Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
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From a sermon by Preacher Clark, late 1969
Taken from Gary’s CD-21, Tracks 3 & 6
Solomon said, “Buy the truth, and sell it not.” Later, Isaiah prophesied, “Every one who thirsts, come to the waters! And he who has no money, come and buy! Yes, come and buy without money and without price.” The gospel is free, but everyone who is in the kingdom of God has paid a price for it. Preacher Clark said it this way: “You’re going to pay for the truth. It’s going to cost you everything you ever hoped to be, and you ever could have been, or ever wanted to have been. Paul counted all [he ever had or wanted] as dung” for the gospel. He paid a heavy price in the sense of losing his status and great reputation among his religious associates. The gospel is freely given, but if you do not pay for it, then it will never be given to you.
Later in the same sermon, Preacher Clark added, “Your relatives may not like for you to be in [Christ]. They will say, ‘You don’t have to throw yourself away.’ Did they ever tell you that? They used to tell me that. They said, ‘You don’t have to throw yourself away just because you get into holiness.’ Oh, but I say, yes you do have to throw yourself away!”
This is the real price of the gospel: yourself. Your hopes must be swallowed up by God’s one hope. Your opinions must be demolished by God’s one faith. Your unclean spirit must be consumed by God’s one holy Ghost and fire. The price for our obtaining the free gospel of Christ is ourselves.
David said, “Every man at his best state is altogether vanity.” This is true. Every human, even the best one of them all, is vain and void of the knowledge of God. So, all things considered, to trade God your life for His is a very cheap price to pay. So cheap in fact that the gospel can be rightly described as freely given, no matter who you are when you give yourself for it.