Last Wednesday, a sermon by Pastor Timothy Swenson of the Institute for Lutheran Theology reminded me of an acronym I hadn’t heard in decades: TANSTAAFL, or “There Ain’t No Such Thing as a Free Lunch.”
TANSTAAFL goes back at least to the 1930s, when American saloons sometimes offered a “free lunch” to entice customers to come in and drink. The lunch wasn’t really free; the customer paid for it, as the saloon recouped its costs through higher liquor prices. Others used TANSTAAFL to protest the New Deal’s welfare programs, arguing that the government wasn’t giving “free” handouts and subsidies; the taxpayers had to cover the costs.
Science fiction writer Robert Heinlein popularized the term in his book “The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress,”which focused on free-market economics and voluntary associations. But it became well-known in conservative and free-market circles in 1975 when economist Milton Friedman published his groundbreaking book, “There’s No Such Thing as a Free Lunch,”in which he explained that when one opportunity is taken, others are lost, and ultimately, someone always pays.
Sadly, our society doesn’t seem to comprehend this principle. If they do, they don’t care. Candidates for public office try to out-crazy each other by promising endless giveaways to their constituents, while voters choose the candidate promising the most free stuff, forgetting that somebody – the taxpayer – must pay the bill. I’m a huge fan of low taxes, but not at the expense of fiscal responsibility. Huge deficits merely pass on the costs to future generations.
But TANSTAAFL is broader than economics, applying to almost every area of life. There’s a downside to everything. If you have cancer, you consider chemotherapy or radiation. These might save your life, but they can have devastating effects on your body. So it’s a trade-off; you decide whether the cure outweighs the side effects. Nothing is free. Ultimately, someone pays. Our responsibility is to make the best trade-offs and make sure the right person pays.
But why would Pastor Swenson preach about TANSTAAFL, especially at Christmastime? At first, he seemed to say that the grace of God given to us through Jesus Christ is an exception to the TANSTAAFL principle, because Christ is, so to speak, giving us a free lunch. For that’s what grace is – unmerited favor, God’s gift to us. If we could contribute in any way to our salvation, then by definition it would not be grace. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).
Theologians sometimes denounce the idea of “cheap grace,” a watered-down Christianity that offers salvation without demanding true repentance, discipleship, or a transformed life. Asked whether I believe in cheap grace, I answer that I believe in free grace – “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31).
But grace wasn’t free for God. It cost Him the life of His Son, Jesus Christ. Our Lord is a God of love and mercy, but He is also a God of holiness, righteousness and justice. We are sinners, and the punishment for sin is death (Genesis 2:17; Ezekiel 16:20; Romans 6:23).
And here’s where grace comes into the picture. Christ, the infinite Man, the Son of God, bore our sins in his own body on the tree (I Peter 2:24). He actually “became sin for us” (II Corinthians 5:21):
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him: and with his stripes we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5-6)
So our debt of sin has been canceled, written off, and the books are clean. But that’s not because God is a soft sugar daddy who loves and forgives. It’s because our debt of sin has been paid in full by the blood of Christ on Calvary’s cross. TANSTAAFL! Even our salvation is bought with a price!
Because Christ has paid for our sins, we may be saved for all eternity by trusting in Him: “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
And it all began in that manger in Bethlehem. Were it not for Christmas, Good Friday could never have happened. But were it not for Good Friday, Christmas would be nothing more than a sweet story about a nice baby.
So, TANSTAAFL! But have a Merry Christmas, through God’s grace!
Colonel Eidsmoe serves as Professor of Constitutional Law for the Oak Brook College of Law & Government Policy (obcl.edu), as Senior Counsel for the Foundation for Moral Law (morallaw.org), and as Pastor of Woodland Presbyterian Church (woodlandpca.org) of Notasulga, Ala. He may be contacted for speaking engagements at [email protected].
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