Articles
The Cost of Delivering
I once spoke with the owner of a Little Caesars Pizza. I asked him why their pizza is cheaper than the competition. (I thought that perhaps he would admit that Little Caesars Pizza is cheaper simply because it is not as good as the competition.) He said that their pizza costs less for two reasons. First, they make all their own dough rather than buying it from another source. Second, they do not deliver. Delivery comes with a great cost. There is more risk, insurance, etc.
Delivery comes with a cost. We know this to be true from experience. If you have appliances delivered, there is a cost. If you have a package delivered, there is a cost. And even if you have a pizza delivered, there is a cost. According to the Little Caesars owner, this is because the restaurant also incurs a cost in delivery.
We sometimes use the word deliver to refer to someone who is true to his or her word. “He delivers,” we say. By this, we mean that the individual is trustworthy.
Do we ever think about God as a God who is perfectly true to His word? Romans 1:17 states that “the righteousness of God” is revealed in the gospel. God is a just and righteous God who is true to His word. In the coming of Jesus, we see that God’s word comes to pass. God delivers on His promise.
There is a great cost associated with God delivering on His promise. Namely, the death of His Son. We read in 1 Corinthians 6:20, “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” The cost of redemption is something worth far more than silver or gold, it is “the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:19).
These verses use economic language to help us understand that there is a cost associated with the effects of sin. Romans 6:23 is another example: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” If someone is in debt, it is usually not advised to continue to give and be generous. After all, the person has a debt. The person needs to be making payments.
The economic language of the New Testament is intended to impress upon us a deep truth. I, in my sin, had nothing to pay off the debt which I had incurred through my foolish living. Yet, in that state, God gave me a free gift. Jesus came into the world. To God, it is a great cost. To me, it is a great gift.
This wonderful truth has ramifications for how we live. When we understand that God gave me His very best when I was in an impoverished state, it ought to completely change our lives. This is why we read in 1 Peter 2:24, “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” Jesus died on the tree, so that we might die to sin. Dying to sin can be painful. It can hurt. It can be costly. But the truth is, dying to sin and living to righteousness is the path that leads to true joy and wholeness.
We should be thankful that God delivers on His promises. We should be thankful that a great price was paid. Our thankfulness should be seen, not only in word, but also in deed.
