Grace cannot be earned or it’s not grace anymore. Besides who could afford the great price of grace? Dietrich Bonhoeffer compares cheap grace (grace without a price) with costly grace (grace that cost the blood of God’s Son). He writes, “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”

Some have accused “grace preachers” of preaching a message of “easy forgiveness” or “cheap grace.” However, grace is not cheap. Grace cost God His Son. Grace cost Jesus His life. Grace was so expensive it took the lifeblood of a Savior to pay for it. Paul did not preach “cheap Grace.” He preached the Gospel of Grace. We are to preach the Gospel that Paul preached.

Grace is not cheap, it costs the blood of Jesus.

Grace is not cheap, it cost God the life of His only Son.

Grace is not cheap, it requires a high price, paid in blood.

Those who say “don’t preach cheap grace,” do not have a full understanding of how important God’s grace is.

Since we have been recipients of God’s amazing grace, we must not cheapen it with a casual return to sin or a casual attitude to the effects of sin. Sin always has a price. We are blessed that Jesus paid the price with his own blood when He died on the cross, but we must not treat his great sacrifice casually. Expensive grace is what Jesus gives to us and thus we should value you because it is so valuable.