The Glorious Grace of GodSample

The Gracious Gift of God

Scripture speaks clearly and repeatedly of eternal salvation as a free gift which is without cost to us. That does not mean it was not costly to God. 

In the Old Testament sacrificial system in Leviticus 16, the annual ritual of atonement for the sins of Israel required a sacrifice. Isaiah prophesied that One would come whose life would be an offering for our sin. John the Baptist testified that Jesus was “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) And the Apostle Peter declared it cost the Lamb of God His life to die as a propitiation, a sacrifice, for the sins of the world.

Through faith in Christ, we are born again and receive the gift of eternal life. This is the gracious gift of God. It is a free gift, but it is not cheap. It provides spiritual life to the spiritually dead. 

James, the half-brother of Jesus who was late coming to the faith and the ministry, spoke of the new birth as a gift from God: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from... the Father... He chose to give us birth through the word of truth...” (James 1:17–18). The only kind of gift that God gives comes with no strings attached and is totally fitting to the need of those who receive it. There are no exchanges needed or desired with God’s gift. By definition, a gift is free. It does not cost the recipient anything. There is nothing left for us to pay. Jesus paid it all. Our debt is cancelled (John 19:28–30, Colossians 2:13–14).

It is not surprising that the Apostle Paul called eternal salvation a gift, or a free gift, no less than nine times in his letters (see Romans 3:24, 5:15–17, 6:23; 2 Corinthians 9:15, and Ephesians 2:8). The New Testament describes the offer of eternal salvation as a free gift based upon the matchless grace of God.