Grace is scandalous. It breaks all the rules of what most assume to be proper. With the lips, religion may confess that grace is unmerited favor, yet in the heart of religion, grace is something that must be obtained by good decisions, moral uprightness, and a proper measure of obedience—and then maintained by the same, lest it be lost. The gospel knows nothing of this kind of “grace,” for in truth, it is no grace at all.
One of the clearest pictures of the gospel in Scripture is found in the account of Barabbas. Barabbas was not falsely accused; he was undeniably guilty of his crimes. He was a violent man, a robber, and one who deserved punishment. Jesus, on the other hand, was innocent—without sin, without crime, without guilt—yet He was condemned while the guilty man walked away free. This was no accident of history, but a divinely ordained display of the true gospel.
Barabbas represents fallen humanity: guilty, broken, and deserving of judgment. Jesus is God Himself taking our place. When Pilate asked the crowd whom he should release, they chose one of their own. The guilty was set free while the God-Man took his place. Jesus did not object to the exchange, for this is precisely why He came. He shall save His people.
Because of the substitutionary and finished work of Christ on behalf of the guilty, His people walk away forgiven, righteous, and free. All who rest in the Savior are comforted, for there is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Jesus did not partially take our place, leaving us to earn the remainder by our behavior. We are perfect in the sight of God solely on the basis of Christ’s obedience. Nothing is left undone—only rest in the Savior remains.
Grace is scandalous. Grace was finished at the cross. And we walk away free, eternally secure. This freedom is not temporary, nor is it fragile. The exchange is complete, and the love of God for His people is the final word.
Soli Deo Gloria
Greg Flannery is a Bible Teacher at Redeemer Church of Piketon, Ohio.
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