I sometimes suspect that the Christians I meet are more like estate agents than they are homeowners. Like a good estate agent, they know everything there is to know about the ‘property’ they are advertising. They can talk at great length about God’s love, mercy and grace, and the transforming power of the Gospel. But you somehow feel that they are not actually living in the ‘home’ that they are promoting, or that if they are then they are renting from a rather grumpy landlord with a liking for evictions.
A friend of mine was recently bought a new home by a benefactor, so that he can continue his work. It is a beautiful home with all the space and every facility that he could possibly need. His generous benefactor has also committed to paying every bill for the next few years while he gets established. The only thing my friend must do is move and start enjoying living there.
This is the Gospel of Grace in a nutshell – a new life provided completely free of charge, that we cannot earn and could never pay for. It’s time for those in the church who are trying to save for a deposit or striving to pay rent, to move in and start living!