Salvation is free.
Free, but not cheap!
Your salvation is a gift freely
given and received from God, but it is not cheap. It
is the most expensive gift you will ever receive.
God comes and offers us free
salvation. But He does not change His standard. He
remains a righteous and holy God.
How could it be possible that
Jesus Christ could die as a substitute for my
penalty as a sinner? It is because He is the
infinite God, not a sinful man that He could die for
an infinite number of sinners. Because He is God He
could pay the eternal punishment for all of our
sins.
Second Corinthians 5:21 tells
us it was not enough that He should only die and pay
the penalty of our sins, but that His perfect
righteousness would be counted in God's eyes as our
righteousness. All of the pure righteousness of
Jesus Christ is now available through Him to the
believing sinner.
Based upon the sacrificial
death of Jesus Christ, God can now come and offer
the great invitation to all sinners to come and join
Him in heaven.
How do I know that this is
absolute truth? Look at the empty tomb! Christ is
alive! The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the proof
that God is eternally satisfied with the sacrifice
of His Son on the cross.
Now you and I can take the
righteousness of God and go boldly or trembling to
the scales of justice and put it over against all
the perfection God has demanded and that He must
demand. The balance is immediately made. The
Christian believer stands before God justified. God
can never have anything against you and me forever.
You are justified when you
trust in that perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ,
rather than in your own self-righteousness (2 Cor.
5:21). You will never be justified in the eyes of
God if you cling to your own good works.
We can sing with great profound
theology: "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy
cross I cling." We are justified by faith alone,
through grace alone, in Jesus Christ alone.
However, we are not justified
by a faith that is alone. Therefore, if you really
go to that cross, believing in the saving work of
Christ, you will be abounding in the works of the
Lord.
If our salvation is received as
a free gift someone had to pay for it. Since you and
I did not, who did?
The apostle Paul tells us that
Jesus Christ redeemed us, not with perishable things
like silver and gold, but “with precious blood, as
of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of
Christ” (1 Pet. 1:19).
Our salvation is an expensive
gift which we do not deserve and cannot merit! We
were “redeemed” meaning to release, to purchase a
release by a ransom, to deliver by the payment of a
price. Our spiritual freedom was purchased with the
great payment of the blood of Jesus Christ. Thus,
the grace that saves us is not cheap.
The blood of Jesus is
“precious.” It is of great value, precious to God.
The most precious thing to God is the blood of His
Son Jesus.
Therefore, how precious you and
I are to Him!
Selah!
Message by Wil Pounds (c) 2006
Anyone is free to use this material and distribute it, but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's written consent.
Unless otherwise noted "Scripture quotations taken from the NASB."
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE" © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible copyright ©1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://www.bible.org/. All rights reserved.
Wil is a graduate of William Carey University, B. A.; New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Th. M.; and Azusa Pacific University, M. A. He has pastored in Panama, Ecuador and the U. S, and served for over 20 years as missionary in Ecuador and Honduras. He had a daily expository Bible teaching ministry head in over 100 countries from 1972-2005. He continues to seek opportunities to be personally involved in world missions. Wil and his wife Ann have three grown daughters. He currently serves as a Baptist pastor and teaches seminary extension courses in Ecuador.
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