For some who don’t understand God’s grace the phrase is floated around that calls grace cheap. They are implying that it doesn’t place enough of a burden on us. Maybe you’ve heard the expression “Cheap grace.” God’s grace isn’t cheap. Grace is wonderful and it is amazing but it’s not cheap. It is free to us, but it cost Jesus His life. Jesus’ cross was heavy, His suffering was intense and His bloodshed was real. Peter wrote about the cost of God’s grace: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19). One of our challenges as Christians is helping others understand what Jesus did for us to bring us salvation. Grace is understanding that we are saved, not by our best efforts and perfect performance, but by simple trust in what Jesus did for us.
James Hewett tells of a little boy who was told by his doctor that he could save his sister’s life by giving her some of his blood. The six-year-old girl was near death, a victim of a disease from which the boy had made a miraculous recovery two years earlier. Her only chance for survival seemed to be a blood transfusion from someone who had survived the illness. Her brother, Johnny, was the ideal donor. The doctor met with the family and asked the brother, “Johnny, would you like to give your blood for Mary?” The boy hesitated; his lower lip started to tremble. Then he smiled and said, “Sure, Doc. I’ll give my blood for my sister.” They were put in neighboring beds and the transfusion was begun, directly from Johnny’s arm to her body. She began to respond quickly to the transfusion and was obviously improving. When the ordeal was nearly over, Johnny spoke up and said, bravely, “Say, doctor, when do I die?”
Then the doctor understood the trembling lip and the hesitation. He thought he had been asked to give his life for his sister and had said, “Yes.”
Jesus faced the same question when He died in our place. It was as if He asked His Father, “When will I die?” The answer was, “You’ll die at 3:00 pm on Good Friday after 24 hours of unimaginable suffering and abuse.” That’s the price Jesus paid for our free grace. Grace is the fact that He died for us so we would not have to bear the punishment for our sin. Grace means that if I believe He died for me I can be saved. Grace is free for us, thank God, but don’t ever think it is cheap. It cost Jesus His life. All it takes for us to receive this amazing grace is for us to believe in what He did for us, in the death He died for our sin and His salvation is ours.
Wally | GG Team
