What does it mean to give freely? The Lord Jesus said, "And I give to them eternal life" (John 10:28). Eternal life is given to us by God. Once I went to buy something at a friend's shop. He and I know each other very well, so he would not take money from me. He said that he would give me the item I wanted. I could not persuade him to take the money, yet he insisted that I take the item. In the same way, God says that He will give us eternal life. He did not say it only to come back and check on it. He did not say that it would be ours if we do good and that He would take it back if we do not do good. I do not mean that Christians should not have good works. I hate loose living, but this has nothing to do with my salvation. Hallelujah! Salvation is given to us; it is not bought by us. However, we should not despise good works. Good works are related to the kingdom reward, to the crown or punishment, but they have nothing to do with salvation. If salvation is of grace, the question of the future is out.
Romans 6:23 says, "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." What is a free gift? A free gift is a present. I cannot send a present to your house, and then later send you a bill for it. If it is a present, it is given absolutely free and cannot be changed.
Therefore, grace is not related to your past wrongdoings, your present achievements, or your future responsibility. If it is related to your future responsibility, it is not grace; it is a purchase on credit instead. Thank God that eternal life is not a purchase on credit. It is a gift. Thank the Lord that eternal life is God's gift in His Son Jesus Christ.
Since salvation is given to us by God, we must remember one thing after we are saved: salvation is obtained strictly through believing, and it is preserved apart from our faithfulness. Therefore, the condition for preserving our salvation is the same as the condition for obtaining salvation. Since salvation is obtained freely it is also preserved freely. Thank God that because the obtaining of salvation is free the preserving of salvation is likewise eternally free.
At the end of the book of Revelation, after the new heaven, the new earth, the kingdom, the lake of fire, Satan's end, and the great white throne have all been covered, the Bible says, "Let him who wills take the water of life freely" (22:17b). Thank the Lord that He has purposely put taking freely of the water of life at the end of chapter twenty-two. After we have seen the lake of fire, the second death, Satan's end, the kingdom, the new heaven and the new earth, we may fear that God would harden His heart again; but after all these things, God purposely stated that the water of life is free. There is no charge for it. Thank the Lord that we have grace through Jesus Christ, and that this grace is free. It is not related to our responsibility.