Devotion 2: Free Gift

Whenever I wrap a gift, I double check to make sure the price tag has been removed. Often after wrapping it, I doubt myself wondering if I somehow missed a less obvious sticker. I do not want them to see the price tag. I do not expect them to pay for it. It is a gift. It is free. I can even print a gift receipt which does not list the price. Since it is a gift, it is free. 

As we focus on Reach in Ephesians, Paul is very clear in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Paul references the concept of being “saved” as a “gift of God.” Since our salvation is a gift, it is free. We cannot buy or earn it. This passage is a little redundant. The phrase “gift of God” is sandwiched between two related phrases. It says that it is not of our own doings and not because of our work. Paul wants to make sure we get the point. 

Ephesians is not the only place Paul mentions that our salvation is a “gift of God.” Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” As if the concept of “gift” is not clear enough by itself, he calls our salvation and eternal life a “free gift.” Paul wants to make sure everyone understands this truth. 

Most believers know Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” However, we often miss the next verse. Romans 3:24 says, “And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” After describing our fallen state, Paul gives hope in the form of a gift. 

Actually, Paul references our salvation using the word “gift” twelve times in Romans. Our English translations reference this salvation as a “free gift” in six of those times. Romans 5:15 says, “But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” Charles Spurgeon said it this way, “Salvation is all grace, which means, free, gratis, for nothing.” Therefore, we should celebrate with 2 Corinthians 9:15, “Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!”