The 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: 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 by giving up His own life. It was Christ Who shed His blood. It is Christ Who wears the scars in His hands, feet, head, back and side. Jesus had been 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, “” (Psalm 22:16-18).   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

 

  Jesus skin had been torn right off His bones. Perhaps this was from the Cat-o-nine-tails (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. The Roman soldiers ripped Jesus beard out, hit Him over he head repeatedly with a long staff to drive in the crown of sharp thorns, physically beat Him with their fists, stripped Him naked, spit upon Him, scourged Him with a whip—Jesus had been abused beyond recognition. Oh yes my friend, Jesus paid a great price for your salvation. I bid you please do not say “no” to Jesus. The trifle sufferings of this life cannot be compared to the 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. If I buy someone a gift and place it under the Christmas tree, the gift will sit there until someone claims it. Jesus has purchased you a gift, it is sitting in Heaven with your name on it, you MUST reach out by faith and take it. If you don’t take it—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 GIFTis of many offences unto justification” (Romans 5:15,16). 

 

 How much plainer can 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 more ridiculous than the person who seeks to impress God with their own good deeds and religion. Eternal life is a gift my friend and there’s nothing you can do to earn it. If you try to earn it, it is no longer a gift. You can keep the seven sacraments all you want but it will avail you no good at the judgment. 
 

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 is merciful. These are all lies 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 gift. Every religion in the world is 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.

 

Salvation Is Of The Heart

 

 

  "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 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 duties. The Scriptures are clear—we are saved by doing God’s will. 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

 

 Wow! 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 their 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 several 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” (Proverbs 14:12). . “There is a way whichSEEMETH RIGHTunto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death

 

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 church bus for awhile bus but then stopped coming. We kept visiting them on Saturdays. Unfortunately, this family had been caught up with the Jehovah Witnesses. 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 Matthew 7:23 that false prophets are “workers of iniquity.”  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

 

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 WILLof 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 will come to us but they have “another Jesus.” We must believe on Jesus Christ as he is presented by God’s Holy Word, as the true and living God. And then we must simply believe on Jesus Christ the best we know how for salvation and forgiveness of sins. 

 

 

Fourth, We are NOT all God’s Children. 

 

         I often hear these modernists and liberals speaking of how “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 makes light of the Bible, a “liberal” is someone who doesn’t believe the Bible or deliberately disregards the Bible. These are not God’s Children Liberals are anti-authority and do what they feel like doing—”if it feels good, do it” attitude. These are the modern “free-thinkers” that discourage marriage, decency and respect for authority. Many endorse sodomy, abortion, gambling, nudity, tobacco, alcohol, drugs, etc. They have little or no purpose for God in their life. They are friends of the world and with the devil. Only those who are truly born-again can claim to be Children of God.   Someone has foolishly taught that all rivers lead to the ocean. That depends! It depends on which was your traveling.. Do all airplanes fly to Tokyo? Do all trains lead to Boston? Do you see how silly man’s reasoning can be?

"For with the HEART man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10). 

 

 It is with our mouth that we can confess to others that we have been saved but it is only with the heart that we can believe on Christ and become 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 applied to our record. If we believe on Christ in our heart but fail to confess Him to others with our mouth, we are still saved. Why? Because it is “with the heart”  that a person believeth unto righteousness. Mouth confession is optional. Surely it is a good idea to make a public confession to others that we have been saved, but this is NOT mandatory to salvation.

 

  Neither is 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, baptism does not save nor is it required to be saved. However, you must be saved before you can be legitimately baptized. “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that BELIEVETH NOTshall be damned” (Mark 16:16). 

 

 A wedding ring means nothing if you have no marriage. Likewise, baptism means nothing if you have not Christ in your heart. Salvation is of the heart, not baptism or anything else. It is NOT what you say that is important. What does matter is whether or not you believe in your HEART that Jesus is the Savior and that you have personally asked Him to forgive and save you.   You need not open your mouth, Salvation is of the heart.