SACRIFICE

I love John 3:16. It has been one of my favorite Bible verses for as long as I can remember. It was the very first scripture I ever committed to memory. It says,

John 3:16
16 Because God loved the world so much, that he gave his only begotten Son so that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

I also like verse 17. It was the second Bible verse I memorized as a child.

John 3:17
17 Because God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that through him the world might be saved.

Actually, this entire chapter is awesome. Here Jesus beautifully explains the plan of salvation to Nicodemus, the Pharisee. He reveals the story of an all-powerful God who loves us so much that he was willing to sacrifice his only Son so he could have us with him for eternity. He desires to spend time with us, just like he did with Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden before they sinned. Jesus left his home in heaven, became a man, and gave his life on the cross, so we could be free from the power of sin, and live in God’s presence once again. But freedom is never free. To secure freedom of any kind, a sacrifice has to be made by someone.

A few years ago, as I was going door to door offering Bible studies, a lady asked me how much I was charging for them. When I told her they were free, she said, “nothing is free.” After thinking about it for a while, I came to the conclusion that she was right. Nothing is free. Someone, somewhere, at some time, has to pay something for whatever is being offered for free. Someone sacrificed their time to write those study guides. Somebody sacrificed the money it took to print them, and I was sacrificing my time to present them, but they were offered to this lady, at no cost. The Salvation that God offers us cost him everything, but he offers it to us free of charge.

In Romans 6:23 we saw that “the wages of sin is death” but that’s only half of the verse. Here’s what the second half says.

Romans 6:23b
23 …but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

He offers the gift of eternal life to every person on earth. If you have never accepted that gift, it’s yours for the taking. No matter what condition you’re in right now, no matter how bad you’ve sinned, no matter what you’ve ever done in your life, he willingly offers it to you, free of charge. You don’t have to wait until you get your life straightened out, or until you become a better person, or until you get back in church. You can come to Jesus just as you are, anywhere you are, and he will change you into the person you need to be. Look at 2 Corinthians 6:2 and let’s focus on the second half of the verse.

2 Corinthians 6:2b
2 Behold, NOW is the accepted time; Behold, NOW is the day of salvation.

Now is the time. Today is the day. Make the choice, and come to Jesus today, accept his free gift, and be saved so you don’t have to suffer, and die for your sins. We face many choices in life and, unfortunately, we don’t always make the right ones, but whether or not to accept the free gift of salvation is the most important choice any of us will ever make. It literally means the difference between life and death.

Don’t wait. Life is short, and we are not promised tomorrow. The sacrifice has been made. Come to Jesus today, accept his free gift, and be saved so you don’t have to suffer the penalty for your sins.

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