Direct Answer
God is the generous giver of a gift no one can pay for or deserve, and as the giver He has the right to say how it is received and lived. The steps of receiving do not turn the gift into wages.
Support from the Message
- Every bit of the money for the house came from Daniel's father-in-law, and the family neither paid for it nor deserved it. - They still had to believe he was serious, look for a place, go to the right offices, and sign the paperwork. - At the end they marveled at the gift and made no claim to have earned it. - Daniel applies this to salvation: eternal life, new bodies, and a world without sin can never be earned. - Faith, repentance, and baptism are named as conditions of receiving the gift.
Discussion Follow-up
Where have you assumed that any condition on a gift must turn it into a payment? How does the house story change the way you think about that?