I am pastor, a child of God, and I have been a follower of Jesus Christ for over 30 years, so this is hard for me to admit. If I am honest, however, I have a difficult time accepting that salvation is free.
I have never liked giveaways or freebies. Something for nothing just doesn’t seem appealing to me. I like tick for tack. Work for pay. Hustle for success. As an athlete would say, “I love the grind.” I love working hard and reaping the rewards. A sign in my office reads, “A man reaps what he sows.”
In Ephesians 2, we read this:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.
— Ephesians 2:8
God does all the messy work, and all I have to do is accept the free gift of salvation. Salvation is so easy for the believer. The work has been done. On several occasions, I have heard evangelists and pastors mention the free gift of salvation as the main selling point. “You don’t have to do anything, Jesus paid it all,” they cry.
How could someone reject the free gift of salvation? Answer: they don’t look at free salvation as the selling point, but rather the sticking point. The idea that a person has a problem, needs a savior, and can do nothing to earn salvation is humbling. For the prideful, it is humiliating.
Some people, including myself, struggle with free. They want to earn. They want to work and, more importantly, they want to be recognized for their efforts. They want the glory. They want to be known as the ones who rescued themselves from the depths of hell.
Pride is the reason many people don’t accept the free gift of salvation. Many miss out on the life-saving relationship with Jesus Christ because they can’t humble themselves to simply receive.
Has pride stopped you or someone you know from receiving the free gift of salvation? My prayer is that you would humble yourself today and receive what Jesus is giving you.