Salvation vs. Discipleship

​When the church was born in Acts 2 its leaders were unified in their beliefs.  The Apostles all held to the same doctrinal foundation.   As Paul put it in Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
 
A lot has changed since then.  Instead of unity we have numerous denominations, each having their own belief statements.  There is little agreement on the doctrinal categories Paul listed in Ephesians 4.  These disagreements are not trivial because what you get wrong will impact your life forever.  Jesus Christ gave His life so people could receive everlasting life and go to heaven when they die.  You get that wrong and you end up in the Lake of Fire (hell) for all eternity.   You don’t believe in hell?  Well, Jesus Christ did and He is the only one who ever died and came back to tell us about what lies beyond. 
 
The Bible says that everlasting life is a gift from God.  Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  And we all need that gift because we’ve all sinned.   Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.”  We receive the gift of everlasting life when we believe in Jesus Christ as the giver who wants us to have it.  John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”  That is how He put it to the Samaritan women in John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
 
However, not everyone sticks to that script when explaining the Gospel.  Maybe you’ve heard the expression “Salvation is free, but it will cost you everything.”  How can that be true?  The statement is self-contradictory on its face.   Others add things like repent of your sins to believe in Jesus Christ or say you must make Him Lord of your life.  Those added conditions, if true, mean everlasting life is not free.  There are others who say if believing in Jesus Christ is the only condition for receiving the gift that somehow cheapens it. 
 
Actually, something can be free and expensive at the same time.  The gift of everlasting life certainly is.  It cost Jesus Christ His life to purchase it for us.  He owns it so He can and will give to anyone He wishes at no cost.  His wish is to give to everyone who will believe Him for it.  So, where does repentance and service to our Lord come in?  It is the price of discipleship not everlasting life.  Being a disciple is a choice open to anyone, but it is best to first believe in Jesus Christ for everlasting life.  Check out John 8:31 & 32 and see where Christ says everlasting life and discipleship are not the same.