The High Cost of a Free Gift

In Romans 5:15-18: Paul speaks of justification, righteousness, and life “as a free gift” and “the gift of grace” and declares that, “while the wages of sin is death… the gift of God is age upon age lasting life through Jesus the Messiah our lord. Salvation is offered as God’s free gift to men/women and it must be so received.

Salvation is God’s gift to undeserving men/women. We have but to ask in order to receive. “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that says to you, give me to drink,” said Jesus to the woman of Sychar, “You would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water” (John 4:10).

The last invitation in the Bible is the risen Savior’s gracious appeal, “Let him that is thirsty come. And whomsoever will, let him take of the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).

The water of life may be had for the taking. What great news for the helpless sinners!

Does salvation, then, cost nothing?

It cost Yehovah God the sacrifice of His uniquely begotten son , in whom He was well pleased, on a tree where there was “laid on him the iniquity of us all,” that he who was without sin might be made, “sin for us who knew no sin, that we might become the righteousness of God in him…. the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God – Yehovah”.

It cost the lord Jesus his life when he willingly allowed himself to be crucified in order to reconcile all mankind to his God and his Father. Jesus did so by willingly becoming a sin-offering sacrifice for all humanity.

Not all the angel in the heavens can declare the cost of the glorious salvation – deliverance which God in His amazing grace offers as His free gift to undeserving sinners.

Notice that thought salvation is God’s gracious gift to those who are poor in spirit, the acceptance of the gift, like its provision, it is costly.

It costs the renunciation of self which Paul expresses as, “I am crucified with the Messiah….. to me to live is the Messiah…. What things were gain to me, those I counted as loss for the Messiah. Indeed, I do count all things as loss for the priceless privilege of knowing the Messiah Jesus my lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them as garbage, that I may gain the Messiah and be found in him….”

One cannot accept the Messiah and his salvation on anything less than a complete and total surrender of one’s self to him!

No man/woman can accept Jesus as his/her savior without accepting him as the lord of his/her life.

Jesus warned his hearers that the cost of discipleship is costly. Notice what is recorded in Luke 14:25-35: “There were great multitudes with him; and he turned and said unto them, “If any man comes to me and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple. And whosoever does not bear his cross and come after me cannot be my disciple” (vv. 25-27). Count the cost says Jesus and be sure you can finish (vv. 28-30). Salt is good only as it retains its savor (vv. 34-35).

The price of discipleship is high. “What King,” asks Jesus, “going to make war with another king does not sit down first and consult whether he is able with ten thousand met him who is coming at him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an messenger and desires conditions of peace” (vv. 31-32). The “condition of peace” granted by the king to a lesser king who dared not meet him in battle is total submission. The lesser king becomes his vassal, paying tribute, with himself and all his possessions subject to the command of his lord. “So, likewise,” says Jesus, “whosoever he/she be that does not forsake all that he/she has cannot be my disciple” (v. 33).

The lordship of Jesus over self, life, and possessions must be acknowledged if we are to know him as Savior. All must be surrendered to him who gave his all for us. He who said, “Come unto me all you that labor and are heavy laden,” said also, “Take my yoke upon you.” We cannot find rest for ourselves in him unless we take his yoke upon us. “Whosoever falls on this stone,” said Jesus, “shall be broken” (Matthew 21:44). Casting ourselves on the rock of our salvation involves a painful breaking of self. But the alternative is fearful: “On whosoever it fall, it will grind him to powder.” We must fall and be broken, or be fallen upon and be forever crushed, ground to powder.

Jesus commissioned his disciples to preach “repentance and remission of sins in his name” (Luke 24:47). There is no remission without repentance. And repentance involves the whole of life. It is concerned not only with the sorrow of the past but even more with our intention for the future. It involves the abandonment of our self-centered way of living to become God-centered in obedience and fellowship with Him and His beloved son Jesus.

We cannot accept Jesus the Messiah apart from a complete definite change of mind, heart, and will which involves the whole of our life and all our affections and intentions. There must be a full commitment and surrender to the lordship of the Messiah Jesus, a sincere acceptance of his yoke.

This means that at whatever point in life one comes to the Messiah Jesus for salvation; deliverance, the whole of life from that point onward is necessarily involved in his/her decision and must be surrendered to the lordship of the lord Jesus. There can be no reception of the Messiah Jesus as Savior apart from a full commitment of self to him. Salvation costs men nothing…. and everything!

A Messianic believer begins his new life in the Messiah Jesus as a babe. He/she needs time to mature and develop. He has much to learn in his/her new way of life. He/she lacks understanding and may stumble often, displaying spiritual immaturity in many ways. But the windows of his heart will be towards God his/her Father; and he/she will acknowledge, however imperfectly, the lordship of the Messiah Jesus over his/her heart and life.

A long lifetime will not teach us all that is involved in true discipleship. And though our devotion and obedience will be less than perfect, they must be real and sincere if Jesus is to be our personal Savior. Solemn words are the words of Jesus, “Greater love has no man that this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends; if you do whatsoever I command you” (John 15:13-14). “He that says, I know him, and keeps not his commandments,” declares John, “is a liar, and the truth is not in him” (1 John 2:4). Submission to the lordship of Jesus the Messiah is not optional to those who would know him as Savior.

It costs to follow Jesus the Messiah. “If anyone will come after me,” said Jesus, “let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whosoever will save his life will lose it, and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what will a man profit if he shall gain the whole world and lose his own life? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his life? (Matthew 16:24-26).

The gift of salvation is costly. It costs everyone who receives it the total submission of self to the rightful claims of Jesus on the lives of all who would be his forever.

Regeneration is just the beginning, now we have to go on to the renewal of ourselves which involves becoming God-centered and Christ-centered in all we do! What ever we do we should do as if we were doing it for the lord Jesus and his God and ours, his Father and ours.