The Gift of God

 

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

—Galatians 4:4-7

 

 

When the right time came, God sent His Son from heaven into the world. His entrance from the heavenly realm was not haphazard or random. Before Christ could come to earth and redeem man, some things had to happen. God sent His Son into the world at the earliest possible time. To accomplish the purpose for which He came, Jesus had to be born of a virgin and made subject to the requirements of the law.

 

God’s purpose in sending His Son into the world was twofold. 

 

First, Jesus came “to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:5). Jesus did this by perfectly keeping the law, fulfilling its requirements, and fully paying for its curse (Matthew 5:17, Galatians 3:13). We cannot keep the whole law perfectly. If we fail in one area of the law, we fail the entire law (James 2:10). Christ delivered us from the law's curse. He delivered us from our inability to live a righteous life. He gave us a new life of righteousness we could never earn (2 Corinthians 5:17, 21).

 

Secondly, Christ gave us the position of sonship with all its inherent rights. Not only were we ransomed from slavery to the law but redeemed from our orphaned status into sonship. 

 

Many people stop at redemption. They realize the salvation from sin they have received but not the new life they have inherited. Jesus has redeemed us, and we have the promise of eternity!  But we are also adopted as sons and daughters by God! Jesus came to give us abundant life (John 10:10)! We live in the abundant life Christ has given us when we realize the full benefits of the inheritance He has redeemed for us. 

 

When what we believe in our hearts agrees with God's Word, we have the abundant life God promises—no matter what happens. Jesus has “recreated” us in God’s righteousness. He has “restored” us to a right relationship with the Father so we can walk in the assurance of our sonship. He has given us “the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). We don’t walk by sight. We walk by faith in the authority Jesus has given us. We walk in the truth of the relationship Jesus has purchased for us with His precious blood. 

 

In the beginning, God created us for Himself, but we sold ourselves into slavery to the enemy. God rescued us through the precious blood of Jesus Christ. No amount of effort, human works, or man's righteousness could bring the divine favor that we needed. It took the actual life of God (Leviticus 17:11) to purchase our redemption.

 

Could there be any more extraordinary gift this Christmas season? Redeeming love is God's wonderful gift to you. What is your response to His gift?  Have you received Him in your heart? And if you have received Him, what are you doing with Him?  Will you allow Him to remain unwrapped and unknown, or will you open the inheritance He has purchased for you? Jesus has the gift of abundant life for you.

 

“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

 

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