Here
in the United States, we’ve been on a bottled water binge for a number of
years. Even though most people have a safe supply of water that is free and
readily available from faucets and drinking fountains, they still purchase
bottled water. Choosing to pay for something that I can enjoy at no cost
doesn’t make sense to me, but some people believe that a product they pay for
is superior to anything they receive free.
This
sometimes carries over into our spiritual lives. Some struggle to accept that
salvation is a gift. They want to do something to earn it. The problem is, no
one can afford it. The price of salvation is perfection (Matt. 19:21), and
Jesus is the only person who could pay the price (Rom. 5:18). To anyone who
thirsts, He promises to “give of the fountain of the water of life freely”
(Rev. 21:6).
Some people try to purchase the living water of salvation with good deeds and charitable donations. Although these are forms of spiritual service valued by God, they are not what God requires for the forgiveness of our sin. Jesus already paid the price by dying in our place, and He offers to quench our spiritual thirst when we drink freely from God’s fountain that will never run dry.
