Philippians 2:12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,
Before money was introduced as a legal tender, there was the barter trade which involved the exchange of goods and services between parties as a means of trading. So if I had something I didn’t need and you had something I urgently needed and vice versa, we could exchange those goods and that would be the price we pay for what we want. Everything about life is such that for all the things we desire, a price must be paid. This takes me to my economics class a few years back, where we were taught the concept of opportunity cost. It just means that for every choice we make over another thing, there is something we are missing out on. So, for instance, if I choose to sleep for 10 hours, there is a potential benefit I’m going to miss just because of that decision. There are many other things I could have done with that time.
This is the same for the Christian walk and everything that has to do with our salvation. Inasmuch as salvation is free, the opening scripture makes a point that this free salvation must be worked out. This working out is a price to be paid. We are to work out our salvation not because it is based on our works but to align our actions with our new nature. If any man is in Christ, he is a new creature. Once he is now a new creature, he must begin to do things differently so that it aligns with his new nature. Because the new man must do things differently, that’s an opportunity cost. In choosing one thing, he is losing another thing. Let’s look at some scriptures to support this.
Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. This means you can’t have both life and death. One would have to give way to the other. Colossians 1:13 For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves. From darkness to light means once you choose light, darkness has no place so the choice of one prevents you from experiencing the other.
There is always an exchange for every decision we make and by taking one thing, we lose something. By accepting Jesus as Lord over our lives, there is going to be a loss to some extent. There are things we can no longer do, say, wear or think about. See what Paul says in Philippians 3:8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ. There is an exchange here, He lost something but gained another thing.
Jesus paid a price for our redemption. Isaiah 53:5 But 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. If even Jesus paid a price, why don’t we have to also pay a price? See the exchanges here: He took our transgressions so we wouldn’t be wounded, took our iniquities to replace bruises, and had stripes so we are healed. John 1:12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. This means once a person makes the choice to receive Him, they are given something. They lose the old nature but gain the right to become a child of God. Why am I saying all these things?
To every promise and blessing in scripture, there is a part we have to play in its fulfillment. As humans, we are always ready to claim blessings without looking out for what needs to be done. We want to be all that we hope for but lose sight of the price that must be paid.
Until you pay the price, you are not getting the prize.
In Matthew 20:20, the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus for a favor. She wanted a place on the right and left hand of Jesus in heaven for her sons but Jesus asked if they could drink from the cup He has to drink. In other words, ” Are you ready to go through what I must go through to enjoy that glory?” Jesus went through humiliation through death on a cross so he could have a name above all other names. We see great people and all we see is what they look like at that moment. We never get to see the sacrifices, failures, and struggles. If you see anyone doing something you admire, they have sacrificed. They lost something so they could gain another thing.
Many Christians are of the view that once you are in Christ, don’t do anything. Jesus has paid the price so we must sit down and do nothing. Anytime you pay for something, you value and take good care of it but if you get it without any sacrifice, the tendency to keep it well is low. A major part of life is making sacrifices. It also includes our walk with God. The truth is that you would not always feel like praying, studying the Word, giving, going to church, or fasting but you do it regardless. If we rely on just feelings to do things in our walk with God and even life in general, we’d be doomed. Many of the things that are good for us are not easy to do consistently. Feelings are fickle and we must act whether we feel like it or not. One thing I have realized is that anytime I don’t feel like doing something that would help me and make me better, the moment I begin to do it, my flesh gives up and when I’m done, I feel great.
Note that for anything you want to become, there is a price to pay. It’s an exchange because you lose something to gain another. No pain, No gain. The higher the risk, the greater the return.
The magnitude of the price you pay for a thing determines the potential benefits that can be derived from that thing.
The Word In Clarity 