Gift of GOD!

 Nothing in Life is Free

“For the wages of sin is death; but the GIFT OF GOD IS ETERNAL LIFE through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Eternal life is a gift, complements of the Godhead, i.e., God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. 

Nothing in this life is free, not even salvation. That’s right, not even salvation! Jesus paid a great price with His own precious blood. It is Jesus Who has the scars in His hands, feet, head, back and side. Jesus was beaten beyond recognition... “As many were astonied at thee; HIS VISAGE WAS SO MARRED more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men” (Isaiah 52:14). 

Listen to the Prophetical Words of king David concerning Jesus Christ... “For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all MY BONES: THEY LOOK AND STARE UPON ME. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture” (Psalm 22:16-18). Jesus' skin had been torn right off His bones. Perhaps this was from the cat-o-nine-tails whip (a whip with nine strands of leather, each with a piece of glass, rock or jagged metal at the end). Perhaps the bones Jesus spoke of were in His wrists, pulled apart by the nails and the weight of His body hanging on the cross. Most of the pictures of Jesus hanging on the cross show a little blood, but this is not accurate. Jesus must have been bathed in blood from head to toe, hanging naked upon the cross in shame for our sins. 

The Roman soldiers ripped Jesus beard out, smote Him over the head repeatedly with a rod to drive the crown of sharp thorns into his scalp, He was physically beaten with their fists, stripped naked, spit upon, scourged with a whip and mocked. Jesus did this for us because He loves us so. Oh, yes my friend, Jesus paid a great price for your salvation. The gift of eternal life which is freely offered to us cost God a great price. I bid you, please do not say “no” to Jesus. The trifle sufferings of this life cannot be compared to the eternal damnation of those who die in their sins without Christ as Savior. Hell is forever. The sad thing is that no one needs to go to Hell, Jesus has paid the price. 
 

Eternal Life is Offered as a FREE GIFT to All Humanity

Eternal life is a gift. Even though a gift is free, it MUST be accepted. Jesus has purchased you a gift, it is sitting in Heaven with your name on it, but you MUST reach out by faith and receive it. If you don’t, then it will go unclaimed. Eternal life is a FREE gift from God... “But not as the offence, so also is the FREE GIFT. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the FREE GIFT is of many offences unto justification” (Romans 5:15,16). How much plainer could the Bible be concerning the gift of eternal life? 

Let’s say you go out and buy me a nice gift. When you offer it to me, I open my wallet and try to pay you some money. You say, “no, no, it’s a gift!” I continue to try to pay you for your gift, but you refuse. This is no different than the person who seeks to impress God with their own self-righteousness. Eternal life is a gift my friend and there’s nothing you can do to buy it. If you try to earn it, then it is no longer a gift. You can observe the Seven Sacraments all you want, but it will avail you no good on Judgment Day. You had better receive the gift of God, so that Christ's righteousness will be imputed to your record. We need HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.
 

A Gift Has No Strings Attached

I have often used the illustration of a gift in Sunday School or while out soul-winning. If I offer you a gift, all you have to do is to REACH OUT AND TAKE IT. That is all you have to do and nothing more if it is truly a gift with no strings attached. Salvation is a gift with NO strings attached. 

I once witnessed to an Islamic Muslim man who didn’t believe Jesus was ever crucified. I asked him, “Do you KNOW if you died today that you would go to Heaven?” He abruptly responded in amazement by saying, “How arrogant!” He said it was wicked arrogance for anyone to even think of claiming to “know” that they were going to Heaven. He believed that a person must win the favor of Allah by their own merit. He said that all we can do is our best and hope that Allah will be merciful. He has been deceived of the Devil.

First, the Bible says we can KNOW we’re saved in 1st John 5:13... “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may KNOW that ye have eternal life...”  

Second, if the Muslims believed the Bible (which they don’t), they would KNOW that eternal life is a free gift. Every religion in the world can be categorized as either “DO” or “DONE!” Either you believe you must “DO” something to merit salvation OR else you believe Jesus did it all for you and it is “DONE.” The Muslims are following a “DO” religion; whereas, all true Christians are following the “DONE” religion. Jesus paid it all.

Salvation is Received, Not Achieved

“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

       The Word of God plainly teaches that eternal life is the “FREE GIFT” (Romans 5:15) of God. Ephesians 2:8-9 are clear on the matter... Man has no part in God's salvation. When Paul says, “work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12), he did not say to work out God's salvation. Over and over in the Psalms, 26-times, references are made to “Thy Salvation,” that is, God's salvation. It is God that saves sinners, and not man. No priest nor minister can forgive your sins. Only Jesus Who has the nail-scared hands and feet can forgive men's sins. Salvation is not something that is achieved; but rather simply received.

It's not what you're doing that gets you to Heaven, it's where you are looking. LOOK TO JESUS!

Salvation is based upon the PROMISES of God. Titus 1:2, “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, PROMISED before the world began.” Salvation is not a matter of man doing something for God; but of what God has done for man. God in His unconditional love sent His only begotten Son into the world to SAVE SINNERS!

Salvation is receiving, not giving. Eternal life is the free gift of God. In salvation, a person simply ceases from their own self-righteousness (dead works) and rests upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 6:1, “Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God.” Repentance is turning toward God from one's dead works (self-righteousness) to be saved. Biblical repentance is turning toward God to be saved from one's sins; not turning from one's sins as a prerequisite to faith in God. God makes the necessary changes in one's life. Our part is to simply to BELIEVE ON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST (Acts 16:30-31). Salvation is as simple as getting on the ark.

Salvation is freely received; not meritously achieved. Eternal life is a gift; not a reward. Oh, listen my friend, all the sacraments of the Catholic Church won't save them. It is idolatry! God is not worshipped with idols, sacraments and manmade traditions. They are all a road to damnation in the Lake of Fire. Ye must be born-again (John 3:3-5). You need HIS righteousness, i.e., the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is imputed to every ungodly sinner the very moment you place your faith in Jesus, the Son of God, as your Savior. 2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” J

 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine HEART that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans 10:9). Salvation is of the heart, NOT the mouth. I’ve actually heard radio preachers teach that a person needs to audibly profess Christ in order to be saved. Would you please show me that in the Bible? 

On the contrary, we read the opposite in Matthew 7:21, “Not every one that saith unto me, LORD, LORD, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.” We are NOT saved by saying certain magic words or by performing certain religious rites. The Scriptures are clear—we are saved by doing God’s will. And John 6:40 tells us what God's will is concerning salvation—to BELIEVE on Jesus Christ!

These people in Matthew chapter seven were sincere I believe, they were religious no doubt. Let’s hear their testimony in Matthew 7:22, “Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?” They had done so many wonderful things “in Jesus name,” but listen to what Jesus told them in Matthew 7:23... “And then will I profess unto them, I NEVER KNEW YOU: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.” Whoa! These people had spent their lives prophesying “in Jesus name,” casting out devils “in Jesus name” and doing many wonderful works “in Jesus name.” Now they're about to be cast into Hell for their disobedience. They failed to do GOD’S WILL. People get the wrong impression that they can earn their way to Heaven or merit salvation by their own works—this is a lie of the Devil! There is NOTHING we can do to earn Heaven. We ALL deserve to burn in Hell. 

The passage of Scripture we just read is perhaps the most shocking and eye-opening truth in the Bible. It’s hard to imagine these sincere people going to Hell after spending so much time trying to help others in the name of Jesus. We learn a few truths from this passage: 

First, The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Many sincere and loving people will be shocked someday to find out that their name is NOT in the Book of Life. They thought they were going to Heaven, for any number of reasons, but THEY WERE WRONG. “There is a way which SEEMETH RIGHT unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). 

Second, Many false religions operate in Jesus’ name. I cannot stress this fact enough, beware! I once witnessed to a Hispanic couple in their home concerning Christ. The man barely understood English, but the mother was able to understand. They had several wonderful children. The kids had been coming to our Baptist church on the bus for awhile, but then stopped coming. We continued visiting them on Saturdays. Unfortunately, this family had been caught up with the Jehovah's Witness false cult. I tried to explain to the mother that these people were NOT their friends and were not of God. She said, “but they talk about Jesus.” I explained Matthew chapter seven to her. She said, “but they came to visit me when I was in the hospital and brought me a box of food.” I did my best to open her eyes to the truth, but she just wouldn’t listen. In her mind, anyone who came “in Jesus name” was of God and readily accepted into her home. I prayed with the family and then left. I only wish I could get people to realize that most religion is of the Devil. Jesus said in Matthew 7:23 that false prophets are “workers of iniquity.” 

Third, The only way to be saved is by doing GOD’S WILL. What is God’s will? We find the answer in John 6:40, “And this is the WILL of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.” God’s will is for each and every person to see Jesus as He is portrayed in the Word of God and to BELIEVE ON HIM. Many religions come to us today, but they have “another Jesus.” We must believe on Jesus Christ as he is presented in the Scriptures—as God manifest in the flesh. 

Fourth, We are NOT all God’s Children. I often hear Modernists say, “We are all God’s Children.” Not so! We are all God’s creation, but we are definitely NOT all God’s Children. A “Modernist” is someone who speaks of spiritual matters, but is unsaved. They make light of the Bible. These are not God’s Children. Only those who are truly born-again can truthfully claim to be the Children of God. Someone has foolishly taught concerning salvation that all rivers lead to the ocean. Actually, it all depends how you look at it. It depends on which was you're traveling. Do all airplanes fly to Tokyo? Do all trains lead to Boston? It is frightening the way people think, and base their eternal destiny on such foolish thinking. God Authored the Bible for us, to show us the way of salvation, so we wouldn't have to guess or make erroneous conclusions.

“For with the HEART man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). It is with the heart that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved. The confession of the mouth can only follow the believing of the heart. It is the believing of the heart that makes us righteous in God’s eyes because of Christ’s righteousness which is applied to our record. If we believe on Christ in our heart but fail to confess Him to men with our mouth, we are still saved. Why? Because it is “with the heart” that a person believeth unto righteousness. The very fact that a mute person cannot confess Christ audibly is proof that God doesn't require it as part of saving-faith. Salvation is of the heart. We are saved by believing on Christ.

Neither is water baptism necessary for salvation, but it is something that God wants us to do if we have the opportunity to do so. When we get baptized, we are making a public profession of our faith. We are displaying outwardly what has happened inwardly. Baptism pictures the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We symbolize our faith in the Gospel in being baptized. It is similar to wearing a wedding ring. The ring doesn’t make you married, it is simply a symbol of ownership. You own each other. If the ring is destroyed, the marriage is still valid. Two people do not need a ring to be married in God’s eyes. 

Likewise, water baptism does not save, nor is it required to be saved... “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that BELIEVETH NOT shall be damned” (Mark 16:16). The emphasis is upon BELIEVING. Water baptism cannot save a person any more than walking into a garage makes one an automobile. A wedding ring means nothing if you have no marriage. Likewise, water baptism means nothing if you haven't believed in your heart on the Lord. Salvation is of the heart. 

It is NOT what you say in a sinner's prayer that is important. In fact, you don't need to pray at all to be saved. What does matter is that you BELIEVE in your HEART that Jesus is the Savior, the Son of God, and you trust upon Him and His blood sacrifice to wash away your sins. You need not open your mouth to be saved, salvation is of the heart.

It is not uncommon these days to hear people claim that they “used to be a Christian.” That is not true. There's no such thing as a former Christian. They may have experienced the philosophy of Christianity, or belonged to a religious organization; but they never became a born-again Christian in Christ Jesus. So many people today have churchianity without Christianity. The world's churches are filled with religious people who are woefully ignorant of the truth of God's Word. Their minds have been filled with religious ideas and Biblical stories; but they've never personally come to God as a filthy, dirty, rotten, guilty sinner in need of salvation. It is only when we repent, by owning to God that we are as vile a sinner as He has declared us to be in His holy Word, and place our faith in the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ to wash away our sins, believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, that we are born-again anew. 

esus is precious!