If Something is Free, You are the Product

When I was a child, nobody paid for the entertainment they enjoyed on the radio or on TV. There was no internet, no streaming, no cable or satellite service. You bought the device, the radio or TV, and had access to whatever programming was broadcast in your area. The cost of creating that programming was covered by advertising. With the emergence of the internet, other free services used this same model. A variety of information and social media sites offer access to whoever would like it without charging a subscription fee. Did you ever wonder why anyone would give their product away for free? I did. Some investigation led me to discover the idea first introduced in the 1970s by media theorists that “if it’s free, you are the product”. The idea was that “free” entertainment was provided in exchange for the chance to try to sell you things.

This same idea has been widely discussed in various publications in the 21^st century with much greater opportunities on both sides. We have access to a lot more free content, apps, and services. In exchange, we are allowing ourselves, whether we realize it or not, to be used. Not only are we exposed to endless advertising but also data collection. The sites we use track everything – who are our family and friends, our preferences, hobbies, our buying habits, our wants, our health, our finances, our fears, where we go, what we do, and much more. In a very real sense, you are the product. That data is very valuable to those who collect it. When you click that button to agree to the Terms of Service, you agree to be treated as a product. This is true for just about everything in this world that is free.

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

So what about the free gift of salvation? Is that the same? Absolutely not! Salvation through Jesus Christ is the one thing in this life you can be confident is truly free. How is it different? The difference is love.

For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16

but God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 5:8

In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins
1 John 4:9-10

God offers us the free gift of salvation solely because He loves us. He’s not seeking to exploit us in any way. He doesn’t want to sell us something. He already knows everything there is to know about us and about everything else, so He’s not seeking to collect our data. He doesn’t need us, being completely sufficient all by Himself. He just loves us. And because He loves us, He offers us the opportunity to be part of His family.

But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God
John 1:12

So what’s the catch? How do we earn this gift? You can’t. There is nothing you can ever do to be worthy of it, to earn it, to deserve it. But He gives it anyway to anyone willing to receive it.

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Ephesians 2:8

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved
Romans 2:4-5

If this sounds too good to be true, I understand. But we’re talking about a God who is perfectly good and perfectly true, so it’s understandable that He would not be like anything else in this world you have experienced before. God loves you so much that He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ to live as a man. Jesus taught, suffered, died and was buried. On the third day, God raised Jesus from the grave. He did all that as a free gift for you. I hope you will get to know Him. Not sure? Talk to Him. Tell Him about your questions and doubts. Tell Him you want to accept the free gift He offers. Ask Him to wipe away everything that stands between you and Him. Ask Him to remove your doubts, your fears, your sins, your regrets, whatever is getting in the way of your fully accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Tell Him you need Him. Tell Him you’re sorry for everything you’ve ever done that offended Him. Ask Him to save you. Then watch how He answers.