And in Him, having heard and believed the word of truth—the gospel of your salvation—you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit

— Ephesians 1:13

You were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

— 1 Corinthians 6:20

… because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.

— Revelation 5:9b

and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

— Ephesians 5:2

I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

— Galatians 2:20

Thoughts on Today’s Reading

Grace, mercy and salvation from Christ to you.

The gospel is not about inviting or asking Jesus to come into your life or heart. The proper response to the gospel is simply to believe in Christ and His work, that He died for your sins and rose again. You are not saved by begging, inviting or persuading Christ to come into your life. The moment you believe Jesus Christ died for your sins and rose again, you receive eternal life as a totally free gift. At the moment, you are placed into union with Christ and the Holy Spirit comes to live inside of you.

The gospel is not about making a commitment to Christ or giving your life, your heart or anything else to God in exchange for eternal life. The gospel of salvation is a good news that Christ gave Himself for our sins, dying for us as our substitute on Calvary. We don’t give ourselves to God; He gave Himself for us. God does not accept anything whatsoever from you in exchange for salvation. We make no contribution or payment in exchange for salvation. From beginning to end, salvation is a totally free gift, given to us by God’s grace alone when we believe.