Earning a Gift?

Like everybody else, I like gift.  It is a surprise, a blessing, and a joy.  It shows the thoughtfulness of the giver.  Makes me feel special!  No matter whether the gift is large or small, the gift is appreciated.  I have positive feelings towards the giver and as a result, I want to reciprocate.  A true gift is given with no strings attached.  Otherwise, it is not a gift, but a contract ... a quid pro quo if you like.  Each party exchanges something it deems worth the price.  Dicionary.com defines a gift as "something given voluntarily without payment in return, as to show favor toward someone, honor an occasion, or make a gesture of assistance; present." The only thing you have to do with the gift is to make a decision to reject or accept it.



Acceptance is all that is required with God's salvation.  "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast." (Eph 2:8-9)  God blows us away with His mercy in that, He takes you at your worst, not your "best". He is not asking that you clean up your act first.  He simply asks that you believe (faith) that Christ died for your sins.  It is for the taking.  He is not asking you to perform 100 good works to qualify.  Just accept the gift first.  He has done all the work, so we have noting to boast about.  He did it.

So, why did I accept the gift?  I could not ignore the truth of the Bible.  I knew about many prophecies in the Old Testament.  So many came true that I could not ignore the Bible, and ultimately God.  Too many came true to be intellectually dishonest to call them all a coincidence.  Therefore, when the Bible talked a lot about only two destinations at the end of my life (and yours) - heaven and hell, I had to deal with where I was going.  With faith, heaven is the destination and without, it is hell.  In short, heaven is the good place to be with God where no tear is shed.  Hell is a place devoid of God with eternal suffering.  So the choice became simple - believe that Christ died for my sins.

Ok, so you say why doesn't He just take us all?  He doesn't force you to make the choice.  You must choose.  It's as if someone would try to force me to join a political party to which I do not share the views or the values.  He wants those who want to be a part of His family - those who share is views and values. 

Why is the object of this faith the sacrifice His son Jesus (and raise Him from the dead)?  God is a holy God.  He can't have unholiness in His presence.  Therein lies the problem of sin.  We all sin.  I sin (and still do).  Sin began in the Garden of Eden and has plagued man ever since.  Adam was created holy, walked WITH God in garden, until he chose to sin ... by eating the fruit of the forbidden tree.  The penalty for sin is death.  So we all die, BUT God made a provision that His Son's death would covers my ALL of my sin and provide life after death.  It just takes one sin to disqualify me - and therefore I need this provision through Christ.  The requirement for entry to heaven is perfection and that only happens through the sin covering of Christ's death.  As a believer, my sins are forgiven.

Salvation is a free gift.  Will you accept it?  If you choose not to believe what I've outlined above, consider this ... If you are right, I have lost nothing.  If I am right, you have lost everything.

1 Peter 1:16    "... You shall be holy for I am holy"
Romans 3:23   "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
Romans 6:23a "...The wages of sin is death..."
Romans 6:23b "...But the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Romans 5:8     "God demonstrates His own love for us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us!"
Romans 10:13 "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved!"






Romans 10:9,10 "...If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."