The Priceless Cost of A Single Soul

God’s Price For Your Salvation

1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Have You Counted The Cost

There are few truths in Scripture more humbling than these words: “ye are bought with a price.” The Holy Spirit of God does not say that you have improved yourself, earned your way back to God, or purchased your own redemption. He says that you were bought. Salvation is not something you accomplish; it is something God has accomplished for you.

This truth is meant to destroy both pride and despair. Pride is silenced because you cannot claim yourself as your own master when Christ has redeemed you. Despair is overcome because your value is revealed in the immeasurable price Jesus Christ was willing to pay for you. The cross demonstrates both the seriousness of sin and the depth of God’s love. Christ did not purchase something worthless; He gave Himself to redeem those who were spiritually lost and unable to save themselves.

The Implications of Ownership

“therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Your body is no longer your own to do with as you please. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit. The vessel through which you walk, work, speak, and act belongs to Jesus Christ. This extends beyond the spiritual realm it touches the physical: your eating, your sexuality, your rest, your labor, your leisure. Every bodily action is to reflect the holiness of the One who purchased you.

Your spirit, too that innermost essence of your being, your conscience, your will, your worship belongs to God. Your thoughts are His to guide. Your affections are His to redirect. Your desires are His to sanctify. There is no compartment of your existence that remains yours to manage independently.

Salvation Cost You Nothing

Listen closely: You have been purchased at an infinite cost, and that cost demands a response from you right now. Not tomorrow, not when you feel more spiritually ready but today.

If you have never been born again, never experienced that moment when you accepted the completed work of Jesus Christ, then you cannot truly glorify God, no matter how hard you try or how moral you appear. The only way to glorify God is through the rebirth that comes when you repent of your unbelief and obey the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Transformed Mind of the Believer

But if you have been born again, then awaken to what you truly are: purchased property of the King of kings, Jesus Christ the Son of the Blessed, indwelt by His Spirit, called to glorify Him in every dimension of your being body, soul, and spirit. Let that truth transform how you live. You are not your own. You belong to God. And that is the greatest privilege and the deepest source of purpose you could ever know.

A Sinner's Reflection

Pride Vs. Humility

Luke 18:13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner

Two Men Go To Pray

Jesus paints a sharp, unforgettable contrast between two men who go up to the temple to pray: a respected, highly religious man, pious, zealous, legalistic and he is present with a despised, outcast, dishonest, Roman collaborator. By "standing afar off" and refusing to "lift up his eyes," he acknowledges a spiritual truth: in the presence of a holy God, the sinner is acutely aware of their own inadequacy. He does not attempt to bridge the gap with excuses or a list of good deeds. Instead, his act of "smiting his breast" is a manifestation of contrition; a heart broken by the weight of its own failings. He recognizes that there is no leverage he can use to negotiate with the God the Father.

The Plea for Mercy

The core of the passage lies in the phrase, "God be merciful to me a sinner." This is not a request for justice, for justice would result in condemnation. It is a plea for mercy; the decision to withhold a deserved punishment and instead provide an undeserved blessing.

The publican understands that God’s mercy is not a reward for the righteous, but a rescue for the ruined. While the Pharisee in the preceding verses praised himself for his adherence to the law, the publican offers nothing but his need. In doing so, he creates the only space in which mercy can operate. God’s mercy is most powerfully activated not when we present our achievements, but when we present our emptiness.

Unlike the Pharisee, who presents a ledger of his own achievements, the publican brings absolutely nothing to the table except his desperate need. He does not point to any good works, family lineage, or religious rituals. He strips away all pretense and appeals strictly to the character of God. In doing so, he reveals the beautiful truth of the gospel: God’s mercy is not earned; it is a gift freely given to those who recognize their bankruptcy before Him.

The Response

The beauty of this passage is that the publican’s honesty becomes his justification. God does not overlook the sin, but He responds to the humility. The mercy requested is granted because the sinner has stopped pretending to be holy. By admitting he is "a sinner," the publican ceases his war against God and accepts his total dependence on Him. This demonstrates that the doorway to salvation is not a ladder of moral ascent, but a valley of obedience and humility.

Honesty About Sin

You might believe that your mistakes have exhausted the patience of Heaven or that you are the one exception to the rule of grace. But look again at the publican. He didn't need to find the right words, climb a mountain, or scrub his soul clean before he approached God; he only had to be honest about his sin.

Your sin is not a barrier to God's mercy; it is the very thing that makes His mercy necessary and available to you. Right now, in the midst of your shame, there is a love that does not recoil from your scars or judge your failures. Salvation isn't a trophy for the perfect; it is a lifeline thrown to the drowning. You don't have to earn your way back. You cannot outrun your failures, nor can you build a high enough tower of good deeds to reach a holy God. Jesus has already paid what you could never pay, suffered what you could never endure, and risen so that your guilt can be gone and your soul made new. 

Today, mercy is waiting for you; won’t you accept the free gift of salvation today…

Stop Serving the Crowd. Start Serving Christ

Do You Serve the Lord?

Colossians 3:23 And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
24 Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Service with humility: The passage encourages you to do everything you do "heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men" (Colossians 3:23). This means that when you work or serve others, you should do so with a genuine and willing heart, as if you are doing it directly for the Lord.

Inheritance From the Lord

The phrase "ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance" is the assurance that God recognizes and values your service. The image of  an inheritance points to a deeper, spiritual goal—one that transcends any earthly rewards because it is given by the Lord Jesus Christ. This inheritance signifies a share in the blessings and life that God has prepared for His people and you.

Liberating Message

In essence, the passage encourages you to approach your daily tasks and interactions with a mindset of service to the Lord, rather than just focusing on human approval or dreaded duty. By doing so, you can experience the joy and fulfillment that comes from serving Christ, and look forward to receiving your heavenly reward.

Thus, your Christian service should never be driven by circumstance, but by conviction; not sustained by recognition, but by promise; and not aimed at men, but at Christ—who is both the One you serve now and the One who will reward you for your faithful service.

Away In a Manger 

1 Away in a manger, no crib for a bed, the little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head; the stars in the sky looked down where he lay, the little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay. 

2 The cattle are lowing, the Baby awakes, but little Lord Jesus, no crying he makes. I love thee, Lord Jesus, look down from the sky and stay by my side until morning is nigh. 

 3 Be near me, Lord Jesus; I ask thee to stay close by me forever, and love me, I pray.  Bless all the dear children in thy tender care, and fit us for heaven, to live with thee there.

Sin Exchanged For Salvation

From Sin to Holiness

Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin 

Your Clear Account

This verse speaks to a fundamental principle of grace and redemption. To impute means to attribute or reckon something to someone's account. In this context, it refers to God's act of not charging you with sin specifically after you have accepted the free gift of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Ghost elaborates on this concept in Romans 4:6-8, quoting the psalm and explaining how righteousness is reckoned apart from works. He emphasizes that this blessing comes through faith, not through maintaining a set of rules, or being really good, or perfect law-keeping.

Imputation of Righteousness

The counterpoint to non-imputation of sin is the imputation of righteousness. This means that not only are sins not counted against you when you believe, but Christ's perfect righteousness is actually credited to your account. It's a divine exchange where your sinfulness is replaced with Christ's righteousness.

Summation

The psalmist’s proclamation that “the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin” is blessed underscores a foundational biblical principle: righteousness is bestowed not by human achievement but by Jesus Christ completed work, “it is finished” put to your credit. When God chooses to forgo counting sin against you, He simultaneously imputes righteousness, granting you a status of justified before Him. This holy accounting forms the basis for the believer’s assurance of standing justified before God.