Roman Road #3: The Free Gift
You’re doing awesome on your journey through the “Roman Road”! We’ve already faced some tough truths about sin and its consequences. But now, get ready for the most incredible news!
Key Verse: Romans 6:23(b)
“…but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Key Thought: Because of what Jesus, God’s only begotten Son, accomplished by His death, burial, and resurrection, God now offers the free gift of eternal life.
The second part of Romans 6:23 kicks off with a tiny, three-letter word that turns out to be the most powerful “conjunction” in the entire Bible: “BUT!”
What a fantastic turnaround! It’s like going from pitch black to brilliant sunshine, or from night to day!
Let’s look at the full verse again:
Romans 6:23 (NASB): “For the wages of sin is death, but the FREE gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.“
See how that word “free” pops out in the New American Standard Bible? That highlights an incredible truth: eternal life can NEVER be bought! You can’t earn it, and you can’t pay for it, no matter how much money you have or how “good” you try to be.
Jesus Paid It All!
Because of what Jesus, God’s only Son, did for us—His death, burial, and resurrection—God now offers us the free gift of eternal life. Check out these powerful verses:
Romans 5:6-8
For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Think about that! While we were messed up, making mistakes, and totally against God, Christ died for us. That’s truly mind-blowing love!
The angel Gabriel told Joseph that the Son of God would be named Jesus, which means “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29). On the Cross, the sins of the entire world were piled onto Jesus. He took the full punishment in His body on that Cross—not just the punishment for one or two people, but for the whole world! In fact, the Bible says Jesus literally became sin in our place:
2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
He became a curse on the Cross so that God’s amazing blessings could finally be available to all people:
Galatians 3:13
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).
No Other Way to Save Mankind
Before He went to the Cross, Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, and He prayed intensely, asking His Heavenly Father if there was any other way to save humanity. The thought of being separated from His Father—something that had never happened in all of eternity—was crushing Him. See how much agony our Savior went through:
Luke 22:42-44
Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”
Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him. And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly.
Then His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
Surely, seeing such agony, any earthly father’s heart would be changed to give their son what he wanted.
Perhaps no other passage in the Bible shows just how serious our sin problem really is. If God the Father could have found another way to offer forgiveness, He would have. But the Father remained silent. There simply was no other way to save humanity.
BUT God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son!
Heaven Isn’t for “Good” People
As we discussed in Step #1 of the Roman Road, attempting to reach Heaven by being “good enough” creates numerous problems and unfairness. But there’s an even bigger issue.
Think about this: Saying that someone can be “good enough” to get to Heaven is basically saying that the incredibly high price Jesus Christ paid on the Cross was pointless. It means we could get to Heaven without Him!
What a massive insult that is to both God the Father and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ!
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Jesus actually said the exact opposite of what the “be good” crowd believed. In Jesus’ time, the Pharisees, priests, and scribes were the “experts” at appearing good. That was their main job—trying to look righteous in front of everyone else! Yet, Jesus told them this:
Matthew 21:31
Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you."
Back then, tax collectors and prostitutes were considered the absolute worst sinners. So, how could Jesus say they would enter Heaven before the “religious experts”?
On another occasion, those same religious leaders confronted Jesus. They brought a woman caught in adultery and wanted to know what He thought about stoning her, as their Law said to do. Jesus made a simple, powerful comment:
John 8:7
He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.
Not a single one of those supposedly “righteous” people stayed standing! When everyone else had left, Jesus told the woman caught in adultery:
John 8:10-11
When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?”
She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”
Clearly, the Bible doesn’t say that good people go to Heaven. What we see Jesus doing is telling sinners that they are forgiven. So, what’s the real message here?
Let’s get this truth deep down into our hearts and minds:
It is NOT “good” people, but “forgiven” people that go to Heaven.
When Jesus was still on the Cross, He didn’t pray that His Father would help the people be better. Instead, this is how He prayed:
Luke 23:34
Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.
Look at this again, because it’s that important:
It is NOT “good” people, but “forgiven” people that go to Heaven.
Reading a bit further in Luke’s account of the crucifixion scene, we find a passage that completely undermines the “good-people-go-to-heaven” idea. There were two criminals sentenced to death, right there with Jesus, for their evil acts. One of them actually added to his wickedness by mocking Jesus. But the other criminal scolded him and made an amazing statement:
Luke 23:40-41
Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?
And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.
The very next two verses prove this point beyond a shadow of a doubt:
Luke 23:42-43
Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.”
And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
This criminal knew his wicked actions put him on that cross. He deserved to die. BUT, he turned to Jesus in complete surrender and full-hearted trust (he had nothing else to trust in) and he simply said, “Remember me.”
If good deeds were enough to get us into Heaven, then this man had no hope whatsoever. Making resolutions to be a better person, to quit his bad habits, and to do lots of good deeds from that day forward—well, that definitely wouldn’t work for him. His time was up.
Yet, what this criminal expressed was exactly what Jesus was looking for! And without any hesitation, Jesus immediately responded:
Luke 23:43
Today, you will be with Me in Paradise!
Christianity isn’t about “D-O.” It’s about “D-O-N-E!” JESUS DID IT! He paid the price for our sins. He paid the debt that none of us could ever pay!
The Titanic and the Two-Column Roster
Here’s a famous story that illustrates what we’re talking about:
There was a horrible maritime disaster on April 14, 1912. The magnificent Titanic, thought to be unsinkable, hit an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland. There were around 2,200 people on board, and over 1,500 tragically died. Passengers in first class paid $4,000 (which would be about $50,000 in today’s money!), while third-class passengers paid $40 (around $500 today).
When the news reached New York City, they started keeping a roster of the people on board. That list had only two columns to categorize the names:
“Column 1: Saved” “Column 2: Lost”
It’s fascinating that nothing was mentioned about how much a passenger paid for their ticket or which class they were traveling in. At that moment of crisis, those things did not matter at all.
In the same way, Heaven maintains a two-column roster that’s quite simple: those who will spend eternity in Heaven and those who will spend eternity in Hell. And the headings are:
“Column 1: Forgiven” “Column 2: Lost”
In other words, it’s totally possible to go to Hell riding in first class! At the final tally, the first-class passengers were just as “lost” as those who paid the minimum fare if they didn’t make it to a lifeboat.
Let’s say it again, because this is the core message:
It is NOT “good” people, but “forgiven” people that go to Heaven.
The last book of the Bible, Revelation, explains this same truth by showing what will happen before the Great White Throne of God, where the final judgment takes place:
Revelation 20:15
And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.
Those who come to Christ Jesus receive the Free Gift of Eternal Life because they have received complete and total forgiveness!
One more time, just to make sure it sticks:
It is NOT “good” people, but “forgiven” people that go to Heaven.
One Cure for All
Romans chapter three puts ALL of us in the same boat so that “every mouth may be stopped, and ALL the world may become guilty before God” (Romans 3:19). Because ALL are guilty, there is ONE CURE for ALL. This is why the Bible repeats multiple times that what Jesus did was “ONCE FOR ALL”—a complete, final, never-needs-repeating act!
Romans 6:10
For the death that He died, He died to sin ONCE FOR ALL; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
Hebrews 7:27
Who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people’s, for this He did ONCE FOR ALL when He offered up Himself.
Hebrews 9:12
Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place ONCE FOR ALL, having obtained eternal redemption.
Hebrews 10:10
By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ ONCE FOR ALL.
Hebrews 9:27-28
And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered ONCE to bear the sins of many.
“BUT” – A Huge Little Word!
Yes, that little conjunction, “BUT,” is a truly huge word in Romans 6:23b! Without a doubt, it’s literally the biggest turnaround in all of human history!
Jesus Christ paid off our full debt of sin so that we can be completely forgiven, and complete forgiveness is a FREE GIFT from God!
Romans 6:23b: “…BUT the FREE GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord!“
