Grace- Free or Fee?

Is grace free, or is there a fee? This is a tough question to answer, as there seem to be some contradictions in Scripture. For instance, Ephesians 2:8 says, “…by grace you have been saved through faith…” Romans 6:23 says, “…the [free] gift of God is eternal life…” But in Luke 14:27 Jesus says, “Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.” So what’s up? Is grace free, or is there a fee? To clear this up, we need to answer four questions about grace.
1. What is the definition of grace? My wife and I got to see little Gabby Douglas, the gold medal gymnast, at the Olympics this summer in London. We couldn’t help but use the word grace in describing her movements on the gym floor. People ask for traveling grace, talk about falling from grace or being under grace.
But what is grace to the believer? Jacob Arminius preached something called prevenient grace that says our free will accepts or rejects God’s offer of salvation, as opposed to John Calvin’s teaching on irresistible grace that says the elect were predestined for salvation. Both positions agree, though, that grace is God’s favor, his unmerited favor, his free gift.
People don’t trust things that are free. I saw on TV where I could get nine free CDs. I took the bait. I ordered them, but I got 20 CDs in the mail and I got a bill. It’s hard to trust “free” anymore. That’s the reason people have a built-in resistance to grace. They say, “There must be a catch. It can’t be free. I should have to do something.” But the definition of God’s grace is his unmerited, unearned favor.
2. What is the value of grace? Ephesians 2:8 says, “…by grace you have been saved…” From what? From death to life. Is that enough value for you? Romans 5:1 says, “…we have been justified…” That’s a legal term which means the judge has pardoned us and treats us as if we’ve never sinned. We have peace with God. That’s enough value for me. Ephesians 1:5 says we’re adopted into God’s family. Talk about the value of grace. His grace is amazing and saved a wretch like me. I was on a collision course with disaster and destruction, but by grace I’m a new man.
3. What is the cost of grace? Who paid for all that value? Somebody said, “Grace, G-R-A-C-E, is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.” The price was incalculable on several levels. First, it was the price of his condescension. God, the Creator of the universe wrapping himself up in human flesh and coming to earth. Christ gave up some of his divine prerogatives and took on the limitations of humanity.
Then there was the pain physically. Beaten with a cord of lead and glass, fractured ribs, a crown of thorns, and carrying a cross weighing about 100 pounds for about 600 yards up to Golgotha. Six-inch spikes driven through his hands and feet and a spear thrust into his side. The physical pain was excruciating. Plus, there was the emotional pain. He was hated. He was mocked, rejected by the Jews, spit on by the Roman soldiers, and abandoned by the guys who walked with him every day.
Finally, there was the spiritual pain, the weight of the sin of the world being placed on him. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, “He made him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf…” Wow. The definition of grace: unmerited favor. The value of grace: freedom from the penalty and power of sin. The cost of grace: incalculable and incomprehensible.
4. Finally, what is the expectation of grace? Have you ever given somebody a gift and they didn’t say, “thanks”? At the very least, grace expects thanks. Many of us say thanks but don’t show thanks.
Too many Christians think grace is a call to complacency, an excuse for an undisciplined lifestyle. The Devil convinces people, “Hey, you’re saved. You don’t have to change anything. You have your ticket. So dress the way you want to dress. Watch any movie you want to watch or garbage TV show you want to watch. Listen to any music you want to listen to.” We blend into the culture, and then we use grace to justify it. After all, we’re covered by the blood of Jesus.
But grace should not put us to sleep spiritually. It should energize us and motivate us to express our thanks to God by our obedience to him. Christianity is not just about saying, “I believe,” or walking down the aisle at the pastor’s urging. My mom and dad were putting pressure on me, so I walked down the aisle one Sunday and got baptized at 12 years old. I went down a dry sinner, and I came up a wet sinner. No change at all in that.
But grace expects transformed believers to behave differently. Thank God I was later transformed. Jesus said the true believer denies himself and follows him, in Luke 9:23.
See now that we’re saved by grace, grace expects us to wake up to loving one another, to forgiving one another, to spending time in prayer and in his Word, to serving one another. We have to get to work. First Corinthians 3:9 says, “…we are God’s fellow workers…” Ephesians 2:10 says we were created in Christ Jesus for good works.
Is grace free, or is there a fee? God’s saving grace is totally free, but because of its tremendous value to us and its infinite cost, it expects our obedient, disciplined “followship.” Want to hear, “Well done, good and faithful servant”? (Matthew 25:21) Be a disciplined follower, a servant of Jesus Christ, living in the fullness of grace.
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As Bonhoeffer well said in his book Discipleship, ” only the believers obey, and only the obedient believe.” My own personal experience was I was always trying to be good to please God. Once I truly understood grace, my obedience now came from a heart of gratitude, instead of trying to earn His favor. Thank you for you article, well done.
so true
Thanks for sharing!
this is amazing! thank God! i needed to hear this. 🙂
every year…my husband never thanks me
This is the hardest thing!! When I don’t feel appreciated I pull away. With family that doesn’t work. Hate this issue!!
MY BAD I SPOILED MY KIDS SO MUCH THAT THEY NOW NEVER REMEMBER SPECIAL DAYS, AND I STILL KEEP GIVING I MUST BE A MOM
AMEN
Amen!!!! I give thanks everyday for my blessings
amen
I do thank my Lord for every day he has given to me
I’ve often given gifts and not received thanks. Although it hurts, I try not to let it change me and my generosity.
yes
If one is obligated to say thanks isn’t that a condition for receiving the gift? And can it really be called a gift and not a transaction at that point?
my daughter all the time…
Maybe it takes some people loosing what they have, be it things, family, love, what ever…before they learn to be grateful for the gifts we are given in this life. I think if a person cant show some type of gratitude, they are either selfish or dont know what loss is. Yet…
Yeah, I bought a used car for my mom and fixed the brakes on it. Cost me $1200, also paid to update her drivers lic. and to transfer the title. She got mad that I told her she’d have to pay her own insurance and that I’d do the tune up in it for just the $50 it cost to buy the stuff I needed to do it. When I said to her, What, you want me to buy you a brand new car and hand it over on a silver platter, she said, Well, it would be nice, with a tone of dirision. I was shocked! I thought, wow mom, you’re really ungrateful. A year later, after she trashed that car, and I mean, trashed it (cigarette burns all over, dumped the ashtray out on the floor, 2 bags of garbage and a bag of pop cans, a medal shovel, and windows tinted and smeared from smoking in it, plus 2nd gear and reverse were the only gears in the tranny left that worked), she made me buy it back for $50 from her, and then, the breaks went out within a week…ended up junking it. I NEVER bought her another car or let her drive anything of mine again.
Hmmmm
I am always thankful
AMEN
I am always thankful!
Yes-it happens to me and it’s confounding -I wonder why????????
AMEN
i’ve seen people open presents and was mad because there was no money!!!i grew up to say thank you and was glad to get a gift.
This article is very helpful to me. When I pray to God repenting of my sins and asking him to forgive me, I have failed to thank him, either all or most of the time. I have thank him before, but either I just forget too or my mind just gets distracted by other things. I truly believe we are saved by God’s grace and it is truly a free gift. However, after receiving God’s grace, a Christian should walk in obedience to him. God’s grace saves us to do good works, to do what is good, to do what is right, to live obedient lives to Him (a life full of peace, joy, etc) in pleasing Him. God wants us to stay in close fellowship with him. It is an area I need to work on, reminding myself that I need to continue to thank God. The book of Titus is an example of God’s grace. It teaches us to live the way God wants us to live.
AMEN!
Bible verses reveal that God has given the greatest gift to the world—eternal life—and that life is in His Son, Jesus Christ. As Christians we celebrate His birth at Christmas, yet even more, we praise God for the gift of salvation and eternal life that was given to us though Jesus Christ.
A-MEN Lois Leboeuf Murphy and it’s the thought that really counts!!!
Micah 6:8- What does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?God cannot be bought- the gift of grace is free. Since this is True, what should be our response?- Micah 6:8; I learned that these were acts of gratitude– not a purchase. Let Micah 6 be a reminder that grace is Free and that faithful living is our grateful response…We’re saved by Grace through faith alone, Good works can have NO PART.. But God rewards each loving deed that’s done with all our Heart..DDH
Good works are not the means of salvation but- the Result !! <3
To God be the glory… we serve an Awesome True Living-Loving-Faithful God..O:-)
SO true.
Absolutely!! We can say anything we like but.R ACTIONS IS WHAT REALLY SPEAKS THE TRUETH (:
Guilty!
Sometimes that is! I usually am thankful!
SO TRUE!
Amen…
yes
This is so so true!!!
True & very sad that we forget the most important “Gift” that we are given, may we at least try to remember to say TY God for Your Son!!!
AMEN
It happens to me all the time!
Never from my step children even though they tell us exactly what to buy. It would be nice to feel like they appreciated the gifts
The chinese vocabulary doesn’t have the word “thanks”. Because they don’t expect to be told “thanks” when they give a gift or do someone a favor.
its called manners
By all means ” THANKS “
@Radames Morales, True i don’t expect anything in return…
MERCI
Jesus!
Yup, it was so very strange. A young girl at church. I felt, I really wanted it back, if that is all it means to you. It meant a lot to me. Her mom is kinda strang, so I guess I should not have been so surprised.
HOW TRUE THIS IS./////
This has happen alot of times,I was raised to say thank you when someone does something for you or give you a gift.It’s out of respect in doing so.
Manners, Please!
AMEN, THANK YOU IS JUST RESPECT….
So true!!!!
Sometimes I fall short in this area.
TRUE you can count on his Grace it is FREE you can Trust that for sur. Amen.
i agree i use to do that same thing learned my lesson
Nothing (commercial) is really free–The Grace of God is always FREE, no attachments. The LOVE of God and Salvation is trusting and believing on/in HIM
<3 – if people will only take it in – into their Heart and believe it – Just believe – it is so awesomely TRUE – John 3:16 <3 ( Isaiah 53)
Amen..
HALLELUJAH AMEN!
ALL being the key word.
AMEN
amen
Amen..
have sinned means the past ,we can overcome
Grace is beyond human understanding! We accept it by faith and praise God.
AMEN
Amen, so glad to be a Christian
Amen
JESUS is the only perfect one that ever walked this earth.
Amen
Amen!!!!
Amen
No not at all, for give me my lord Jesus..
I took my vow and i stand with my vow until am devoice and fix my self i stand my ground thk u lord 4 mercy
I owe everything to you lord.
Forgive me Lord when I fail you…
AMEN.
God forbid!
God forbid!
No
God forbid!
God forbid!
God Forbid …
The truth has come and left a witness, the Holy Spirit. Who will guide us into all things unto our Lord return. Always do the work of a servant and keep the Lord first in your hearts. Never look back when lead by faith, for in faith you can close your eyes and still see!
amen
no no no never
Certainly Not !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Amen
No way
No God forbid it ooooook
NO
no
Amen
NO
Amen
Amen