Years ago a friend of mine and her family were having lunch at a restaurant. Unbeknownst to them an anonymous diner paid their tab. When it came time to pay the bill the waitress handed it to them with the words “paid in full” written across the top.
I said, “Wow! A totally free lunch!”
To which my friend replied, “Well, it was free for us, but someone paid the price of those meals.”
I think about that example when I think about grace. God’s grace is something extended to us that we don’t deserve, sort of like a free lunch.
God’s grace is truly amazing, but we can have a hard time grasping it. After all, society teaches us that we get what we pay for and we must earn our pay. No pain, no gain. There is no free lunch. And from a physical perspective, this is all true. However, when it comes to God’s grace these principles do not apply. For God’s grace cannot be earned and there isn’t enough money in the world to buy it. It is a gift from God given freely to all who wish to receive it. (Ephesians 2:4, 5)
This gracious gift pardons us from sin and brings us salvation. (Titus 2:11, Ephesians 2:4, 5) However, although we pay nothing for God’s gift of grace, it was not free. Someone had to pay the tab. That someone was Jesus. His crucifixion and death paid the price for our sins. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
The chorus of an old hymn comes to mind:
Jesus paid it all
All to Him I owe
Sin hath left a crimson stain
He washed it white as snow
(Reference Isaiah 1:18)
Jesus chose to die an agonizing death for us so we could have salvation. (Titus 2:14, John 3:16-17, Romans 3:24, Philippians 2:5-8)
So if I receive a night out on the town, a gift or even a free lunch, I always try to remember that someone had to pay for it.
