If you have been walking with the Lord for some time now then I think you realize that God is in the business of giving us many wonderful gifts. For example, the gift of eternal life is promised to all believers. And the gifts of peace and joy are available to all who are willing to follow in Christ’s footsteps.
But I would like to share two very special gifts that our heavenly Father has wonderfully provided to all of His children. These two gifts are God’s grace and His Word.
The acronym for grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Grace is God’s unmerited favor and it is His free gift to us. God’s salvation is a free transaction. When you embrace and believe in Christ you enter into an incredible free exchange. You get to give up your lying, cheating, and substance abuse ways and in return get peace, joy and meaning in abundance – and it’s a free gift from God. All other religions require you to earn your salvation – an impossible feat.
God’s judgement requires payment for sin, but his love offers pardon – and grace is the vehicle that bridges this impossible dilemma for us. Impossible, because we can never pay the price for our sin, but God paid it for us when Jesus went to the cross as our sin substitute.
So, grace and Christianity are unique among all the religions of the world. It states we can never earn our way back to God through good works. But we can have our severed relationship with God wonderfully restored through the blood of Calvary – through grace – God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense!
Author Philip Yancey shares a most beautiful thought on grace when he says: “Grace is Christianity’s best gift to the world, a spiritual nova in our midst exerting a force stronger than vengeance, stronger than racism, stronger than hate.”1
The second amazing gift that God has given to us is the Bible. I love how Abraham Lincoln shared his thoughts on the Bible when he said: “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book.”2 I don’t know about you but I also concur with Abraham Lincoln, who, like so many other seekers of truth, after he examined the internal and external evidences for the veracity of the Bible stated the following: “I decided a long time ago that it was less difficult to believe that the Bible was what it claimed to be than to disbelieve it.”3
The Bible is not just another book but the complete anointed revelation of God given to mankind. It contains everything we need to live a wonderful and joyous life. Its pages help answer the three big questions of life – where did I come from, what is my purpose in life, and where do I go when I die. And the Bible promises us that its central figure – Jesus Christ – is not only the Lord of the universe, but our Savior from man’s central problem – sin!
My friends Christianity offers us this amazing gift of grace and this gift is expounded upon in our greatest treasure – the Bible. My sincere prayer is that as you read the Bible you will take time to savor the many gifts and promises that God shares and makes with us. And always remember that the Bible is the “in” book for every generation!
1 Inspirational Quotes by Philip Yancey – page 34 (bibleportal.com)
2 Quote by Abraham Lincoln: “I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ev…” (goodreads.com)
3 Abraham Lincoln and the Bible – Abraham Lincoln’s Classroom (abrahamlincolnsclassroom.org)