“Salvation is a free gift from God to all people”
That is the first line of our church’s belief statement on the subject of salvation, which was the topic of our youth study last night. As I read that line, one teen asked, “But how can you say salvation is for all people if we believe that some people are never saved from their sin?”
Herein lies the issue which people often get confused about. When you mistakenly believe that salvation is only offered to a select few, you view God as a mean, unfair, vengeful God who damns people to hell. And since you have no interest in worshiping a terrible God like that, you write him off and decide to do this journey of life on your own.
But what if you understood that salvation is an amazing gift wrapped up in a gift bag with your name on it? God has paid an undeniably high price for that gift which he now offers to you and every other person who has ever lived. He is not a mean God, choosing who to condemn, but instead is a gracious God offering a gift of peace even to those who are at war with him. If you believed that about Him, would you not see his great love for you, even before you loved him? And then, what on earth would stop you from receiving that gift and opening it up.
And inside you would find the free gift of salvation God makes available to all people.
So the big question isn’t, “How could God be so mean to offer salvation only to a few?”
Instead, the question is, “Why are you choosing not to accept and receive this amazing gift God has given to you?”
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