How Much More!

Romans 5: Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!

Have you seen any infomercials lately? They haven’t changed much since their invention around the same time as the wheel. “But wait, if you buy right now you get this ______ free. And for the first one hundred people who respond we will also throw in this _____ as our way of saying thanks.”

See this new cart design. If you but it today I will throw in the ox to pull it. And my servant to drive the whole thing.

What they failed to mention is that the cart was so heavy that it took an ox to pull it and as soon as you put anything in the cart, the ox refused to pull it. Thus the servant was necessary, since he knew exactly where to poke the ox to get it to move. It wasn’t such a good deal after all! Nothing has changed.

But there are a few exchanges like this are worth it. My sin for His righteousness. Now that is a good exchange.

But what would that look like if we lived that our in our own lives? What would grace sound like if we offered it to others? How could this kind of grace change the interpersonal relationships in which we thrive?

I think the largest difference would be in the way we express our apologies. An apology requires that the wronged party get a felt sense that the injurer really understands the injury inflicted. If they don’t really get what they did wrong, then the apology comes off as insincere.

An effective apology must come from a place of injury, perhaps not your own, but a full enough understanding of the other’s injury that you can place yourself in their shoes and feel their pain, the pain you inflicted. Then an apology can be heard and received. No self-justifying can be present. No excuses.

On the other side, the injured party must be willing to extend grace, give them the “how much more” of mercy, even in the absence of an effective apology. Being on the injured side of the equation, it doesn’t seem fair that grace should be extended when the apology is still lacking. But that is why it is grace. Grace is never deserved.

Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and coming return offers us a much more than grace. He did all that before we repented. He accomplished it all while we were yet sinners. The how much more of grace can be present in our lives, but it costs. Are we willing to count the cost and pay it?