From the dawn of creation, God instilled in us to abide in Him, for He is love, truth, and life—beyond anything we can ever possibly fathom. Indeed, His grace abounds so much so that even in our ignorance and hostility, He surrendered His begotten Son to die for us as an invitation into His eternal embrace. That the moment we confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts that He is Lord and Savior, He welcomes us into Him.
Through Him, Heaven is freely given to anyone. But doesn’t that sound too good to be true? Is the kingdom of God really that easy to get into? Yes… indeed the kingdom of Heaven is free but it will cost you everything—relationships, time, money, and even your life. But how can that be? Why would it cost us everything?
The Cost of Heaven: Christ
To understand the price of salvation, we must look at what life is like without Christ. We see a sinful and fallen nature that ravages against the cosmos, a self-destructive incurvatus in se, and most of all a foolish attempt to usurp God. When sin entered the world, it mutilated all of humanity and branded us with an atrocious sinful nature. Sin distorted our relationship with God and others, twisting our desires into the worship of self rather than the worship of God. Sin became a parasite that fed off the desires of the flesh, piloting its host (i.e., us) into sure death.
As Paul so sincerely professed, we were dead in our sins and transgressions (Ephesians 2:1). There is nothing we could have ever done or will do that can save us from God’s righteous judgment. But God—in His love and grace—sent His only begotten Son, Jesus, to save and redeem us sinners (John 3:16). Yet, those whom He came to save had scorned Him and unrightfully sentenced Him to a shameful death on the cross as if He were the most heinous criminal.
Through His death on the cross, Jesus tore the veil, revealing that He is the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6). And through Him, all are granted an invitation to eternal communion with God through their own personal faith. What greater love can be shown than the giving of oneself, let alone, to their transgressors? It was there on the cross that Jesus—the perfect Lamb of God—paid the immeasurable price for our sins; This was the ultimate sacrifice to end all other sacrifices.
Through Him, we are given a "free pass" into Heaven. In Him, we are invited into eternal fellowship with the saints and hosts of Heaven. To Him, we must surrender our sinful desires and open ourselves back up to receive His tender embrace. For Him, we die to ourselves so that He lives in us. It is because Christ paid the due penalty that we receive Heaven. That is, salvation is paid in full for us by Christ.
It Will Cost You Everything
But what about us? Isn’t there a price we must pay to get into Heaven? Must we live a perfect life of obedience? Does this mean that after we accept Christ, we continue to remain stagnant and complacent? By no means!
Yes, it was Christ who paid the ransom for us. But now, He calls us forth to a new life for Him. This is where you may willingly sign, not just your name, but your entire life on that dotted line in Jesus’s book of eternal life. As He has chosen us for salvation, we must also choose to follow hard after Him (Romans 8:28-30; Mark 8:34).
What will it look like? Consider this truth. A life in Christ urges for a total and utter surrender to Jesus: To pick up our crosses daily (Matthew 16:24-26), to die to ourselves (Romans 6:6), and to offer ourselves as living sacrifices unto Him (Romans 12:1-2). To know Christ and make Him known is our ambition. To believe in Him and follow His commandments is our desire. To love Him above all other desires is our passion. We don't do these things to earn Heaven, but rather, we do them because Christ has already freely given Heaven to us. We won't be perfect, but we won't need to worry because Christ is already perfect.
We Must Die to Ourselves
We must die to our old selves, so that it is no longer we who live but Christ in us (Galatians 2:20). For who are we but vapors in the mist, dust surging the earth abound, and withering blades of grass? If it'll cost us our lives to follow Christ, let His will be done in us, for we would be nothing without the Father, Son, and Spirit. Only then, when we choose to deny our sinful desires, will a new passion and calling develop, thrusting us into the hills and valleys of the faith.
We must freely forfeit our lives just as John the Baptist did when he joyfully professed, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). Nothing in this world could ever come close to tipping the scales of His rich salvation and tender love, for "to live is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21). As we lose ourselves in Him, we find eternal life in Him.
We Must Pick Up Our Cross Daily
As Jesus profoundly proclaimed, to follow Him is not to only deny ourselves but to also pick up our cross daily (Matthew 16:24). That is, not only must we physically deny ourselves from the “pleasures” of life like the lusts of money, sex, addiction, and false worship, but we must also remain grounded in Christ when persecution and suffering comes.
Jesus was brutally tortured, yet carried His cross to the hill of Calvary for us. His journey to the peak was not an easy walk, so what makes us think ours will be easier? Our crosses may be heavily laden and riddled with splinters, and our flesh may be weak, but for the astronomical advancements of God’s kingdom, we endure. As a relentless pursuit that is face-to-face with the agonies of life, we must choose to pick up our crosses, pick up our bibles, and pick up our feet to continue to run the race He has set before us. Let us fight the good fight of the faith.
We Must Be a Living Sacrifice
There is no greater sacrifice than Christ! What greater life can there possibly be than to surrender ourselves as a living sacrifice unto Him as He gave himself for us? The honor of bearing His name as Christ-ians should strike and invoke in us a fervorous hunger and thirst that is all for Him. Whether that is to abandon our old natures and take on a new life in Him, or to forsake the fleeting fleshy pleasures of the world, let His will be done in us! Let us take the Gospel into the descents of human depravity, and scale the mountains of sins in contrast to the glorious redemption we have in Christ. Every millisecond of our vindicated lives should be for the glory of the One who has secured us in Him for eternity!
Purchased by Christ
In the Christian walk, too often do we hear the message of the cross but forget its heftiness. Imagine how much greater our ministries, relationships, and lives would be if we remembered that the cross was where Christ paid the insurmountable ransom of His life for us to freely enter Heaven. It was there that the holy and almighty Son of God bled, suffered, and died the death that was supposed to be ours.
Left to our own devices, we would have never tasted the festive banquet of Heaven. However, because of God's love for us, He paved the way for eternity in Christ. Consequently, we, as believers, should not consider this life as ours, but rather, one purchased and utterly reserved by and for Christ. We ought to die to ourselves and pick up our crosses daily, offering ourselves as living sacrifices for our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus. Peace and glory unto His name. Amen.
Commenti