The Indescribable Gift

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“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15).

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What can possibly make a gift indescribable? Since all human presents can be described, it is clear that the only thing that can make a gift indescribable is that it has to have something of God mixed with it.

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The Nature of God’s Gift

When Paul speaks of Jesus as God’s “indescribable gift” it is evident that he is not merely toying with words or exaggerating. Why is the gift of God beyond description? There are several reasons, and the first is the nature of the gift itself. The gift is Christ. So in order to fully describe this gift, we must be able to fully describe who Jesus is and what He has done for our salvation. Think of the difficulties involved in unfolding just that first part: who Jesus is. Jesus described Himself as being one with God the Father, and the Scripture everywhere testifies to that fact. Even His name, Jesus, means “Jehovah saves.” Immanuel means “God with us.”

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If Jesus is God, we cannot describe Him because God Himself is indescribable. Can we say what it means for God to be self-existent, having no origins, and being beyond the full range of human discovery? Can we say what it means for Him to be self-sufficient, needing nobody? Can we understand what it means to be a spirit or to be “infinite, eternal, and unchangeable”? The nature and work of the Lord Jesus Christ are beyond our full understanding, and therefore also beyond our powers of description.

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The Grace of God’s Gift

The gift of God is also indescribable because of the grace by which it is given. Most of our gifts have nothing to do with grace. We give because the recipients of our gifts have some claim upon us: they are members of our family, people who have helped us in some way, or individuals who gave to us last year. But the great gift of Christ is granted not to God’s friends, but to His enemies, to those who in their sins have risen up against God and declared war against the Almighty. “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

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The Effects of God’s Gift

The gift of God accomplishes all this and more in those who believe:

First, Jesus brings forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of God’s grace. This means removal of sin so far as God is concerned. The Bible tells us that God hurls “all their sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:19). It says, “I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions” (Isaiah 44:22). David wrote, “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103:12). The Bible says, “I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 10:17).

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Second, the believer in Christ is justified before the court of God’s justice. Forgiveness is a negative thing; it forgets the past. Justification is positive; it brings a new standing before God that we did not have before and could never have achieved for ourselves. The Bible speaks of it as being clothed with the righteousness of Christ, as with a new suit of clothes.

Third, we are adopted into God’s family. Before, we were “without Christ … having no hope, and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). But now we marvel at the “love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God” (1 John 3:1).

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Fourth, as God’s children, we are God’s heirs. Paul writes, “If children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). This means that we possess all things jointly with Christ. All things! That is clearly indescribable.

Fifth, we have the gift of the Holy Spirit who unites us to Christ forever. That makes our bodies temples of God, who dwells in us (1 Cor. 3:16).

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Sixth, we have a divine peace that goes beyond circumstances. Paul calls it a peace “which passeth all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

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Seventh, we have a home in Heaven prepared for us by Christ. Just before His crucifixion, Jesus said to His disciples: “In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself” (John 14:2–3).

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Giving Thanks for This Gift

Have you thanked God for His great gift of salvation? If that gift is as great as the Bible says it is and as wonderful as our hearts and minds acknowledge it to be, then we should literally cry out with Paul, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!” Thanks be to God for Jesus!

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And when we are crying out thanks, let us not forget that the best thanks are not in word alone. Thanks are expressed in deeds, too. What deeds? If you have never received the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, your first deed should be to receive Him and worship Him, as the shepherds, wise men, and others of the Christmas story did. That is, you should take the gift God gives you. Do not think of it in terms of your worthiness. You are not worthy and never will be worthy. Just take it.

You can also express your thanks by service. You have much, but there are others who have little. Reach out to them in Christ’s name. Let God’s gift be the pattern for your giving and His service be the pattern for your service.

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Finally, we also have an obligation to speak to others. Notice that in the Christmas story nearly everyone spoke to others about God’s gift. The wise men said, “We have seen His star in the east, and are come to worship Him” (Matthew 2:2). The shepherds “made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this Child” (Luke 2:17). Simeon “blessed God” (Luke 2:28). Anna “spake of Him to all them that looked for redemption” (Luke 2:38). — Condensed from The Christ of Christmas by James Montgomery Boice (MWTB)

The Gift

Too often Christmas gets swallowed up in the busyness of shopping and sending cards and wrapping presents. As we rush around, we often miss the wonder of what Christmas is all about.

Christmas began with a gift given to the human race two thousand years ago. It was a child, born in a Bethlehem stable and laid in a manger. His birth was announced by wise men guided from the East by a very special star.

It was the gift we needed most: a Savior, the Holy Son of God. This is the good news proclaimed by the angel: "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11).

Why was God's gift of a Savior so important? There are three reasons:

1. The greatness of the need. The future of the human race was at stake. Sin made havoc of God's creation and brought estrangement from its Creator.

2. The greatness of the gift. Not only was the need great, but the gift was also great! "This is My beloved Son," God said, "in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17)

3. The greatness of the cost. Read the inspired portraits of the suffering of Christ in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Psalm 69. The cross was only part of the price He gladly paid.

Jesus Christ did not die for His own sins or because He was a victim of circumstances. He came, as God's supreme gift to you and me. The Bible pointedly asks: "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3).

Have you overlooked the really important gift of Christmas? Is God prompting you to look through the odds and ends of Christmas?

God's gift for you is waiting. Don't miss it. Right now, wherever you are, you can receive the costliest gift, Jesus Christ the Savior.

"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). — By Crossway

Free Gift

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"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: ... so also is the free gift. For if through the offense 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. 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 offenses unto justification. For if by one man's offense 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. Therefore as by the offense 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" (Romans 5:12-18).

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One of the primary words that God uses in the Scriptures to describe His salvation is the word "gift." The fact that this word is used so often teaches us some significant things about how a person gets to heaven:

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"Free Gift" means God paid for salvation.

The priceless gift of salvation that God offers to all people was purchased "with the precious blood of Christ" (1 Peter 1:18,19). It cost God the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, who died on Calvary's cross for our sins and rose again. Though the richest of men on earth could never pay salvation's cost, God now makes it available to rich and poor alike as a free gift. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

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"Free Gift" means we cannot earn salvation.

"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). Trying to pay someone for something that was given as a gift would be considered an offense. So it is an offense to God when people reject His free gift of eternal life by trying to earn salvation with their good works.

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"Free Gift" means the believer is saved forever.

Jesus says, "I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand" (John 10:28). Just as a true gift will never be asked back, so the free gift of salvation, once it is received, can never be taken away from us.

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This "Free Gift" must be received.

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12). Since a gift does not belong to the receiver until it is first accepted, so God's gift must also be "received." Salvation is a gift and therefore is not a process. You do not become saved over a period of time, but rather at the moment you accept the free gift by trusting Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

Jesus died on the cross to pay the debt for sin that you owe. If you realize that you are a sinner and that you are not worthy of being saved, then you are ready to be saved. All you must do to receive this gift is call upon the Lord. Romans 10:13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Jesus promises "Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out" (John 6:37).

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If you have never received the free gift of eternal life, confess your sins to God and ask Jesus to be your Saviour now.

Take this gift in faith, believing Jesus Christ died for your sins. Then you will be able to say, "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift" (2 Corinthians 9:15). Then you will know the gift of God is able to meet every need of your soul and fill your life with peace, joy, and every good gift and every perfect gift from above (John 4:10-14; James 1:17) — By MWTB

The Best Gift

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Once again it is the season for the giving of gifts. In the atmosphere of secrecy, love and thoughtfulness combine to plan surprises of delight. The home is aglow with fervent expectancy, as something desired—something needed—is carefully selected, wrapped and hidden away until the day arrives. In it all, however, there is a fresh reminder of God's eternal plan of love to meet the dire need of man's soul, and provide THE BEST GIFT to completely satisfy and delight his heart. This is the gift of unspeakable worth. This is God's gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23).

The Gift Promised

As soon as our first parents sinned, the Lord God came down to them in the garden of Eden to search them out. After bringing them to confession, He gave the first promise of a coming Deliverer in the Person of the Seed of the woman (Genesis 3:15). As the years passed, the words concerning the coming Saviour became clearer. In type and picture, He was set forth to Israel as a Lamb without blemish—the Sacrifice to cancel guilt and deliver from Satan's power. Through the prophets, God clearly foretold (1) How He was to come: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel" (Isaiah 7:14); and (2) Where He was to come: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be Ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). 

Then, in Luke 2:1-20, we read of these Scriptures being fulfilled on the night when shepherds watched their flocks in the fields, and saw the glory of the Lord in the skies. The angel appeared and exclaimed in their attentive ears:—"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Thus was…

The Gift Given.

"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him" (1 John 4:9). Man's sin brought death. God's grace brought salvation to all who believe in His Son. At Calvary, Jesus "gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity" (Titus 2:14). In resurrection, He is now crowned with glory and honor at the Father's right hand. 

Through the revelation of the Word of God, and by the power of the Spirit of God, He is now offered to all—to YOU—as the best gift. Best, since no other gift is more needed—"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other Name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12). Best, since no gift is more desirable—He is "altogether lovely" (Song of Solomon 5:16). However, that you may have Him for your own need, and possess Him as the joy and delight of your soul, He must be…

The Gift Accepted.

A gift offered to you does not become yours until you receive it. So it is with salvation. Faith is the empty hand that reaches out to receive God's gift of life. It is the personal appropriation of His offer. It is believing in your heart that Christ's suffering and death were for your sins; that His resurrection from among the dead was for your justification. It is making THE BEST GIFT yours!

Millions have already received this Gift and been made eternally grateful for the blessing it has brought them. Eternal life as a present possession, the forgiveness of sins, peace with God, and much more are all wrapped up in this invaluable gift of God's beloved Son. Will YOU accept HIM NOW? Take Him by faith as your very own Saviour, and you will find Him to be the best gift you have ever received.

"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 — By MWTB

You Cannot Earn a Gift

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“By grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

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Salvation is a gift you receive, not a paycheck you earn. Don’t underestimate the significance of this biblical truth. If you get it wrong—and it is incredibly easy to get it wrong—you’ve missed Heaven.

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I’m not overstating the case. If you lean on your own merits, your religious fervor, the sincerity of your motives, or the goodness of your overall behavior, you will remain in your sins, under the wrath of God. Friends, I am convinced that a great many people who go to church regularly are going to be shocked one day when they are driven from the presence of God forever.

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In the opening verses of Ephesians 2, the Apostle Paul writes about the true condition of every human apart from Christ. Left to ourselves, we are all sinners, enslaved to spiritual forces that are hell-bent to give us just enough of whatever it takes to get us to drift through this life without ever seriously considering our need of the Savior, who is Christ Jesus. The picture is a hopeless one. We are dead toward God, dominated by the devil, and destined for Hell. By nature and by choice, we are an offense to the God of the universe. “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31). That is why verses 4–9 contain such good news!

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On His own initiative, God has acted on our behalf. We were objects of His wrath, but God, because of the great love with which He loved us, had mercy upon us. We were dead, but God made us alive together with Christ. We were slaves, powerless and punishable, but God has raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly places. All by Himself, God has taken action to reverse our condition in sin. In a word, God has done everything, everything necessary to save sinners.

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Why? What impulse moved Him to have anything at all to do with us? The heart has trouble accepting such overtures on face value. Why did God come for me, for you? Paul takes pains in our passage to make it clear that God was not motivated by anything He saw in us. Instead, the compelling reasons are all found in God Himself. Paul uses several words to speak of the origins of God’s saving movement toward us. We read of His rich mercy, His great love, and His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. But the single most powerful word to describe why God did for us what He did, the word that explains why a dead sinner on his way to Hell can suddenly respond to the good news of the gospel is the word grace.

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Salvation Is the Free Gift of God

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That’s the whole point of the word grace. Grace is the unmerited free favor of God expressed toward guilty and unworthy sinners. It is love that doesn’t make sense. To drive this home, Paul comes right out and says that our salvation is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift.

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Get this straight: God’s salvation comes only to those who are at the end of themselves. They come with no merits of their own, no bragging points, no negotiations. They realize that their only hope is found, not in anything they have done, but in what He has already accomplished for them.

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God Gives the Capacity To Receive His Gift

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Dead in sins, we are unable to even respond to His loving word to us, which is why He not only sends His Son to atone for our sins, not only sends someone to tell us that good news, but gives us the gift of faith so that we might trust Him. The part of verse 8 that reads “it is the gift of God” refers to the grace and the salvation and the faith. Which is why I heard the gospel many times before it hit me one day.

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All the Glory Is God’s

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If it’s not by my achievements, nor a reward for any good or religious or generous deeds I have done, I have nothing I can boast in except the Lord. Most religions spell righteousness with God “D-O.” I have to earn it—compel God by my good life and religious activity and philanthropy to overlook my sins, which are minor in my own eyes. The Bible spells righteousness with God “D-O-N-E.” It lays out God’s prognosis of our condition and makes it clear that our only hope lies outside ourselves. We need a Savior who secures forgiveness of sin and righteousness with God on our behalf. And then we need Him to open our eyes to see our need and His provision, because without His intervention we are blind to His glory, deaf to His loving call, incapable of any movement toward Him. Salvation is a gift to be received, not a paycheck we earn.— Lloyd Stilley, adapted (MWTB)

The Saviour's Gift

SALVATION means to be rescued from sin and its punishment and set free to know, love, and serve God. Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin…. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed" (John 8:34,36).

ALL PEOPLE have turned away from God and broken the law of God. The Bible calls this sin. "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

LEFT TO OURSELVES, there is no rescue, and the justice of God requires our eternal damnation in the terrors of hell. "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (John 3:36).

VICTORY over sin was obtained when God sent His Son Jesus to earth. Jesus obeyed God's laws perfectly, yet He died to pay for the sins of all who believe. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 John 4:10).

ADMITTING that our sin has put us in a desperate situation is the first step in our rescue. "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:8,9).

TAKING the free gift of Jesus' payment for our sin makes us "not guilty" in God's sight. "The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Romans 6:23).

IN GRATITUDE for such love, we follow Him in obedience and sacrificial service. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service" (Romans 12:1).

ONLY JESUS has provided the way to salvation. "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:12).

NOW is the time to see your need of Christ and to make your decision for Him. "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2).

How do we receive salvation? Salvation is a gift, pure and simple. God offers us salvation on the basis of who Jesus Christ is and what He has done for us. We receive God's gift through repentance and faith—by turning from our own ways to God's way: believing God's truth that Jesus is the Son of God who died for you and rose again. — Adapted from "What is Meant by Salvation?" Used by permission of The Tract League. (MWTB)