Salvation is free, yet I must give everything for it

Christianity is full of paradoxes and conundrums. Here is one that has troubled sincere followers of Christ for centuries, and I don't really claim a solution. Yet let's talk about it. According to Ephesians 2:8 and Romans 5:15-18 salvation is the free gift of God, by grace. On the other hand, according to Luke 14:33, Jesus said one must give up all he or she has to be His disciple, and the giving up is a daily thing (compare Luke 14:27 and 9:23). Let us therefore focus on the free gift and let the giving up be directed by the gift.