A Free Gift :)

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Do you pay for a Gift? Absolutely not. Somebody has paid for it so it's Free! A Gift is a form of  gratitude, appreciation, it is given as a tribute to an important person. Same with Salvation. Somebody has already paid for it and that's Jesus Christ . Remember the shed-blood of Jesus on the cross?  We have all sinned, and the penalty had to be paid in order for God to be "Just" -- Jesus Christ has paid that penalty.

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6-7)

To be saved by sin is a gift that is free from merit. And it is critical to understand that we cannot save ourselves. Even good things we do, -- our "works" cannot free us from salvation likewise even if you're the most intelligent, or riches person in the world these will not save you, nor  I.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

So what is the gift of God called Grace?

• God's Grace is getting what you don't deserve
• God's Mercy is when he does not give us what we deserve.
• God's Justice is when He gives us what we deserved.
(here's a sample scenario)

The foundation of our faith is Jesus death and Resurrection that's what paid the penalty for our sins. We must realized that we are sinners without excuse (Romans 11:20) and that it is only through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ that we can be saved.

Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. (Romans 11:20)

In Ephesians 2, Apostle Paul emphasied that those who receive this Gift of God do not deserve this blessings. But because our God is King of glory He is full of Grace and Mercy and He love us so much that He gave His one and only Son, Jesus, who lived a sinless life and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins.

among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ — by grace you have been saved — and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

As a result of God's work in Jesus, we are a new people with a new heart and a new Lord. Better stop trusting in yourself and your own good works & start trusting in Christ alone for Salvation

So is it really not possible to be saved by the good things we do --  our works? So how we are save again? We are saved by the Grace of god, through faith. (Ephesians 2:8)

If God does not save us because of things we do, then why does he save us? God is merciful. Because of his mercy that's why we are saved.

But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:4-5)

I'm already saved! Why should I do good works then?

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2:8)

Yes! It is true that God love us just the way we are, BUT God doesn't want us to be the same.

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, (Titus 2:11, 12)

The grace of God simply not spared us from the punishment we deserve but the Grace of God also give us the power to say "no" to sin.

Salvation is "free to you and me" in the sense that Jesus bought our release from sin through His blood . Nothing we can do could ever "pay" for sin. It took our sinless Savior to redeem us from the bondage of sin. That is the "free" I am referring to when I refer to salvation as "God's free gift", that is, free for us, because Jesus paid the price.