| For what the law was powerless to do … |
| —from Romans 8:3 |
One night in New Orleans, I had the privilege of eating dinner at the original Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. If you’re not familiar with this national restaurant chain, let me simply say it provides some of the best food known to humankind. The prices are not outrageous, but this is no fast food joint.
One part of this special night was the fact that the original owner and founder, the now late Ruth Fertel, was present in the restaurant and went table-to-table greeting each person eating in her restaurant. She was a somewhat diminutive woman, full of life with glorious white hair, and with a definite sparkle in her eyes. She asked us if the food we had ordered had been prepared to our liking. And, she asked if we had any suggestions to make our dining experience better.
When the bill arrived at the table, I instinctively reached for it. I was shocked at how expensive the meals were for the four of us and realized I did not have enough cash, or enough residual credit on my credit card, to cover the bill. My concern must have shown on my face because one of my fellow diners, a relatively wealthy older man, reached over and snatched the bill out of my hand. Without any comment whatsoever, he gave the waiter his American Express Centurion Card—sometimes referred to as the “Black Card,” which was reserved for only the very wealthiest members of the American Express cardholders—and acted like he had always intended to pay.
Later, when we were alone, I thanked him for his kindness.
“I knew you were in trouble,” he replied. “It was obviously a price you could not pay. I was only too glad to pay the bill in your behalf.”
So it is for those of us who call ourselves “Christ’s-ones” or Christians. The bill for our sins comes due and we simply cannot pay the price. There is absolutely nothing we can do on our own to pay the price for our sins. We have no resources to pay the penalty we owe for having inherited the sin nature of Adam and having compounded that inheritance by constantly sinning of our own accord.
In writing to the Christians meeting in house churches in Rome, the Apostle Paul expressed this realty using these words found in Romans 8:3-4:
For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.
As we begin a new day, let’s rejoice that Christ has paid the price for our sins. Let’s praise and thank Him for this great gift of salvation. And, let’s joyfully and tenderly and gently share with others what this great gift means to us and how it has affected our lives.
