An offer no one can afford to refuse

While I was preaching one Sunday, I pulled out a ten-dollar bill and said, “Whoever comes up here first will get ten dollars.” How would you have responded?

To my surprise, nobody took me up on the offer. Maybe they thought it wasn’t worth the effort, or they were too ashamed to admit they needed the money.

There were no lasting consequences for the people who walked away from my offer that Sunday. But every day, tens of thousands of people die without accepting the greatest offer in the world: God’s free gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. The consequences of walking away from this deal are eternal.

Why do so many people walk away from God’s offer of salvation? Do they wake up one day and say, “You know, I’d really like to go to hell when I die”? Of course not! There are a few people who angrily reject God, but most people simply neglect the gospel.

That’s why the writer of Hebrews said, “We must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it. . . . How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (2:1, 3).

Let me point out three phrases in this passage that are important for you to apply in your own life and share as you witness to friends and family who haven’t taken up God’s incredible offer.

1. “We must pay much closer attention.” In Greek, this phrase pictures tying up a ship to its moorings. Imagine a fisherman pulls up to the dock but doesn’t tie up his boat. In the same way, it’s not enough to admire the message of salvation; we need to tie up to it. We have to grab hold of it for ourselves.

Not only do you and I need to make sure we’ve grabbed hold of salvation, but we must remember the same is true for our children and grandchildren. They are not saved through our faith. Nobody is “grandfathered” into this deal. If your child or grandchild says, “I grew up in church, but I’m not sure what I believe anymore,” don’t panic. Questioning is normal as they move from accepting your faith to embracing their own faith. Instead, you can share how you have resolved doubts about God and point them toward resources that can help them tie up to the gospel.

2. “So that we do not drift away.” This is another nautical term, referring to a ship that misses the harbor due to the sailors’ inattention.

Some people become attracted to the gospel during times of upheaval in their lives. They turn to Jesus, and they seem to be all-in. But when their circumstances improve or their schedules get busy, their interest in the things of God wanes. They become distracted, and they drift away without truly accepting His offer of salvation.

Now is the time to make sure we and the people we love haven’t drifted by the only way of salvation without anchoring to the truth—not tomorrow, when it may be too late, but today.

3. “So great a salvation.” Remember what makes God’s offer of salvation so great:

• There is no cost to receive it. Revelation 22:17 says, “Let the one who wishes take the water of life without cost.”

• There are no conditions. God grants us salvation forever—Romans 11:29 says, “The gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

• There are no constraints. Colossians 2:13 says God has “forgiven us all our transgressions.” There is no sin too big for God to forgive.

This is the best deal anyone will ever get—one without cost, conditions, or constraints. Together, may we boldly and faithfully share God’s incredible offer of salvation with family, friends, and the world!