'...the chastening—discipline, correction—for our WELL-BEING fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.' [Isaiah 53:5]
The Hebrew word for well-being in this passage is shalowm—completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, safety, soundness (in body), health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment, peace (from war), in covenant relationship with God. [Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon]
Shalowm comes from the root word Shalam—to be in a covenant of peace, to be at peace, to make peace, to be complete, to be sound (uninjured), to make safe—to be complete, finished, whole or restored. If you know anything about Hebrew words, you know that every word comes from a small group of root words, and you can always see the meaning of that root word in the subsequent word.
What Jesus accomplished at the cross is EVERYTHING—everything you will ever need to be be whole, in every area of your life. He took the discipline, the correction, so that we could enjoy the shalowm peace—perfect wholeness.
Romans 8:1,2 puts it this way...'Therefore there is NOW no condemnation for those who are IN Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has set you FREE from the law of sin and death.'
Some call this cheap grace—the idea that we've gotten away too easily from the consequences of sin. The phrase comes originally from the book The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but is a term that has come to mean, for many Christians, that they must somehow earn their grace. Yes, Jesus paid the penalty for sin, but everything else comes by our performance.
It is akin to those old saws, 'There's no such thing as a free lunch,' or 'Nothing worthwhile is free.'
Fortunately, for us, none of that is true. Jesus paid it ALL—Romans 5:15 calls it the free gift! The gift of grace, the gift of eternal life [Romans 6:23
And it includes everything.
I just call it grace—the accomplished work of Calvary. I don't think it was cheap, not for Jesus. He was buying us back, redeeming us from the curse of the law.
Hallelujah!
