Jesus – The Gift of Salvation

By Dylan Reuss

Giving and receiving a gift is often way more complicated than it should be. When giving a gift, many thoughts come to mind: “What if they don’t like it?” “What if they don’t give me a gift?” “What if they already have it”? “What if they don’t want it”? These are all valid thoughts that we may have when we are on the side of giving gifts.

In addition to giving a gift, receiving a gift carries many challenges for the recipient: “I already have this.” “I do not need this.” “How much did this cost?” “Did you even put thought into this gift?” Why does giving and receiving gifts have to be so complicated?

Giving and receiving gifts is such a significant practice throughout generations. We are created as humans in the image of God with the same characteristics as our Heavenly Father. God the Father is the greatest gift giver of all time. The thought of the Father and His Son dwelling with one another in the midst of perfection is unfathomable. In all the glory, perfection, beauty, and awesome qualities of being in the presence of one another, there was still something they were missing. How could something be missing? What could possibly be desired by the triune God Himself? It was you and me!

The greatest gift is the one you need the most.

I love that the Father was not only desiring us, but He acted upon His desire by sending His precious Son, Jesus, to be born of a virgin. What an incredible gift that the Father has given us in Jesus, and I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving that the Father has bestowed upon us such a gift.

A gift is a beautiful symbol of receiving something that is not earned. Scripture says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death, but the FREE gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” If we received what we earned, then we would receive death. However, the promise is that we are given eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

So, what gift did Jesus bring?

Three major focus points of what Jesus has bestowed upon us:

• He gave the gift of eternal life to all who believe. He gave us a way by bearing the weight of not only our sins but the burdens of life, knowing we could not handle the difficulties of this world on our own. He gave up being in the form of God and became the most vulnerable form of creation, a baby.

• He gave the gift of redemption. What a powerful concept being redeemed is. Redemption is the act of gaining possession of something in exchange for a payment or clearing a debt. He completely cleared the slate of our filthiness and made us righteous before Him. He turned death to life, despair into hope, mourning into rejoicing, emptiness into fullness, loneliness into an unconditional relationship, and chaos into peace. He changed the outcome.

• He gifted us with a choice. He has allowed us to choose His life, now, with Him, and in a way, we choose what our life looks like in following Him. He has given us the gift to choose who we want to follow, where we want to go, and what we want our results to be. Just as Jesus chose to come into this world, bringing God to Us – Immanuel, but also us to God, in uniting with us in our humanity. He has given all people a choice and opportunity to be with Him forever.

I am grateful I do not have to question what the gift of Jesus cost. I am joyful and overwhelmed to know that God thought about me when He sent Jesus to be born. I am merry to know that God knew exactly what I needed as a human because He humbled Himself in human form, experiencing and overcoming life on earth. What a beautiful gift Jesus is and has given!

Father, thank you for your precious Son. Thank you for the gift of Jesus. Jesus, you are the greatest gift. I am in awe of who you are. Thank you, Jesus, for your obedience and humility in taking the form of a human. Thank you for allowing us to relate to you. I am grateful for the gifts that you never stop giving. I thank you that these gifts are not only for me but for everyone. Help me to share the greatest gift, You, Jesus, with the people in my life. I love you, Jesus. Thank you!!!

The Nativity is the story of the birth of Jesus. It is one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. The whole story is far more involved than you may think. Read it here.