The Gospel is Not a Salad Bar

My husband and I recently met some friends for lunch at a salad bar restaurant. We ate and talked, talked and ate. Before we realized it, more than five hours had passed—it’s a wonder we didn’t get kicked out! Between catching up with our friends and making several trips to the buffet, we definitely made the most of that salad bar.

The beauty of a salad bar is the freedom to pick and choose exactly what you want. If you’re like me, it’s “yes, yes, yes!” to spinach, cheese, tomatoes, and olives with ranch dressing, and a big “no, no, no!” to beets, onions, and radishes. In my world, those things have no reason to exist.

But here’s the problem: too often, we approach the gospel of Christ like a salad bar. We’ve gotten good at picking and choosing our “favorite” sins to focus on while conveniently skipping over the ones we’d rather not acknowledge.

Our “Favorite” Sins

What sins do Christians tend to spotlight? The ones that are easy to spot in others:

• Adultery
• Homosexuality
• Drinking and smoking
• Cursing
• Stealing

You can probably think of a few more.

Romans 1:29-31 offers one of the most comprehensive lists of sins in the Bible. Before I understood grace, this passage left me feeling both proud and condemned. Proud because I could look at some of the sins listed and think, “I’d NEVER do that!” But condemned because other sins on the list hit a little too close to home.

Verse 32 drove the message deeper:

“...those who practice such things are deserving of death…”

Not knowing how to reconcile this with my salvation, I did what many of us do: I ignored the sins that applied to me. But pretending they weren’t there didn’t change the truth. Guilt and condemnation ruled my life, keeping me from fully experiencing God’s love.

The Sins We Skip Over

What about the sins we prefer to overlook? These are often less visible but just as destructive:

• Pride and arrogance
• Partiality or favoritism
• Judging others
• Jealousy
• Little white lies
• Fear
• Anger

Here’s the reality: we are all sinners in desperate need of the grace Jesus freely offers.

The Purpose of the Law

When we read Romans 1:29-31 in context, it’s clear Paul is making a crucial point: every single one of us, left to our own behavior, is guilty before God.

“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)

If we think we’re impressing God by avoiding some sins while committing others, we’re fooling ourselves.

So, what’s the solution?

Grace Is the Answer

The gospel of Jesus Christ is all about grace. Because of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we can freely receive forgiveness, favor, and blessing from God—even though we don’t deserve it.

Sound too good to be true? That’s exactly what grace is: the over-the-top, too-good-to-be-true Good News of Jesus!

Living the Gospel