Priceless - The Unearned Gift of Grace

~ Ephesians 2:8-10

It is by grace you have been saved, by faith – and this not from yourself, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that none can boast. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us in advance to do.

An experiment was conducted on a New York City street corner over four decades ago. A man stood at 5th Avenue and Central Park South, silently trying to hand out twenty-dollar bills. The key word is trying.

While hundreds of people streamed past, only a handful took the money. Most cast suspicious glances, their pace quickening to put distance between themselves and the strange offer. Others had already mastered the art of urban indifference. A few muttered, “What’s the catch?” while a disproportionate number cautiously approached, snatched the bill, and then fled.

This simple experiment exposes a deep wound in the human spirit. We are a jaded and world-weary people. "Fool me once," we say, hardening our hearts against the possibility of a genuine gift. We have been tricked before, and we vow it won't happen again. We, a supposedly advanced culture, then bequeath this cynicism to our children, ensuring the sad legacy echoes through the ages.

There is also the flawed equation we live by: Free equals worthless. In our minds, anything offered at no cost must hold no real value. This thinking has made us inept at receiving grace. How can we acknowledge the worth of something we feel we haven't earned? I don't mean the gifts of birthdays or Christmas, torn open with a sense of deserving. No, I speak of unmerited, supernatural gifts—gifts with no strings attached, that this prose now seeks to persuade you of.

The Promise

The Apostle Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, explained this very thing to the church in Ephesus. God, he wrote, freely gave them the most valuable gift imaginable. It became theirs, as it becomes ours, for a single reason: believing in His Son. That is all. Let that sink in. That is all.

Therefore, we can never brag about our salvation as if it were a wage we earned. No human work could ever meet the price—it is, in a word, priceless. By this act of grace, we are commissioned as God’s agents on earth. Our mission is to carry out His good works and to lavishly share the grace that was so lavishly given to us.

Here is a heavenly paradox: This "Amazing Grace" is not fully realized in our lives until we begin to give it away. It is a divine concept, designed to let God's love flow through His children to His children. It is a truth that must be embraced personally and shared universally.

So do not look at this gift with suspicion. Do not turn away. There is no catch. Its value is immeasurable, yet it is utterly free—today and for all eternity. It is an unearned gift of grace. All you must do is believe the promise written on the "coupon" below in "The Finer Print." In doing so, you will be redeemed.

~ Ephesians 2:8-10

It is by grace you have been saved, by faith – and this not from yourself, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that none can boast. For we are God’s workmanship created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared for us in advance to do.