How much does our eternal relationship with God cost us?
Paul says it costs nothing – absolutely free.
“The free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many…the free gift…brought…the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. justification…the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 5:15-17 & 6:23)
Jesus says it costs everything – reaching far beyond the financial and physical to include even our relationships.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple…For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost…So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:25-33)
So, which one is it? Is it free or does it cost us everything? Yes!
Our eternal relationship with God in Christ and the ensuing fellowship in the Holy Spirit is absolutely free in that there is no possible accumulation valuable enough to purchase it. Our greatest wealth, our best efforts, our impeccable theology, our faithful religion…all rubbish…all filthy rags before the Lord.
Paul says it costs nothing – absolutely free.
“The free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many…the free gift…brought…the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. justification…the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 5:15-17 & 6:23)
Jesus says it costs everything – reaching far beyond the financial and physical to include even our relationships.
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple…For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost…So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:25-33)
So, which one is it? Is it free or does it cost us everything? Yes!
Our eternal relationship with God in Christ and the ensuing fellowship in the Holy Spirit is absolutely free in that there is no possible accumulation valuable enough to purchase it. Our greatest wealth, our best efforts, our impeccable theology, our faithful religion…all rubbish…all filthy rags before the Lord.
Our relationship with God in Christ and the ensuing fellowship in the Holy Spirit costs us everything in that we must empty our hands of everything to receive it. Our treasured possessions, family ties, deepest desires, even self-preservation...all relinquished…all surrendered to the Lord.
God’s gift of redemption is far too expensive to be purchased with anything we could bring, and far too large to be received holding on to anything from this world. Empty your hands before the Lord and receive His free gift of reconciliation and be filled with the abundant grace found in fellowship with Him.
1 comment:
You are incredible. I truly love reading your thoughts and am excited to dwell on and learn from them. Thank you for loving our Lord with all of who you are.
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