‘Tis the season for gift giving.
Some people are just naturally better gift givers than others.
In our family, Steven is far better at giving gifts than me.
He’s almost methodical when it comes to giving gifts to family members.
He thinks about what they really like and searches (sometimes hours) for the perfect gift for them.
My sister is one of the most thoughtful gift givers I know.
When I get a gift from her, I know it’s not last-minute—but carefully thought out—because she is such a good listener and knows what is important to me.
I don’t know this for sure, but I think those whose primary love language is receiving gifts, that is, they feel most loved through receiving gifts, make the best gift givers.
I think it’s just human nature to love others in the ways we feel the most loved.
Even though receiving gifts isn’t one of my primary love languages, I hope I’m becoming a better gift giver because of the example of great gift givers in my life.
There is so much more that we can learn about how to best love others through their love languages, but I will save that for another post.
Today, I want to focus on the best Gift ever given by the best Gift Giver ever.
If you are a Christian who has a good understanding of the gospel of grace in Christ Jesus, then you already know that Father God is the best Gift Giver ever:
“God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son so that anyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16 TLB
God (the best Gift Giver ever) loved the human race so much that He sent His Son, Jesus (the best Gift ever) to die on the Cross for us.
Why did He do this?
John 3:16 tells us that the reason God gave His only Son is so that anyone who believes in Him will “not perish, but have eternal life.”
When you check it out in the Greek, perish means “to be utterly destroyed.”
Wow, what an incredible Gift—to be saved from utter destruction! (John 4:10; Acts 2:38; 8:20; 11:17; Rom. 6:23; 2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 2:8).
That’s why we call Jesus our Savior (Luke 2:11; John 4:42; Acts 5:31; 13:23; Eph. 5:23; Phil. 3:20; 2 Tim. 1:10; Titus 1:4; 2:13; 3:6; 2 Pet. 1:11; 2:20; 3:18; 1 John 4:14).
But when a lot of Christians talk about Jesus as their Savior, they only mention the forgiveness of their sins.
Maybe you’ve even heard the well-known quote that seems to surface more often around Christmas about what fallen humans need most:
If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent an educator. If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist. If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist. But since our greatest need was forgiveness, God sent us a Savior.
Roy Lessin, God Sent Us a Savior
Back in the late 90s, I remember being thrilled when I found a box of blue and gold Christmas cards with a picture of baby Jesus in a manger on the front of it with this saying on it and eagerly sending them out.
But back then, I didn’t have a full picture of the incredible Gift I had received as a child.
Yes it is true that when I believed into Jesus, I cashed in on His forgiveness of the sins of my entire lifetime (Eph. 1:7; 4:32; Col. 1:13–14; 2:13–14; Heb. 10:18).
But as incredible as it is to be completely forgiven for all my sins, the best Gift Giver didn’t stop there.
If He did, I would just be a forgiven dead person, separated from the eternal life of His Son (Rom. 6:13; Eph. 2:1, 5; Col. 2:13).
Please notice that John 3:16 says “whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
Fallen humanity’s greatest need is two-fold: forgiveness and eternal life (John 3:15–16; 3:36; 4:14; 5:39; 6:27, 40, 47; 54; 10:28; 17:3; Rom. 6:22–23; Gal. 6:8; 1 John 1:2; 2:25; 5:11, 13; 20).
Yes, Jesus died on the Cross to take away our sin (John 1:29).
Blood had to be shed for the forgiveness of our sin (Heb. 9:22).
Jesus is our Spiritual Bridegroom who paid the bridal price (gave His life) for us (1 Cor. 6:20; 7:23)
But that’s not all.
After He died, Father God raised Him from the dead in order to give us new (eternal) life through our spiritual union with Him (1 Pet. 1:3).
Father God rescued us from the domain of death and joined our new spirit to the Spirit of His Son (Best Gift Ever), when we believed in Him, calling on His named to be saved (Col. 1:13; Ezek. 36:26–27; John 3:16; Acts 2:21).
Calling on His name was our affirmative response to His proposal of eternal spiritual marriage (John 3:29; 2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:22–23; Rev. 19:7–9; 21:2; 9; 22:17)!
Just like when a woman marries a man, it is customary to take on our husband’s last name.
When we believed in Jesus, we become a Christian, taking on His name (Acts 11:26).
Christians have been given the best Gift ever (the Spirit of Christ) by the best Gift Giver ever (Father God) through simple faith in Him (Eph. 2:8–9).
What more could we ask for?
“Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!”
2 Corinthians 9:15 NASB
The best Gift ever is eternal and His name is Jesus!
Have you received the best Gift ever?
If so, you can rejoice every day in the eternal Gift of Christ’s life within your new heart (Ezek. 36:26)!
If not, don’t wait one more minute to receive His forgiveness and eternal life (Acts 26:18; Rom. 6:23)!
After you’ve been eternally joined to the life of Christ, start growing in grace through getting your mind renewed with the truth about who you already and forever are in Him (Rom. 12:2: 2 Pet. 3:18).
You can do this through my Living Loved blog posts, my books, or through countless other grace-based resources.
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