NO FREE LUNCH!

They say that there is no such thing as a free lunch. In other words, it is impossible for a person to get something for nothing.

However, God’s Word says that salvation is a free gift. The apostle Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom 6:23; NASB).”

One popular Bible teacher claims: “In a sense we pay the ultimate price for salvation... It is total abandonment of self-will... And it denotes implicit obedience, full surrender to the Lordship of Christ.”

That presents a problem. Either salvation is a free gift or it is not a free gift. It cannot be both. We do not pay the ultimate price for salvation. It was the Lord Jesus Christ who paid the ultimate price for salvation when He hung on the cross to die for the sins of the whole world.

To say that the believer pays any price for salvation is to deny God’s grace.

WHAT IS GRACE?

Grace has been defined as “unmerited favor.” In other words, grace cannot be earned by a person’s own merits. Salvation is by grace. It is a free gift. In New Testament Greek, the word translated “gift” (χάρισμα; charisma) stresses the freeness of the gift. For example:

Thayer: “a favour with which one receives without any merit of his own.”
Louw-Nida: “that which is given freely and generously—‘gift, gracious gift.’”
Lexham Theological Workbook: “Something that is freely given on account of favor and kindness.”

Salvation is indeed free. It has no strings attached. There are no loopholes in the contract. You do not need to read the fine print.

What does a person need to do in order to be saved?

Many preachers tell people that in order to be saved they need to clean up their lives. They claim that salvation is only for those who first forsake their sin.

The Philippian jailer asked Paul and Silas, “what must I do to be saved?”

Their answer was, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” See Acts 16:30-31.

They did not tell him to first clean up his act in order to be saved. The only requirement was to believe in Jesus.

WHAT IS FREE GRACE THEOLOGY?

Paul and Silas were preachers of free grace. They understood that the only requirement for salvation was to believe. They would have been appalled at the teaching that believers pay the ultimate price for salvation.

The Gospel of John makes it clear that simple faith in Jesus Christ is all that is necessary for salvation. Free grace theology embraces this concept that faith alone is all that is necessary to receive eternal life.

Salvation is by faith alone and not by works. Therefore, a person does not need to clean up their life before they can be saved. No works before, during, or after the moment a person places their trust in Christ can contribute anything to the free gift of God’s forgiveness.

Since salvation is by faith alone and not by works, the free grace position results in genuine assurance of salvation. Subjective introspection offers no real assurance of salvation.

Charles Spurgeon wrote: “Remember… it is not your hold on Christ that saves you — it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you — it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument — it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to your hand with which you are grasping Christ, as to Christ; look not to your hope, but Jesus, the source of your hope — look not to your faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. We will never find happiness by looking at our prayers, our doings, or our feelings; it is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.”

CAN ANYONE KNOW?

Can anyone really know for sure that they are saved? The apostle John answered that question unequivocally. He wrote:

“And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life (1 Jn 5:11-13).”

Assurance of salvation comes only by trusting the promises of the Word of God. God’s Word must be the authority for our assurance! When your basis for salvation is Scripture then human circumstance will not affect your security.

FREE GRACE DISTINCTIVE

Free Grace Theology is a distinctive of Sanford Bible Church.

We believe that Paul was correct when he wrote, “the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We also believe that he was correct when he told the Philippian Jailer that the only requirement for salvation is faith in the Savior: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”

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Sanford, FL 32771