Salvation: A Better Deal than Cash Back
If you’ve been watching any television at all over the last few months, you’ve seen the latest Discover cash back debit card ad campaign called “Especially for Everyone.” The commercials feature Jennifer Coolidge, an award-winning actress who plays a flighty blonde. She believes she’s getting special treatment because Discover is giving her cash back on her monthly debit card purchases.
In the commercial that launched the campaign, she’s sitting in a diner having lunch with a fellow named Thomas. He wants her to use her Discover Card to pay, but she continues to chatter about how Thomas is such a good listener. Thomas makes her feel special, just like Discover makes her feel special by offering her cash back on her debit card. Then Thomas tells her that Discover offers everyone cash back on their debit cards. The news shocks her. “Everyone? What about Debbie John? All those years I couldn’t find my bike and it was in her garage. Even she gets it?” Thomas confirms that even Debbie John gets it if she has Discover cash back.
We’ve just celebrated Easter Sunday, where we remember the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. The gospel is simply this: “Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead.” He came to earth to live the perfect life we could never live. His perfect life qualified Him to be the sacrifice God demands for sin. Then He died on the cross in our place, to pay the penalty we owe. When we believe in Jesus as our Savior, God attributes our sin to Jesus. He gives us Jesus’ perfect righteousness. He forgives our sin, reconciles us to Himself, and gives us eternal life. That’s the best deal ever. And like Discover’s cash back debit card deal, it’s available to everyone.
Everyone? Yes, everyone. The shocking good news of the gospel is that Jesus offers His gift of salvation to even the worst of us, to every Debbie John of the world. Perhaps the most shocking news is that He offers this salvation to you and to me. God will save anyone, no matter what we have done, if we simply trust in Jesus for our salvation. To get a Discover cash back debit card, you can easily complete an application online. I haven’t applied, but I’m sure it’s very simple. To trust in Jesus for salvation is even easier. You only need to admit that you are a sinner who has fallen short of God’s perfect standard of perfection. You tell God that you receive Jesus as your Savior, and God instantly forgives your sin, and makes you a member of His family.
It's way better than cash back on debit card purchases. It’s Jesus buying your life back from God’s wrath against your sin. The rewards never expire. They last for all eternity.