ODJ: free
October 2, 2011
God paid a ransom to save you . . . . And the ransom He paid was not mere gold or silver. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God (vv.18-19).
READ: 1 Peter 1:13-25
There are different kinds of free. Some things are free because they’re cheap, like the plastic toy in a McDonald’s Happy Meal. Some things are free because they’re part of a “buy-one-get-one-free” offer. And some things are free because they’re priceless—you literally can’t put a price on them without cheapening them.
Imagine asking a woman to marry you, and she responds, “Okay, but I’ll need $10,000 up front and monthly payments of $795.” Or being told by your teenage child, “Mom and Dad, I’m an adult now and I want to settle up. How much do I owe you for raising me?” Or how would you feel if, after performing a heartfelt song for someone you love, they gave you a hug and say, “That meant so much to me. What’s a fair price for your effort?”
Wouldn’t you feel dirty in each case? Even the suggestion that your love can be bought cheapens you . . . and it. Your love is the best kind of free.
Much of the heartbreak in our world comes from confusing “cheap” free with “priceless” free. Spoiled children presume their wealth came easily, and they mock their parents who worked overtime to provide it. Spouses take their partners for granted. They grow so accustomed to their devotion that they’re not sure they want it anymore.
And what about Jesus? Regarding 1 Peter 1:21-22, John Calvin wrote that our salvation comes “at such a great price that it cannot be compensated . . . , and therefore we could not obtain it if it were not free. Now we say that it is free to us but not to Christ, whom it cost very dearly.”
Our salvation is free, but it’s not cheap (vv.22-23). It’s free because it’s not cheap. It cost Christ too much to be anything else. —Mike Wittmer
What priceless gifts do you undervalue? How might you learn to appreciate them as they deserve?
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