He Spared Nothing to Give You Everything

For us, gift-giving can sometimes feel like an obligation for the sake of tradition. We might complain about the commercialization of holidays and the effect it has on our budgets. Yet most will agree that when it comes to those in our lives who we truly love and appreciate, giving gifts is an opportunity to show that we are thinking of them and that we care. And when we receive a gift, we are grateful to have been the object of that care.

How much greater it is to think of God, the sovereign Creator of the universe, showing how much he thinks of and cares for you to give you a gift. And not just any gift – He gave the greatest gift, one that required great sacrifice, and one that would never grow old or wear out. And He gave it with great joy out of His abundant love for you!

God gave His Son, Jesus Christ. The reason Jesus is called the Son of God is to show that He was of divine origin. In fact, Scripture calls Him “Immanuel”, which means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). He came in human form to the earth to be the representative of humanity and do what no human could do. All humans are born with a sinful nature and have sinned (Romans 3:23), but in His humanity, Jesus lived a sinless life (Hebrews 4:15). Being also fully divine, He was eternal and holy and was untouched by the stain of sin. Jesus was the only One who was able to pay the penalty of sin – death – and then rise from the grave in victory. In this way, He made the payment eternally effective and opened up the way for us all to be forgiven and set free from the power of sin and to receive eternal life through Him.

But as with any gift, it must be received if it is going to truly be yours and enjoyed by you. The Bible explains how to receive the gift of forgiveness and eternal life: believing in Jesus Christ. “Believing” is more than just a mental assent; the word means to fully trust in, to have confidence in Jesus as the only way. This believing is met with another great gift – the gift of the Holy Spirit to renew and transform your life, making it possible for you to say “no” to sin and to live a righteous life.

“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness…” (Romans 8:10).

This wonderful gift from God gives us security in whatever we face in this life. If God already gave us the greatest gift, we do not have to worry that He would withhold anything else that we might need:

“He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).

Because God loves you, He has offered you the great gift of salvation and eternal life through Jesus Christ. Will you receive it?