Perhaps you heard recently about the gift Garth Brooks and his wife, Trisha Yearwood, made to a couple who attended his concert recently. During a particular song, one of the attendees proposed to his girlfriend, which attracted everyone’s attention to them, including Brooks, who stopped his performance. Brooks then announced he and his wife would pay for their honeymoon, if they would go to Hawaii. Later, representatives from Brooks contacted the couple to get their information and fulfill his promise to them.
The offer was given freely to this couple, something the singer was under no obligation to provide. While the story received coverage focusing on the generosity of the singer, no one has protested the condition placed on it, that they had to go to Hawaii to receive the free honeymoon. You might argue, “Are you crazy? Who would quarrel over that? Hawaii is a wonderful place to have a honeymoon!” So, the requirement included to receive the free honeymoon is a non-issue. No one questions the motives of Garth Brooks, and no one contends that this engaged couple, by attending his concert, earned the honeymoon. Even with the stipulation of where the honeymoon was to be, it is considered a magnanimous gift.
I wonder why, then, when God freely offers us the gift of eternal life through His Son, the religious world protests the condition of obedience that God places upon it. Is it not still a gift we have not earned and that we do not deserve? Paul noted, “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly” (Romans 5:6). Therefore, eternal life is not something we inherently deserve. Jesus also said, “So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done’” (Luke 17:10). Obviously, we can’t earn it. It is still a gift, even though submission to His will is what God desires from us to receive this magnanimous gift.
It is interesting that the religious world typically rejects immersion, so that our sins can be forgiven, as a meritorious work on our part. Yet, even Jesus called faith a work in that it is a response to the will of God. “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29). So, if one is consistent, why would anyone insist that a person must have faith and confess one’s faith? If salvation is a gift with no strings attached, why insist on the importance of faith? Obviously, because it’s important to God and something He deems necessary for us to have (Hebrews 11:6). So, why reject immersion? When Peter told the crowd in Acts 2 to repent and to be immersed to receive forgiveness of sins, he used the imperative for both verbs, indicating a command—a necessity. Indeed, when the Lord confronted Paul on the road to Damascus, Jesus told Paul that Ananias would come to him, telling him what he must do. The word “must” indicates a necessity that had to be done. We later read Paul was immersed (Acts 9:18) so that his sins could be washed away (Acts 22:16). What command of God do we have the right to negate when He provides us eternal life through the blood of His Son? It is no less a gift of God when He tells us what we must do to be saved, for without His intervention, we could perform thousands of acts, none of which would accomplish our forgiveness. Works of the Law of Moses won’t profit our salvation today, and neither will works of human merit. However, doing the will—the work—of God is essential.
This principle is true for us even after we obey the Gospel. How many protest the need to assemble regularly to worship God and to be edified in Christ? The writer of Hebrews indicated its necessity when he, by inspiration, told us not to forsake assembling (Hebrews 10:25). Do we feel free to rewrite God’s will simply to suit our desires? Paul said we were created in Christ Jesus for good works (Ephesians 2:10). Can we ignore living the Christian life because we don’t want to serve and yet still please God? The heart of all this is the love of God. God sent Jesus to save us because of His love (John 3:16). He wants us to be conformed to His image so we can spend eternity with Him (Ephesians 5:1-2). Do we think God is overstepping His authority and negates the gift of salvation by desiring us to live for Him? Do we feel we would earn it if we submitted to Him? Do we think God doesn’t mean what He says in His Word, and that whatever we do or don’t do doesn’t matter to Him? The writer of Hebrews penned, “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation” (Hebrews 5:8-9). If we truly love God, how can we refuse to obey Him?
If Garth Brooks can attach terms to a honeymoon gift without anyone calling it unfair or protesting that it isn’t a gift by doing so, why do we challenge God regarding His gift of eternal life? Do we so despise the precious sacrifice of Christ and slander the motives of God or think Him unfair by what He asks of us?
