The Entrance Plaza: A Free Gift of Admission

A few weeks ago, we looked at the Entrance Plaza, and what it takes to gain admission to Disneyland (spoiler: a Disneyland admission ticket/annual pass). Just as Disney can set the admission requirements and prices for Disneyland because they created it and they own it, it makes sense sense in the same way that God can set the “admission requirements” for Heaven, since He created everything. Of course, the Good News is that God didn’t set extremely difficult, burdensome requirements and then tell us all, “Good luck!” And that’s where we find ourselves today.

If you’re at Disneyland, there could be a problem. You know which admission media you want. You know it needs to be for Disneyland, not somewhere else. But you can’t afford it. After all, it’s more than $75 for a one-day, one-park ticket, and just over $100 for a park hopper. (Which is actually still a pretty good value given what you get, but that’s neither here nor there right now.) Even knowing what you need to get into Disneyland, it may be difficult—maybe even impossible for some families.

That’s a problem no one has to have with becoming a Christian. We’ll get to that in a minute.

Now, imagine you’re at the ticket booth, and you don’t have enough money for a ticket. At that moment, John Lasseter—or, better—Bob Iger, the Walt Disney Company CEO—comes up and says, “Don’t worry, I’ve got it covered,” and he offers you a premium annual pass. All you have to do is follow him over to Guest Services and take it. {DISCLAIMER: This does not actually happen, just go with the story.}

Would you tell Bob, “No, thanks, I’m fine.” But you know you’re not. You have no way to get in without that gift. Or would you say, “Why should I have to go to Guest Services with you? I want you to give it to me right here!” You’re being offered a gift, but you won’t accept it because of the conditions. Then you’re not going to get it.

Really imagine yourself in this scenario. You’re at Disneyland. You’ve dreamed of going here since you were a child and for a long time you didn’t know if you’d ever get to, but now you’re there! Unfortunately, for whatever reason, you don’t have the money for a ticket. Let’s say you almost have enough, but not quite. You’re just $10 short. You’re heartbroken. So close you can see it, and yet you can’t get in. And then Bob Iger comes up and offers you a premium annual pass, if you’ll just walk with him over to Guest Services and pick it up.

Would you do it? Or would you complain that you can’t get in your way?

There’s a bit more to it than that, but really, that’s what God has done for us.

Romans 6:23 says, “… the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

Ephesians 2:8 says, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God…”.

There’s no way to buy our way into Heaven, and no way to earn our way into Heaven. Eternal life is the gift of God. But free and without condition don’t mean the same thing. The condition doesn’t make it any less free, or any less valuable.

In our hypothetical story Bob Iger offers the free annual pass, but with the condition that you walk over to Guest Relations with him to pick it up. If you don’t do what he says to do in order to get it, you don’t get it. You choose to refuse to accept the gift.

God offers us eternal life, but with the condition that we believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. If we don’t do that, we choose to refuse to accept His gift.

Have you accepted His condition, and received His gift of eternal life to you?