“Freely Given”

 Romans 4:4-5

When people work, their wages are not a gift.  Workers

earn what they receive.  But people are declared righteous

because of their faith, not because of their work.  (NLT)

     We are sinless in the eyes of God because of our steadfast faith in Christ's redeeming death on the cross, not because of how good we think we are or the amount of good things we do.  The only Way of complete forgiveness is by the blood of Christ Jesus, for we are all born sinners and we will die as sinners.  We cannot keep from sinning no matter how hard we try, because it is the fallen condition of our human nature and this world.  Without the blood of Jesus there can be no forgiveness and no justification.  Without His death and resurrection, there is no eternal life.   If our justification and salvation was based on our own good merits and hard work, then God would have to condemn us all because it is impossible for human beings to earn or achieve a sinless status on their own.  Because of our human mortality and the pleasures we crave, we cannot refrain or justify our own sins because they are detestable and unjustifiable in the eyes of God.  Our only hope of standing justified before the God Almighty, is dependent on the mercy and grace of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ, because the price for purity must be paid, and we cannot afford it nor can we achieve it. 

    A gift my friend, is something given freely—something of value that's given in love, not because we deserve it, but because the one giving it wants you to have it.  And our salvation is a gift, pure and simple, for God wants us to have it but we cannot be worthy of it.  Those who receive the gift of salvation are undeserving of its value, and once received, we are humbly brought to our knees in thanksgiving and praise, because without the gift of forgiveness and redemption there is only deep darkness and death.  There is no joy for those trapped in this dark world, only fleeting happiness that is short lived.  But when we receive the greatest gift ever given, the weight of all the burdens and fears of this life are lifted from our shoulders and replaced with peace and eternal joy.  The only way to victory over sin and death and condemnation, and it is by accepting and putting your faith and hope in the undeserved gift of salvation that the Son of God paid for with His life.  

                                                     A Whisper of Hope

Accepting My gift in faith…dear child, brings joy to My heart.  For the only way to survive the pounding this world gives you is by living in Me and I in you.  For the beating you take from this wicked world will be well worth the struggle for the glorious gift in Heaven that awaits you.  But in order to get there you must receive the gift of salvation in faith and I will show you the Way.

Ephesians 2:8-9

God saved you by His special favor when you believed. 

And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 

Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done,

so none of us can boast about it.  (NLT)

                                               For the wages of sin is death,

                                 but the free gift of God is 

                 eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

                                           Ephesians 6:23)