Second, the cross shows the primacy of grace and of faith. As a Pharisee, Paul thought of the primacy of the Law. Faithfulness to the Law would bring the Jews to right relationship with God. Then Paul meets Jesus, now in glory, but who died on the cross—“for all.” This transcending price of the blood of the Son of God could not be a “prize” for a good that one can achieve by one’s power. It can only be given as a pure gift of grace, a grace mercifully predisposed by God “because of the great love he had for us” (Eph 2:4).
If grace is a free gift, then it is for everybody, not just for the Jews. Jews and Greeks are alike since they are under the dominion of sin. The light of the gospel now cancels the distinction because it declares each and everyone a sinner. But then God declares everyone a sinner to save all, encompassing everyone under the mantle of Christ’s universal salvation.
