Former Blackout Artist

“Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “Ye were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God. – Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship

A few months back I rewatched one of my old favorite WW2 movies – Saving Private Ryan. I’ve seen this movie a number of times over the 25+ years since its release, but this time it hit me a little different.

Specifically, the closing scene.

As Private James Ryan (played by Matt Damon) is trying to comfort the dying platoon leader (Captain John Miller – played by Tom Hanks) who had saved his life, Captain Miller whispers his final words to Private Ryan: “Earn this... EARN this.”

The scene then fast-forwards 50 years to an aging James Ryan, standing in front of a small cross in a French cemetery, the very place where Miller was buried all those years ago. He’s there to remember Captain John Miller for giving up his life to save him. He remembers Captain Miller’s final words, “Earn this” and with eyes full of tears, he looks at his wife and says, “Tell me that I’ve lived a good life…. tell me that I’m a good man.”

It’s an incredibly moving scene. It tugs at our heartstrings and compels us to reason that James Ryan indeed came back home after the war and lived the remainder of his life in a manner that was both grateful and worthy of his Captain’s enormous sacrifice. It’s a scene that reminds me of what Jesus said in John’s gospel: “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (15:13). That’s precisely what Jesus did for you and me – He laid down his life so that we might have life everlasting.

How often do we take the time to think about the enormity of such costly grace? How often do we pause to truly consider what it means that Jesus gave His life for us? How often do we reflect on the price paid for our redemption and the calling placed on our lives because of it? Costly grace is not a mere theological concept or an abstract idea. It is a call to respond, to live a life marked by gratitude and commitment to the One who paid the ultimate price.

The words of Captain John Miller to Private Ryan – “Earn this” – echo in our hearts as we ponder the sacrifice of Jesus. But the truth is that Private James Ryan could do nothing to earn such costly grace, and neither can we; we cannot work our way into deserving Christ’s love. What we can do, however, is respond to His grace by living our lives in a way that reflects the depth of our gratitude. We can live in a manner that honors Jesus’ sacrifice, striving to walk in love, humility, obedience, and faithfulness.

Costly grace does not call us to a passive faith. It does not invite us to receive salvation and then live unchanged lives. Instead, it calls us to daily take up our cross and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23). It calls us to love others, to pursue justice, to forgive as we have been forgiven, and to proclaim the good news with boldness and compassion. Costly grace demands that we forsake sin and seek holiness, not as a means of earning God’s favor but as a response to the immeasurable favor we have already been given.

Today, let us remember the One who laid down His life for us. Let us take to heart the price He paid and let it transform the way we live. May we be a people who embody costly grace – grace that transforms, challenges, and calls us to more than a life of comfort. May our lives reflect our Savior’s sacrifice and bring Him glory.

In light of His grace, let us ask ourselves: Have I truly grasped the cost? Am I living a life that reflects the gift given to me? By His grace, may the answer increasingly be “Yes!”