offering on a golden platter of divine grace a full pardon for all our offenses. Do we accept this pardon, or are we seeking to work out our own salvation, hoping to find an entrance to heaven some other way except by free grace? This Epistle clearly tells us, “to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” God is offering us a righteousness not our own. He who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. This is the righteousness which is offered us as the best robe was offered to the returning prodigal when his Father found him. Have we allowed the servant to put it on us? Have we allowed the Holy Spirit to dress us in that beauteous robe of righteousness? If not, God’s offer is still toward us, and we may receive it by simple, obedient faith. In our treatise on the first few verses of Romans 6 we learned about being raised from baptism to walk in newness of life. Once we have been born again, and continue to believe with a contrite heart, our salvation is sure and eternal, because it does not depend on us. It depends on the finished work of Christ. No one can pluck you out of the hand of the One who is the Good Shepherd according to His promise.
On the other hand, if we do not accept the verdict of the court regarding our guilt as unworthy sinners, then a time will eventually come when we will once again be before the court, not in divine grace as seen in the Epistle to the Romans, but as the Great White Throne. The heavens and earth will flee away from the face of the Judge, and all unbelievers will be mustered together. The books will be opened, and according to the closing chapter of the Book of Revelation, all whose names are not found written in the Book of Life will be cast into the lake of fire. The time is now to appoint the Lord Jesus as Lord and Savior.
