What is the cost of salvation?

Did he mean, "It costs too much to be saved"? Then he was totally wrong. The untold cost of salvation has fallen upon One who was able to bear it, and He being made sin for us has borne it all. To us it costs nothing.

It is something like this when we preach the simple gospel. We say, “Believe and be saved,” and a man in the back seat says, “The idea! It is too simple for a man of my mind. Besides, it is too cheap.” Too cheap!! It cost the Lord Jesus His blessed stainless life; it cost Him His life’s blood; the forsaking of the face of God; all the punishment due to sin; more than words can tell or thought can think. Nay, call it not cheap. Salvation costs us nothing, but it was gained at an infinite cost.

It is something like this when we preach the simple gospel. We say, “Believe and be saved,” and a man in the back seat says, “The idea! It is too simple for a man of my mind. Besides, it is too cheap.” Too cheap!! It cost the Lord Jesus His blessed stainless life; it cost Him His life’s blood; the forsaking of the face of God; all the punishment due to sin; more than words can tell or thought can think. Nay, call it not cheap. Salvation costs us nothing, but it was gained at an infinite cost.

It is quite true that the blessings of the gospel are “without money and without price.” At untold price to the Saviour, without cost to the sinner. “The GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23). What do we pay for a gift? The smallest return for a gift would turn it into a purchase, however trivial this return might be. “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of ourselves: it is the GIFT of God: not of works lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). Clearly the entrance fee into the blessings of the Gospel is—NOTHING.

Christians everywhere confound what are in Scripture two entirely different things, — salvation and reward. Now, salvation is God's gift. "The gift of God is eternal life" (Rom. 6:23). The reward held out to Christians must be won, and earned by faithful service. "So run that ye may obtain" (1 Cor. 9:24). But you cannot earn a gift. Here I have my watch. I did not pay a penny for that watch. It was a gift to me. I had no watch and needed one, A Christian friend said to me one day, "Here, brother Knapp, is a watch. Please accept it as a gift." And like a sensible man I took the watch from his hand and thanked him for it. It cost me nothing. It cost him something, but he gave it to me freely. Now that is like God's free salvation. Nine years ago I felt my need. I knew that I was lost and "ready to perish." God in His gospel offered me eternal life. By faith I embraced His offer and received His gift. It cost Him something. "He spared not His own Son." That was the mighty cost. But it cost me nothing. I did not say a prayer to get it. I did not make one promise or turn over one new leaf to get it. I just received it as God's gift and thanked Him for it. But if I ever get a crown I must endure and do for it. For salvation everything has been forever done.

We have seen that this great salvation is entirely of God; as the friend who invites you certainly provides the repast. We have seen that the cost of this great supper was the death of the Son of God. No other price could have bought it. We have seen that the great supper meets every need of the lost sinner. Forgiveness of sins; justification from all things; no condemnation to them that are in Christ, at the great supper. No separation from that festive feast of love. Christ Jesus their wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption. Their home in the place prepared, secured. The Holy Ghost abiding with them. The peace of Christ their happy portion. All provided of God. Nothing to do, nothing to bring; all given, and given for ever.

We have seen in the former section that this beautiful parable of the great supper shows us that God is not demanding from man, on the principle of law, but giving, providing, in free grace. "A certain man made a great supper." Thus He provided everything, the guests brought nothing. What a new truth this was as to God and salvation, to men under the administration of the law, which did not give, but demanded. Then we found this supper was great because it cost the greatest price in the universe: the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The agony, the atoning suffering of the cross, forsaken of God: that was the price of the supper. The price of the great salvation was His precious blood.

Have you tried the pleasures of this world? Do they ever satisfy? How can they, when death and judgment come after them? They only leave an aching void. The pleasures of sin deceive for a moment: this supper satisfies for ever. When we examine the supper in our next section, we shall find every need of the sinner met once and for ever. Let us remember we have nothing to do for it, nothing to give for it, nothing to bring to it; all is of God. All is done long ago. All things are ready. When the servant says supper is on the table, what have we to do but to sit down and receive it? The cost of this great salvation was the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. The cost, His precious blood. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16.)

And the Divine basis of this redemption is the precious shed blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. As Peter says: "redeemed … but with the precious blood of Christ;" and Paul: "Ye were reconciled to God by the death of his Son;" "in whom we have redemption through His blood." The atoning sufferings and the redeeming sacrifice of the blessed incarnate Son of God constitute the only possible foundation of this eternal redemption. It is the Beloved of the Father who has been down under the judgment of God, into death itself. For seeing there is a full and perfect redemption, there must be of necessity also the price of that redemption. No redemption is without cost: and the greater the work, the more far-reaching its effects; the deeper the moral questions at issue; so must the cost of this redemption be the more increased. It is beyond all knowledge save that of the Father, to comprehend the cost of our redemption: the Father and the Beloved Son have borne that cost in all its greatness, and in all its untold sacrifice and suffering. So John writes: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son," and "The Father sent the Son the Saviour of the world." No human unbelief, or hardness of heart; no rationalistic infidelity; no careless indifference of man's proud, wilful hatred of the pure grace of God; can ever set aside or diminish this infinite Divine sacrifice, this cost of our redemption.

But think of what it cost Him! To show to the full His love to guilty men He had to die. His works and words and His holy life were wonderful, but they could not take the sting out of death for us, they could not deliver us from Satan's power, or save us from the just judgment that our sins deserved. To do this He had to die for us, for without the shedding of blood there is no remission. Hear what the Scriptures say, "Christ also has once suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God." And again, "He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed." And again, "When we were yet without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly.