The Gift Of God
by Pastor Cornelius R. Stam
Men have given many gifts to each other down through the ages, but in James 1:17 we read that “every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,” and comes to us from God. The greatest of these gifts is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the redemption He has purchased for us. In speaking to the sinner-woman at Sychar’s well, our Lord drew a picture, contrasting the barrenness of her own life with the refreshing joy of salvation, saying:
“If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give Me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of Him, and He would have given thee living water… Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again, but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst…” (John 4:10-14).
By nature we are all sinners, but by the grace of God we all may be saved.
“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
“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).
Thus St. Paul speaks of “the gift of the grace of God” (Ephesians 3:7) and constantly emphasizes the fact that salvation is a free gift.
But a gift is not possessed until it is accepted. Thus the Apostle, in Romans 5:17, refers to those who “receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness.” Those who receive Christ and the salvation He has wrought for them, find it natural to exclaim with Paul-
“THANKS BE UNTO GOD FOR HIS UNSPEAKABLE GIFT!” (II Corinthians 9:15).
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