Romans 4:13-17

“For this reason it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his descendants…” vs. 16a

It was obvious to Paul that the covenant that the Lord had made with Abraham and Sarah did not rest upon obedience to the Law. How could it? Moses hadn’t shown up until 800 years later. No, the whole promise rested on grace, and there were no restrictions on who could receive it. Anyone who trusted in the promise was a descendent of Abraham and Sarah, and that could include anyone. There’s a risk associated with making grace the basis for our relationship with God. Because we are broken humans, we love a bargain, and grace doesn’t have much power when we shop for it at garage sales. That kind of cheapening of God’s most precious gift has been our bane forever. Cheap grace empties congregations and shuts the door on the cleansing and restorative power of the Holy Spirit. We remain in our sinful ways, oblivious to how wonderful life can actually be. Paul battled that attitude through his entire ministry but he never backed down on his grace-filled message. For him turning back to the Law would have negated the power of the cross, and there was no way he would let that happen. And because of his stubbornness we too can know the beauty of a power-laden, graceful life!

Thought for the Day: What is cheap grace?