Nothing Is Free!

For sixty or more years, our society has lived with the idea that somehow, everything is "free" (doesn't cost anyone anything). Dear reader, nothing is absolutely free, for some entity has to pay for whatever product or service is provided for us. Even the very oxygen that we breathe cost God, for He had to expend His creative energy in order to create and provide it (Genesis 2:7; Job 33:4; Acts 17:24-25 NET).

Our salvation is certainly not "free," for the Son of God had to literally give his life's blood (John 19:30-34) in order to provide man an escape from the consequences of sin (John 3:16; Romans 6:23). In other words, it cost God's Son "something" in order to redeem man (Ephesians 1:3-7; Matthew 20:28).

The spreading of the saving gospel of Christ is not "free." With the exception of the beloved John, the rest of the Lord's apostles suffered martyrdom at the hands of evil men. Being a Christian is not "free", i.e. no cost, for Christians also must suffer (Romans 8:14-17; 2 Timothy 3:10-12; cf. Matthew 16:24-25 - see commentary) — there is a cost involved.

Even God's grace is not free, in the sense that it too requires a cost from each of us, as followers of Christ (Romans 6:11-18; Hebrews 5:8-9).

Dear reader, let us think about the above thoughts regarding those things that are supposedly "free," and then be willing to count the cost and pay the price.

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets

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