You said If you have to ask, is it really free? What an interesting distinction some Protestants make between what is and is not a "work.
"15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
16 And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
17 For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)
18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.
Yea, we Protestants are a strange bunch...We believe that if someone offers you a Free Gift, that's means it's Free...Calling out, "Hey, I'll take one of those free Salvation Packages doesn't take any work at all...
Nice try, but, no cigar...
But you don't know why it's free, do you...I'll tell you...Because there is nothing, absolutely nothing you can do to qualify for God's Holy Salvation...If it wasn't given freely, you nor I could qualify...
One of the reasons Calvinism is so hard-core about predestination to hell and heaven is because it tries to address this paradox.