The Gift? Most people would perhaps think of Christmas or their birthdays when they hear the word ‘gift.’ What about you? I like gifts; do you? I’m sure you do. In many places of the world, Christmas is associated with gifts. You give something nice to express appreciation and love, right? And you are happy for receiving gifts from others. Giving is beautiful and satisfying. You don’t have to limit it to Christmas or birthdays. Give—to express your generosity, joy and love.
‘Santa Claus’—and Gifts!
The Bible also has something to say about the word ‘gift.’ It’s an important word. God is not Santa Claus, as some might think, but the original story of Santa Claus has a lot to do with God and the Good News about Jesus Christ. Saint Nikolaus was a Christian bishop in the region of ancient Asia Minor (roughly modern-day Turkey). He was known for his generosity and charity. When he learned of a family with three daughters struck by poverty and in danger of ending up in slavery, he managed to secretly give them money and secure their freedom and independence. Later traditions turned him into a patron saint. In the modern era the rather commercial figure of “Father Christmas” came from the traditions of St. Nicolaus, also known as “Santa Claus.”
Jesus—God’s Greatest Gift to Humanity
The origin of Christian charity and generosity goes back to ‘the first Christmas’—the birth of Jesus Christ. Well, we don’t know when Jesus was born and the December date is unlikely the right one. But it really doesn’t matter. What does matter, however, is why He was born—and the reason for that we know for sure. Here’s what the angel said about Him (Matthew 1:21):
‘She [His mother] will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus (Hebrew: Yeshua, ‘salvation’ or ‘Yahweh saves’), for He will save His people from their sins.’
The purpose of God for the birth of Jesus was salvation from sin. Christ is the expression of God’s love—He so loved us that He gave His Son to die for our sins and give us eternal life (John 3:16). That’s grace—that’s God’s gift! Although sin demands punishment, for it is breaking God’s Law, God offers us salvation in Christ who paid the price for our sin and took our punishment on Himself. Similar to St. Nicolaus paying a debt the family in need couldn’t pay, so Jesus paid the price for our salvation—a debt we couldn’t pay. It was a gift to the family, just as Jesus is God’s gift to us.
God’s salvation is a gift. When Jesus died on the cross, He took our sins on Himself to pay the penalty for sin and redeem us. Sin is the wrong and evil things people do, the origin of all the destructive forces, and the reason for suffering in the world. Salvation is the ‘anti-dote’ for sin—the cure for humanity’s major problem. Christ, therefore, is God’s greatest gift to humanity and solves the greatest problem of humanity! Christ is the answer to our suffering, the solution for our problems, and the key to understanding life and its many puzzling events. In Christ one finds the answers to life’s fundamental questions—who am I? Why am I here? How shall I live? What happens after death? Christ is God’s greatest gift to us.
‘For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ Romans 6:23
This gift is an expression of God’s love and generosity and grace. It comes from the ‘abundance of grace’ as a ‘gift of righteousness’ (Romans 5:17). Righteousness means right standing with God. We were out of place because of sin, but God gives us a gift that puts us right. It’s like wearing the right clothes to a wedding. Jesus used this illustration of a wedding in one of His cool stories, called parables. He used these to teach about God’s Kingdom—the way things work God’s way. A certain person didn’t have the right clothes and he could not attend the wedding (Matthew 22:1–14). One must dress for the occasion, right? It was symbolic of the ‘right clothes’ for Heaven: Christ’s righteousness. He died for us, a substitute death, the Righteous One for the sinner, the Just One for the unjust, so He can win our entrance to Heaven and give us eternal life. God’s redemption was established, not by corruptible things, but by the precious blood of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18–19). Only God can save humanity and He offers this salvation in Christ to those who believe. It’s a gift!
Salvation is a Gift!
God is love and therefore gives. His greatest gift is the salvation He offers in Christ. This salvation comes to us by grace and through faith.
‘For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.’ Ephesians 2:8–9 (emphasis added).
What God offers is the gift of salvation by grace. What is grace? The grace of God is His unmerited favour, kindness and goodness towards humanity, expressed in His love towards us. This was demonstrated by the death of Christ who carried what separated us from God and dealt with what causes condemnation: sin. When Jesus died on the cross, He died for us and our sin, so that sin can be forgiven and anything that separates us from God be removed. He took our sin on Himself so we can be free of sin’s terrible destructive power and horrible consequences. Christ died for the ungodly because He loves us the way we are (Romans 5:6–8).
It’s not a result of works we have done for God (religion), but because of the work of God He has done in Christ for us (Gospel). Gospel is Good News—we are lost in sin (bad news), but Christ saves us (Good News). The bad news is bad, alright, but as long as there is Good News, we’ll be alright! By way of illustration from a great movie: In the Lord of the Rings, Sauron and his orcs are evil, yes, and they caused suffering for the peoples of Middle Earth, but as long as there is Frodo and the Fellowship of the Ring to destroy the cause of evil, all will be well. There is hope.
In other words, there is a problem and someone needs to fix it! Humanity’s problem is standing condemned because of sin (Ephesians 2:1–3), and God’s solution is salvation in Christ to save us (Ephesians 2:4–9). We are all under sin (Romans 3:9) and fall short of God’s glory (v 23). We all know it, yet not everyone is willing to acknowledge it. The Good News is, God is a God of grace and salvation. He offers us forgiveness, rather than condemnation. Jesus came to save, not condemn, us (John 3:17). ‘Mercy triumphs over judgment’ (James 2:13).
Salvation is God’s gift to us. We don’t deserve it, but don’t have to earn it. We stand condemned because of our sin, but can be forgiven and be made righteous before God through Christ and faith in Him. Grace is the gift we don’t deserve (because of our sin), but we don’t have to earn (because of God’s salvation in Christ). It’s a gift! It’s God’s way of saying, ‘I love you.’ Jesus dying on the cross was His way of saying, ‘I love you.’ It was also God’s provision to get us out of the mess we’re in due to sin. Salvation is God’s gift to humanity ‘by grace’ and you can receive it ‘through faith.’ The choice is yours.
If you believe in your heart that Jesus died for your sin and confess it with your mouth, you shall be saved (see Romans 10:9–10). To believe in Him is to receive Him (John 1:12). You can receive God’s greatest gift to humanity today: salvation through faith in Jesus, Son of God, Saviour of the world. It’s a gift! It’s for you!
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