Is the "free gift" of salvation really free? - Honestly?

[St. SteVen]

This is the evangelical bait-and-switch.
Where's the ethics in that? Should people be tricked into the kingdom?

Do we lead someone to Christ and then cut them loose? Nope.
They need to be discipled, right?

So we pile on the expectations.
- Daily Bible reading and prayer.
- Regular church attendance and tithing.
- Sharing the Gospel.
- Discipling others.
- Good works.

So much for a free gift.
It's a free gift... it will cost you everything.

To anyone who may be insulted by this post, consider this...
Jesus said to count the cost, to take up the cross daily and follow.

When we lead with the "free gift" of eternal life, are we being completely honest?
"Here's your free gift; goodbye; see you in heaven."

Or if someone isn't interested in our "free gift",
we warn them that eternal hell fire awaits those who refuse the "free gift".

What sort of "free gift" is that? (extortion)

 

[Stumpmaster]

This is the evangelical bait-and-switch.
Where's the ethics in that? Should people be tricked into the kingdom?

Do we lead someone to Christ and then cut them loose? Nope.
They need to be discipled, right?

So we pile on the expectations.
- Daily Bible reading and prayer.
- Regular church attendance and tithing.
- Sharing the Gospel.
- Discipling others.
- Good works.

So much for a free gift.
It's a free gift... it will cost you everything.

To anyone who may be insulted by this post, consider this...
Jesus said to count the cost, to take up the cross daily and follow.

When we lead with the "free gift" of eternal life, are we being completely honest?
"Here's your free gift; goodbye; see you in heaven."

Or if someone isn't interested in our "free gift",
we warn them that eternal hell fire awaits those who refuse the "free gift".

What sort of "free gift" is that? (extortion)

I'm with Team Christ on this one.

Salvation itself doesn't cost me a thing.

Nothing I think, say, do, or offer can "buy" my salvation.

Act 20:28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.

1Co 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
1Co 7:23 You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men.

1Pe 1:17-19 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; (18) knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, (19) but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Now the cost of discipleship, well that's a different matter.

 

[Windmillcharge]

To anyone who may be insulted by this post, consider this...
Jesus said to count the cost, to take up the cross daily and follow.

Jesus also said the world has hated me and it will also hate you.

That is the context of counting the cost of following Jesus.

Yes Christians willing do all those things you listed and far more, they do it not to earn their salvation or even to deserve a ' good and faithful servant ' commendation.
They do those things because they love Jesus.

If your churchm your preachers make service an arduous duty leave that church.

 

[St. SteVen]

Yes Christians willing do all those things you listed and far more, they do it not to earn their salvation or even to deserve a ' good and faithful servant ' commendation.
They do those things because they love Jesus.

Yes, as it should be. Agree.

What do you think about evangelism efforts that lead with the FREE GIFT offer?

Or the stated consequences of eternal damnation for refusal? (threat of incineration)
(typically softened to "eternal separation from God" nowadays)

 

[Windmillcharge]

Yes, as it should be. Agree.

What do you think about evangelism efforts that lead with the FREE GIFT offer?

Or the stated consequences of eternal damnation for refusal? (threat of incineration)
(typically softened to "eternal separation from God" nowadays)

Something you do not pay for is free.
If you talk to non Christians, particularly those with an interest in spirituality they will talk about ' being good enough ', of earning there salvation.
So stressing that salvation is free, is a tactic, a way of gaining attention just as he'll fire preaching is another way of gaining attention.
Are they effective, I don't think so, I prefer a reasoned sermon/talk that shows there is a creator God, that man has rejected God and his moral rules, that there is a consequence to this, an explanation of what separation from God entails and an explanation of why Jesus is God response, the incarnation, teaching, crucifixion, resurrection etc.

That is a lot of work and many find it easier to make simpler appeals.

 

[Nancy]

Yes, as it should be. Agree.

What do you think about evangelism efforts that lead with the FREE GIFT offer?

Or the stated consequences of eternal damnation for refusal? (threat of incineration)
(typically softened to "eternal separation from God" nowadays)

This is a good question S.S.,
The gift of salvation is free, of course! But the cost of "following" Him is everything you got.

Maybe the opening should be changed to something like; "Anything that is worth anything, does not come easy". Oh, but the rewards of serving Jesus and loving God, cannot be compared to anything this world could offer. "Pleasures forever at His right hand"!

Hope someone else chimes in here, people want real hope out there, not the same ole same ole. You are right S.S., the approach to evangelizing should be considered.

 

[quietthinker]

We assume the right approach is that we are to serve God. What do you think of this.....the highlighted part in vs 28?

Matthew 20:24-28
And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to Himself and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26Yet it shall not be so among you; butwhoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

 

[St. SteVen]

We assume the right approach is that we are to serve God. What do you think of this.....the highlighted part in vs 28?

Matthew 20:24-28
And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to Himself and said,
“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. 26Yet it shall not be so among you; butwhoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served,but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”

Is there a way to turn that into a gospel presentation?
Not sure people want to sign up to be "servants".

 

[quietthinker]

Is there a way to turn that into a gospel presentation?
Not sure people want to sign up to be "servants".

God created us to love and serve us but we have it the other way around. Here is another text where Jesus tells us he will serve us.
Luke 12:37 37'Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat,and will come and serve them.'

The Gospel is about what God has done and is doing for us. When we share the gospel I wonder why the 'me' component takes the limelight? ....our faith, our works or lack of them, our church, our money, our organisations, the list goes on.

God saw the mess we were in and stepped in to rescue us, not to condemn us and point out where we have it all wrong. He came to show us what his Father is like....in the form of a servant. Imagine that, Almighty God a servant! .....and how does he serve us? by endlessly giving affection and joy to the sons of men. Can the Sons of Men hear and see his endlessly giving heart? very few I'd say .......and will he stop being a servant, I don't think so.


Do we have children for the purpose of having them take out the garbage, clean the house, wash the car, pay the bills etc?
Maybe some folk do....folk who are bent out of shape whose world is self absorbed?....but our Father in heaven, no no. He condescends taking the form of a servant so that we can observe him pressing the flesh, so we can determine by what we see and hear, yes, we can determine his heart.

 

[St. SteVen]

God created us to love and serve us but we have it the other way around. Here is another text where Jesus tells us he will serve us.
Luke 12:37 37'Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat,and will come and serve them.'

The Gospel is about what God has done and is doing for us. When we share the gospel I wonder why the 'me' component takes the limelight? ....our faith, our works or lack of them, our church, our money, our organisations, the list goes on.

God saw the mess we were in and stepped in to rescue us, not to condemn us and point out where we have it all wrong. He came to show us what his Father is like....in the form of a servant. Imagine that, Almighty God a servant! .....and how does he serve us? by endlessly giving affection and joy to the sons of men. Can the Sons of Men hear and see his endlessly giving heart? very few I'd say .......and will he stop being a servant, I don't think so.


Do we have children for the purpose of having them take out the garbage, clean the house, wash the car, pay the bills etc?
Maybe some folk do....folk who are bent out of shape whose world is self absorbed?....but our Father in heaven, no no. He condescends taking the form of a servant so that we can observe him pressing the flesh, so we can determine by what we see and hear, yes, we can determine his heart.

I think you are onto something here. Kudos.

We all see how the world doesn't work when we put ourselves first.
That's why Jesus came to model servant-hood for us.
Caring for others ahead of ourselves.

The ultimate display of the servant-hood that Jesus demonstrated
was giving his life to pay the death penalty for sin on our behalf.

And he invites us to come to a lifestyle of serving others.
That our lives would count for something.

Many have worked their way up the ladder of success to find that when
they reached the top, the ladder was leaning against the WRONG wall.

This is not to say that there is anything wrong with success, per se.
But a person wrapped up in themselves makes a pretty small package.

 

[Stumpmaster]

Yes, as it should be. Agree.

What do you think about evangelism efforts that lead with the FREE GIFT offer?

Or the stated consequences of eternal damnation for refusal? (threat of incineration)
(typically softened to "eternal separation from God" nowadays)

Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.

If you were travelling on a road somewhere and the bridge ahead of you was washed away, wouldn't you be glad if you got a warning?

 

[Ronald Nolette]

This is the evangelical bait-and-switch.
Where's the ethics in that? Should people be tricked into the kingdom?

Do we lead someone to Christ and then cut them loose? Nope.
They need to be discipled, right?

So we pile on the expectations.
- Daily Bible reading and prayer.
- Regular church attendance and tithing.
- Sharing the Gospel.
- Discipling others.
- Good works.

So much for a free gift.
It's a free gift... it will cost you everything.

To anyone who may be insulted by this post, consider this...
Jesus said to count the cost, to take up the cross daily and follow.

When we lead with the "free gift" of eternal life, are we being completely honest?
"Here's your free gift; goodbye; see you in heaven."

Or if someone isn't interested in our "free gift",
we warn them that eternal hell fire awaits those who refuse the "free gift".

What sort of "free gift" is that? (extortion)

Salvation is free to the believer, for Jesus paid the price.

all other things you listed are things that a follower of Jesus should do to grow and mature. We are going to fill our minds with something. It wil either be godly or ungodly thoughts. Given that God is God and owns us, we should seek to please Him.

 

[MatthewG]

here is some scripture on that,

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ​

12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Made Alive in Christ​

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.


It's a gift.

 

[Papa Smurf]

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[Papa Smurf]

What do you think about evangelism efforts that lead with the FREE GIFT offer?

Or the stated consequences of eternal damnation for refusal? (threat of incineration)
(typically softened to "eternal separation from God" nowadays)

Hello St. SteVen:, there is the following verse to consider in all of this as it is referred to as, "the Gospel in a single verse".

Romans 6​

23 The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. ​

Although many other verses speak about salvation being free or unmerited (well, unmerited by us anyway ), v23 just comes right out and says it, and it does contain both sides of the picture, the good news and the bad news, things that are both necessary when presenting the Gospel to someone.

That said, I've never been fond of evangelism that seems like it's leading with a sales pitch, though "free gift" might be a tad better than "God has a wonderful plan for your life". The "Good News" is the answer or remedy for the bad news, so the bad news (the reason that we all need the Savior) needs to be a regular part of a Gospel presentation.

The following, from theologian/pastor A. W. Pink, speaks to this. I've found that it is not a very popular quote of his, but I think that it has some important truths in it that should be considered.

God bless you!!

--Papa Smurf

​

 

[Jericho]

So we pile on the expectations.
- Daily Bible reading and prayer.
- Regular church attendance and tithing.
- Sharing the Gospel.
- Discipling others.
- Good works.

The gift of salvation is unconditional, it doesn't require any of those things. There are, however, good reasons to do those things.

Or if someone isn't interested in our "free gift",
we warn them that eternal hell fire awaits those who refuse the "free gift".

It's not just a gift, it's also a choice. Choose you this day life or death. It's not extortion to tell someone the consequences of their actions And what is the alternative, to force someone to accept the gift?

 

[Papa Smurf]

The gift of salvation is unconditional, it doesn't require any of those things. There are, however, good reasons to do those things.

Hello Jericho, I agree that our salvation is unconditional/unmerited/free, but all of the things that "accompany" salvation (Hebrews 6:9), things that are seen in those who have truly become "His workmanship" as wholly "new creatures" in Christ (which surely includes some of the things that @St. SteVen listed for us in the OP), if they never become part of the life and walk of someone who claims (and perhaps even believes) that they have become a Christian, should we not regard such a "claim" as questionable, at best (for their sake)?

As Luther and Calvin both said, “We are justified by faith alone, but the faith that justifies is never alone".

God bless you!!

--Papa Smurf