Saturday, April 7, 2012

The Gift

For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God- Romans 2:8











When I was a boy, sometimes I would stay awake all night on Christmas Eve. I just couldn't hardly wait for Christmas Day. Of course, you know why I did that don't you? I couldn't wait to see what gifts Santa Claus had brought me. Of course, being a Christian, I was aware and appreciated the spiritual side of Christmas, too, but I wasn't really thinking about a baby in a manger on Christmas Eve, primarily. Over the years, my approach to receiving gifts (and Christmas for that matter), has changed. I still like opening the gifts, but there is something about waiting for the gifts, and appreciating the gifts after unwrapping them, that has more meaning now.

In my devotional time a few weeks ago, I thought about God's greatest gift to mankind. If you are a Christian, you are probably very familiar with the Scripture quoted above, concerning God's gift to mankind. Today, I would like to explore this gift terminology, and maybe expand on an old analogy a little bit.

Let's revisit the gift analogy. If you think about it, when you get a gift, you usually go through four stages. 1) You receive the gift 2) You unwrap the gift 3) You explore and discover what the gift is 4) Finally, depending on how complex the gift is, you now possess, understand, and delight in the fullness (appreciation) of the gift.

OK, now what does this have to do with Jesus and salvation (God's greatest gift to mankind?) Let's take a look:

1) God offers the gift. The non-believer has a choice to receive the gift or not. If the non-believer receives the gift by faith, they take possession of it. The "churchy" sounding term for this is called justification (you don't have to know that term. That wont be on the test. :-)), but usually it's just called "being saved".
2) You now unwrap and discover the gift. This can be quick or take a lifetime. Let's say someone grows up in church and receives the gift at 9 years old. They faithfully grow in knowledge of the Lord and the Bible and live to be 79. They have had 70 years to explore and discover the gift. However, if someone is 79, and receives the gift, and passes away in a few days, they are still justified, but their period of time to explore and discover what the gift contains, was cut short. This discovery and exploration period is called "sanctification" in church terms. What is kind of sad, is that some will receive the gift and never want to explore and discover it fully, even though there is a lot of richness and fulfillment in it. They still possess the gift, they just havent really unwrapped it totally. When I accepted the Lord Jesus as my savior at age 9, I had only a vague, elementary idea of what I was doing. I knew I needed Jesus in my life, so I prayed to him, accepted him into my life, and was baptized. It has taken years to even scratch the surface of the fullness of understanding of what Jesus taught about himself, what his disciples wrote about him, and what it means to be his disciple. I have so very much yet to learn. So my santification period (exploring my gift) continues. By the way, in one place in the Bible (Philippians 2:12) the Apostle Paul talks about "working out your salvation with trembling and fear". The terminology used for "working out" is the first century term for mining precious minerals, and means to dig out or discover. When I read this verse this way, I think of my anxious anticipation and my shaking hands as I unwrapped a really special Christmas gift as a boy.
3) Jesus said he would return to receive his followers (Christians). The Apostle Paul says at this point we will be changed into the likeness of Jesus. Now, no Bible scholar or professor will acknowledge that they know precisely what this entails, but it is safe to say that it is going to be pretty cool! It is at this point where our salvation is nearly completed and we are now entering the "glorification" phase of the gift. The Bible makes it clear that what we perceive and understand now we do so through a dim looking glass, but when we see Jesus in person, we will understand entirely, for we will be like him.

It is common for a Christian to ask or be asked, "are you saved?" Technically, if you have accepted the Lord Jesus (the gift) as savior and lord, you could answer, "I am saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved". I know some Christian denominations have a little different way of explaining this process, but it still all boils down to the gift, doesn't it? I mean, if you never receive the gift, how can you open it, enjoy it, explore it, and possess it? If you have received it, have you fully unwrapped it and discovered it?

The Apostle Paul eloquently wrote about the gift in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

So let me get this straight, this is an eternal gift which starts today, and lasts forever? Now, where else are you going to get a gift like that? But, why is God offering this gift to you and me? Oh, I almost forgot to tell you: a "little" thing called L-O-V-E..

Have a blessed day,
George

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