“Nothing in this world is FREE!”
No, you are quite right – everything has a cost. Whether it is a financial cost, a time cost, or some other cost - everything costs somebody, somewhere, something.
But there is such a thing as a gift.
Something that has been paid for by someone else, and is now on offer without cost to the recipient.
The Bible tells us of the greatest gift ever. The greatest, because it is the gift for which the highest price has been paid.
- The gift: Eternal Life
- The giver: God the Father
- The buyer: God the Son
… but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Romans 6v23
So, in spite of what deals eBay and SHOP.COM may (if somewhat amusingly) offer us if we are searching for ‘Eternal Life’, God is already offering it – as a FREE gift.
But why should I need such a gift? Well, the answer is in fact found in the very same Bible verse:
For the wages of sin is death; … Romans 6v23
As sinners we all fall helplessly short of the standard that God has set:
All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Romans 3v23
… the ultimate result: DEATH. Not just physical death. We are referring to an eternal spiritual death (in hell), just as we are also referring to an eternal spiritual life (in heaven).
God is giving us a choice:
- The consequences of sin – Eternal spiritual death, separate from God and all that is good and pleasant, in a place called hell;
OR
- A sinless Saviour (Jesus Christ) who has already suffered for our sin – eternal spiritual life, with Jesus Christ and all who are prepared to trust Him.
… therefore choose life … Deuteronomy 30v19