#41.

When God's Word is Preached, The Gospel is Offered Without Charge

1 Corinthians 9:18 What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel without charge, so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. Paul has been talking of his ministry as a preacher of the Gospel, the compulsion that he was under to exercise this ministry and the stewardship that God had entrusted to him. Since he supported himself in the work rather than being paid by others to do it, he indicates in our text that he was able to offer the Gospel freely, without charge. We have come a long way from this principle since Paul's day. Turn on the television and listen to those claiming to be the Gospel preachers in this day and age, and you won't have to wait long until you are asked to take out your checkbook. This contemporary Gospel is never offered without a charge, even if it is not called that - even if you are asked to "make a gift" in return for receiving some trinket or article that is worth a fraction of the amount you gave. It all sounds more like the traders in the temple, whom Jesus drove out with a whip (John 2:13-17), than the self-denying Apostle who would never have any man able to say that he had bought the Gospel at a price. But there is another principle underlying the actions of Paul that we need to pay attention to. When the Gospel is preached to fallen man, there is nothing he can contribute towards his salvation. The price has been fully paid by Jesus in His life and in His death upon the cross. The debt that we owed through our sin was so colossal that we could never have paid it, and to think that we could somehow make a meaningful contribution towards our salvation by topping up the merits of the Son of God and the virtue of His perfect life and atoning death is laughable. Today, we rejoice in a Gospel that is a gift from God - salvation freely offered to all who will toss away their own worthless efforts to merit salvation and will lean wholly on what Jesus has done. No money, no deeds, no pilgrimages, no indulgences, no self-righteousness. Listen to the appeal of God through Isaiah: Isaiah 55:1 Ho! Every one who thirsts, come to the waters; And you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk Without money and without cost. And listen to the response that Toplady penned in his famous hymn: Nothing in my hand I bring, Simply to thy cross I cling; Naked, come to thee for dress, Helpless, look to thee for grace; Foul, I to the Fountain fly; Wash me, Saviour, or I die. The Gospel is free from first to last, and is freely offered in all true preaching. That should encourage us to come to every service that we can, to hear again of the free grace of God in our Lord, Jesus Christ!

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