A FREE LUNCH?

Clichés are a problem. Take this one, for instance: "There is no such thing as a free lunch." This sentiment is heard frequently, particularly at election time when politicians promise the earth without elaborating the cost. But it is not true that nobody gets a free lunch. Clearly some fortunate people do. But it is also true that somebody somewhere picks up the tab. In the interest of accuracy, we should really say, "While some people get a free lunch, somebody has paid for it."…

"How does a person get right with God?" A commonly heard answer to this is, "By doing enough good to outweigh the bad he's done." Should we then respond, "But the Bible says, 'The free gift of God is eternal life'" (Romans 6:23), the answer will not infrequently be, "There's no such thing as a free lunch!" Many people unfortunately base their theology on this cliché.

…To us -- salvation is free. But is there such a thing as free salvation? Certainly, provided we understand that Someone has paid the price. Christ did that. "When He was hung on the cross, He took upon Himself the curse for our wrongdoing" (Galatians 3:13). So we enjoy the benefits of salvation freely, by faith (3:14). Some people enjoy a free lunch because someone else paid. And heaven will be full of people who enjoy a free salvation because Jesus paid! And what a price.

-- Stuart Briscoe in “Daily Study Bible for Men” 

#5938

THE INDWELLING SPIRIT

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”  (Romans 8:1-2 NIV)

At the moment you placed your faith in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, a life of obedience to God became an expected reality. The Holy Spirit set you free from sin and death, and He came to live within you. The Holy Spirit enables you to live consistently with Jesus’ values.

John R. W. Stott noted, “It is thus through His atoning death that the penalty of our sins may be forgiven; whereas it is through His indwelling Spirit that the power of our sins may be broken.” 

-- from “Growing Strong in God’s Family: A Course in Personal Discipleship to Strengthen Your Walk with God” 

#4866

THE REMEDY FOR SIN

“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”  (Romans 8:1 NKJV)

The remedy for our sin, whether scandalous or acceptable, is the gospel in its widest scope. The gospel is actually a message; here I am using the word ‘gospel’ as a shorthand expression for the entire work of Christ in His historic life, death, and resurrection for us, and His present work in us through His Holy Spirit. When I say the gospel in its widest scope, I am referring to the fact that Christ, in His work for us and in us, saves us not only from the penalty of sin but also from its dominion or reigning power in our lives. This two-fold aspect of Christ’s work is beautifully captured in Augustus Toplady’s great hymn “Rock of Ages,” with the words,

            Let the water and the blood,

            From Thy riven side which flowed,

            Be of sin the double cure,

            Cleanse me from its guilt and power.

-- Jerry Bridges in “Respectable Sins: Confronting the Sins We Tolerate”

#4702

THE CROSS OF CHRIST

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23 NRSV)

Can a holy God overlook our mistakes? Can a kind God punish our mistakes?

From our perspective there are only two equally unappealing solutions. But from God’s perspective there is a third. It’s called “the Cross of Christ.”…

Why is the cross the symbol of our faith? To find the answer look no further than the cross itself. Its design couldn’t be simpler. One beam horizontal -- the other vertical. One reaches out -- like God’s love. The other reaches up -- as does God’s holiness. One represents the width of His love; the other reflects the height of His holiness. The cross is the intersection. The cross is where God forgave His children without lowering His standards.

-- Max Lucado in “He Chose the Nails”


#4305

AN ACT OF CONFESSION

“The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of His feet… Who can withstand His indignation? Who can endure His fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before Him. The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him,…”  (Nahum 1:3, 6-7 NIV)

Although our God is caring and compassionate, holiness cannot tolerate wrongdoing and evil. They simply cannot coexist. God’s indignation at evil is consuming and complete.

God’s anger with us is assuaged in Christ Jesus, yet we still are asked to be holy because God is holy (see 1 Peter 1:16).

Is there anything in your life, past or present, that cannot dwell alongside God’s holiness? Is there anything for which you need to ask forgiveness?

As an act of confession, list your wrongdoings. Confess them to the Lord who “protects those who take refuge in Him.”  Roll up that piece of paper, and throw it away or burn it. Experience the joy that comes from letting God cleanse you from all your sin.

-- From “The Meeting God Bible (NRSV): Growing in Intimacy with God Through Scripture”


#4294

IT IS FINISHED… PAID IN FULL

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, ‘I thirst!’  Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.  So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”  (John 19:28-30 NKJV)

[Jesus] tilted His head back, pulled up one last time to draw breath and cried, "Tetelestai!" It was a Greek expression most everyone present would have understood. It was an accounting term. Archaeologists have found papyrus tax receipts with "Tetelestai" written across them, meaning "paid in full." With Jesus' last breath on the cross, He declared the debt of sin cancelled, completely satisfied, [finished]. Nothing else required. Not good deeds. Not generous donations. Not penance or confession or baptism or...or...or...nothing. The penalty for sin is death, and we were all born hopelessly in debt. He paid our debt in full by giving His life so that we might live forever.

-- Charles R. Swindoll


#4076

THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN

Sin is a word not often thought about seriously in our time. Neal Plantinga writes, “Nowadays, the accusation you have sinned is often said with a grin, and with a tone that signals an inside joke…” Sin has become a word for hot vacation spots (Las Vegas is Sin City) and dessert menus: “Peanut Butter Binge and Chocolate Challenge are sinful; lying is not. The new measure for sin is calorie.”

But sin is the deadliest force because it takes us out of the flow of the Spirit. Imagine the consequences if we did not have a word for cancer or depression. We must identify and understand that which threatens our ability to flourish, and only sin can keep us from becoming the person God wants us to become. All other challenges face us from the outside. Sin works its way inside, strangling our soul.

-- John Ortberg in The Me I Want to Be

#4055

ACCEPTING THE FREE GIFT

“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.”  (Romans 6:23 NLT)

In 1830, George Wilson was tried by the U.S. court in Philadelphia for robbery and murder and was sentenced to hang. Andrew Jackson, President of the United States, granted him a presidential pardon. But Wilson refused the pardon, insisting it was not a pardon unless he accepted it. The question was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court, and Chief Justice John Marshall wrote the following decision: “A pardon is a paper, the value of which depends upon its acceptance by the person implicated. It’s hardly to be supposed that one under sentence of death would refuse a pardon, but if refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must hang.” What was the outcome? George Wilson was hanged.

Jesus Christ is God’s only provision for our sin. Through Him alone we can know God intimately, be fully pardoned for our sin, experience His unconditional love, and have eternal life. We simply must accept the free gift.

-- adapted from Remember the Rowboats by Jim and Barbara Grunseth

#4031

THE WONDER AND MYSTERY OF IT

"In [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace that He lavished on us. With all wisdom and insight [God] has made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He set forth in Christ, as a plan for the fullness of time, to gather up all things in Him, things in heaven and things on earth." (Ephesians 1:7-10 NRSV)

I'm a mystery buff, and I'm crazy about Sherlock Holmes books, movies, and trivia.  I guess the attraction lies in trying to detect all the clues Holmes considered so obvious.  As he would say to his sidekick, "It's elementary, my dear Watson."  Because I love mysteries, I'm intrigued by the clues God has given us about the great mystery of His will.  I've become a detective in the Word of God, where I find solutions to the mysteries of the universe.

[We can unlock] some of the mysteries found in God's Word: God's plan for redemption through Christ, His mysterious timetable for the gathering of His people into one, and His rich spiritual inheritance to all believers.  These are significant discoveries for all Christians.  But the greatest mystery to ponder is not what Christ has done but why.  Why would Jesus pay for the penalty of my sin, with His precious blood?  Because "Jesus loves me, this I know."  It's elementary, my dear.

-- Lenya Heitzig and Penny Pierce Rose in Pathway to God's Treasure: Ephesians

#3675

THE DEPTH AND THE HEIGHT

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23 NRSV)

To comprehend the height of our salvation, we must know the depth of our sin.

-- U.M. Bishop Richard Wilke in DISCIPLE: Becoming Disciples Through Bible Study

#3664

AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY OFFER

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

The pardon that God offers is an equal opportunity offer. God makes this offer to spectacular sinners, boring sinners, nasty sinners, proper sinners, secret sinners, educated sinners, uneducated sinners, religious sinners, and atheistic sinners. The truth is, God delights in offering His pardon.

-- Bill Hybels in The God You're Looking For


#3606