By Pastor Ken Lawson
Years ago, the story was told of a service man who, being
stationed in a foreign land, fell in love with a beautiful girl.
After a brief romance, he was transferred to another country but
promised to return the next year. Throughout his absence he took
out a substantial portion of his paycheck each month to purchase a
gift which would be a worthy token of his love.
When the day finally came when they were united again, he removed
a box from his coat and presented her with the most beautiful
jewel she had ever seen. A troubled expression came over her face
and she began digging through her purse. "What are you doing,
dear?" he asked. "Oh honey, that is a very expensive gift and I
think I should help pay for it." Shocked and hurt, he stood there
speechless, not knowing what to say. She had missed the whole
point. He didn't want her money, he wanted her!
Like the foolish young girl in our illustration, many people today
have a distorted view of God's free gift of eternal life. Rather
than receiving it by faith alone, they insist on helping pay for
it. As a result they insult the grace of God and dishonor the
blood of the cross. Any attempt to add human works to God's plan
of salvation only mars it, so that it loses the character of a
free gift and is rendered void. While some may even acknowledge
the fact that Christ died for our sins and rose again, they
maintain that it is still necessary to do their part to complete
God's plan of redemption. All the while being ignorant of the fact
that our Lord Jesus cried from the cross, "It is finished!" There
on that cruel tree God the Father was making our Savior's soul an
offering for sin-yours and mine!
God's holiness was so thoroughly satisfied with our Lord's
substitutionary death, for us, that He proved it by raising Him
from the dead, in power and great glory. This is our "canceled
check" verifying that the sin debt has been fully paid. Our
responsibility is to honor God by receiving the free gift.
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." (Acts
16:31) The writer of Hebrews understood something about this
finished transaction when he wrote, "For by one offering he hath
perfected forever them that are sanctified." (Hebrews 10:14)
The ways people say we are to help pay for our salvation are many
and varied: obey the commandments, follow the Golden Rule and the
Sermon on the Mount, give money to the church, be baptized and
partake in church sacraments, etc. But God says, "Not by works of
righteousness which we have done but according to His mercy He
saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy
Ghost." (Titus 3:5) "For by grace are ye saved through faith: and
that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest
any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8, 9) "Therefore, we conclude
that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law."
(Romans 3:28)
Grace means that God delights to grant us special favor apart from
personal merit or worthiness. That is why salvation and eternal
life are so often spoken of as a gift in God's Word. No loving
parent would expect their child to earn or pay for their birthday
presents.
But why can't I get to heaven by living a good life? Why does my
acceptance with God hinge on my faith in Christ's shed blood only?
First of all, you are making an assumption that it is possible to
live a good life. Our minds need to be reeducated concerning the
holiness of God and the sinfulness of man. The problem is our
perspective. When we talk about living a good life, we are
thinking in comparison to others---other sinners! Such a
comparison is unwise, for Christ is holy, harmless, undefiled, and
separate from sinners. That is why Adam and Eve were expelled from
Eden for only one sin. When compared to Christ's holiness, even
the best children of Adam have sinned and fallen short of the
glory of God. To enjoy eternal fellowship with God in heaven, we
must share in Christ's righteousness, acceptance, and life. That
is where the free gift comes in.
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