Salvation – A bargain or a blessing?

 

Churches over the centuries have been telling everyone, and rightly so, that salvation is free gift of God. But over the last 30 years the word “Free” has been used to the extent that it has no value. There is little perception in society today that while something may be free to you… there is an expense or value to that gift.

Years ago when people heard the word free they understood that while it was free to them, someone still had to pay the price. Even in the world of retail when a company offered a free toaster with purchase of a refrigerator; there was a perceived value of that toaster. Recently that perception has changed to where free isn’t motivating anymore because the value of free has been de-valued. Take the recent Free Government phone program; the taxpayers shelled out billions to a program that gave phones to those who needed it and couldn’t afford one otherwise, however through corruption and greed they gave out phones to anyone regardless of station. When interviewed about where the money came from to pay for these phones the public was oblivious to the fact that others paid the bill for their “free” phones; they simply believed that free meant nobody paid for it.

In this day where the word Free is so loosely used I think that salvation through Christ has lost some of its perceived value. People gladly tell of the Free gift that Christ gave but often leave out that Christ Himself paid the price for that gift with His very life. By having this shallow view of the value/cost of salvation many squander their Christian lives because that free gift… holds no true value to them.

Jesus provided a gift that has had a price. That price was death.

Romans 6:23a For the wages of sin is death…

We are bought with a price. Jesus paid that price

1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Jesus freely chose to pay for our sin

John 10:17 Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.
[18] No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

Jesus then presented it to us as a gift

Romans 6:23b …but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

This gift, like any other gift, must be received.

1 John 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
You see, we can’t afford Heaven, we can’t work our way to heaven… it was a price we could not afford. But Jesus chose to pay that price for us…

Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

You see we often lose sight that the free gift that Jesus offers… COST Him his very life. He suffered and died to pay for our sins.

How much is your salvation worth to you… did you receive the gift and perceive its value? Have you squandered the gift because it meant nothing to you?

Or better that we realize the true cost of that gift.. That Christ paid a price we could never pay… and in doing so Gave us the gift of eternal life to all who would receive it.