ODJ: freely given, but costly

August 20, 2015 

READ: Ephesians 1:3-14 

[God] is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins (v.7).

If you have the cash you can buy almost anything you want. According to Michael Sandel, author of What Money Can’t Buy, a person in America can purchase access to the car pool lane while driving alone for $8, a prison-cell upgrade for $90 a night, an amusement park Front of the Line Pass for $149, your doctor’s mobile phone number for $1,500 and the right to shoot an endangered black rhino for $250,000. Yes, if you have the money, you can buy almost anything . . .

According to the apostle Paul, there’s one thing money can’t buy—spiritual freedom found in what Jesus has provided. Paul couldn’t help but break out in praise as he thought about salvation. The words that flowed included the use of the term “redemption”. Redemption is all about freedom, deliverance or release from a state of slavery (Colossians 1:13-14). Redemption made possible by Jesus releases us from slavery to sin—wrong things done against our holy God (Hebrews 8:12).

When Jesus freely offered His life for us on the cross, He endured great suffering so that we might be freed from the pain and suffering sin brings. Before God, our sin required that a sacrifice be made (9:22), and Jesus voluntarily allowed His life to be taken so that we might receive life.

The privileges of receiving such freely given but costly grace include becoming children of God (Galatians 4:7), having our hearts made pure (Hebrews 9:14), doing good things because of what God has done in us (Titus 2:14), honouring God with our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) and worshipping Him. Yes, through the death of Jesus, we’ve been set free from enslavement to sin—but it was so very costly.

—Marvin Williams

365-day-plan: Luke 17:1-19