Bulletin Articles
The Gift of God
Let’s read a few passages and try to take special note of the common phrase or word found in them:
“I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime; moreover, that every man who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor —it is the gift of God” (Ecc. 3:12-13).
“Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with the gladness of his heart” (Ecc. 5:19-20).
“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, give Me a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water’” (John 4:10).
“But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money!’” (Acts 8:20)
“For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
“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” (Eph. 2:8-9).
“For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline” (2 Tim. 1:6-7).
Notice the commonality of “the gift of God.” Many more passages speak of the same idea, particularly stressing “gift.” For example:
“But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from one transgression resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions resulting in justification. For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom 5:15-17).
“Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow” (James 1:17).
See how much is considered to be God's gift? Nothing is really left out. Life itself is a gift of God, with all the blessings that we continually receive. Even the trials that lead us into greater maturity should be seen within this context. God is a gracious God who freely gives so that we may glorify Him.
I read something a good while back that triggered my thinking in this area. Isn't it interesting, based on the Ecclesiastes passages, we are to see the fruits of our labor as a gift of God? Somehow we have been taught that if we work for something, this negates the idea of grace. Yet even in the physical requirement of working for a living and earning a wage, we are still to consider the fruits of such labor as a gift of God.
How, then, when it comes to salvation from our sins, can we see this as anything less than God's gift of grace? Yet, at the same time, we are to do the works God has given us (Eph 2:10). Enjoying the fruit of salvation does not negate our need to obey Him any more than seeing the fruit of our labor negates the need to be thankful to God and see that such fruit is His gift to us.
I’m not saying that we earn salvation. We don’t. Yet God never says, “now just sit back and do nothing while I save you.” No matter how much we do, we'll never be able to claim the upper hand and think that we deserve to be saved. Still, to neglect God's commandments is to rebel against Him and fly the face of everything that is grateful and thankful.
This week’s challenge: think in terms of “the gift of God,” whether it be salvation, simply eating a meal, or enjoying other fruits of your labors. God is a gracious, giving God, and for this we ought to be grateful and thankful.
