What is the relationship between sin and the believer? If we have turned from our sins and trusted in Christ for salvation, do we continue to sin? Paul has taught us in Romans that we are saved by God’s grace. Our sin is great, but His grace is greater. He has secured our forgiveness through the work of Christ and granted us grace through faith. Yet, if God is gracious toward us through Christ then surely it does not matter how we live? In fact, shouldn’t we keep sinning and receiving forgiveness to magnify the grace of God (as even some have taught)?
No man is an island. These are familiar words to us. They come from a quote by John Donne: “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; is tolls for thee.” 1 Even though we like to develop all sorts of categories for mankind (black, white, rich, poor, good, bad, wise, foolish, etc.), the truth is that we are not all that different from anybody or everybody else. We are connected by our humanity. We are all sons and daughters of Adam. And as his children, we all have the same fundamental problem: sin and death. There has never been a human, save One, who has not had these problems (although even the One faced death). We all have a common enemy, a common deficiency, a common plague. This is who we are in Adam.
The heart of the Protestant Reformation was justification by faith. There were other important doctrinal issues to be sure (Scripture alone, grace alone) but the real difference between the Roman Catholic scholars and the reformers was justification by faith alone. They had different answers to the all important question: how can a man be saved? Calvin called justification: “The first and keenest subject of controversy between us (referring to his Catholic opponents).”1 Luther concluded: “It is the belief on which the church stands or falls.”2 Justification by faith was no small matter for these men (and the majority of the reformers). They were willing to stake their lives on its importance. In a few years (2017) we will celebrate the 500th anniversary of their labors. And in those five hundred years, the doctrine of justification by faith alone is still as important, still as significant, still worth staking our lives on.
Our passage this morning answers what I believe to be the question of the bible: how can a holy God love and redeem sinful men? Paul answers this question for us in just a few short verses, one paragraph. In light of this, it is hard to overstate the importance of the passage. Luther called it “the chief point…of the whole Bible.” 1 Likewise, Leon Morris said that it is “possibly the most important single paragraph ever written.” 2 So then, I hope you understand why I have encouraged us to memorize it and why I want to spend our time together this morning contemplating it. It is surely worthy of out time and attention (as is all of the bible).
Many people believe that we are all born ‘blank slates.’ Philosophers use the Latin phrase ‘tabula rasa’ to refer to the idea that when we are born we are neither good nor bad, we just are. People may not know all the terminology, but many believe that human nature is at least neutral, if not actually good. They would recognize that none of us are perfect, but they would still argue that we are, for the most part, pretty good. These are popular ideas concerning human nature.
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