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The Gift of God |
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The question arises in all these passages as to what the gift is. God has given his Son for us (Romans 8:32), he has given his Spirit to us (1 John 3:24) and he has given to us eternal life (1 John 5:11). However, in none of the above passages is the gift referred to specified. If we said any of the above were God's gift we would not be wrong and there are in fact other gifts that God has given, for instance, God has given us an inheritance among all the sanctified (Acts 20:32). However, it has been said, and I believe quite rightly, that what is conveyed in these passages by the the use of the word gift is the idea of beneficence, that is, giving. With this in mind the wording becomes:- |
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John 4:10 "If thou knewest the gift (i.e. giving) of God". The poor woman at the well could not really have been expected to know of God's specific spiritual gifts, but she should have known something of the beneficence of God because it was all around her in creation. |
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2 Corinthians 9:15 "Thanks [be] to God for his unspeakable free gift (i.e. giving)". We do not thank God for simply one gift, but for his beneficence in giving many gifts. |
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Hebrews 6:4 "Who have tasted of the heavenly gift (i.e. giving)". Again no specific gift is mentioned. The passage goes on to speak of the same persons as having been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, so it is unlikely that the the gift spoken of is the Holy Spirit. If it is that there would be an apparently unnecessary repetition. If we say the gift is eternal life then we run up against the fact that the persons spoken of end up cursed and burned (verse 8). Some dwell on the fact that the passage says that the persons have only tasted of the heavenly gift. However, if we do that, we are on shaky ground as it could be equally said that the Lord only tasted death (Hebrews 2:9). The idea of tasted is experienced, rather than just sipped. The Lord experienced death and the persons in chapter 6 had experienced the heavenly gift or, as is suggested, heavenly giving. |
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God gives to us many gifts and we have much to thank him for (James 1:17). In the passage in John 4 Christ had no doubt in mind the gift of the Holy Spirit which would result in us enjoying eternal life (verse 14). In 2 Corinthians 9 the apostle is indicating that God has showed the way in giving by the amazing character of his gifts. What we have is all according to his grace (verse 14). In Hebrews the point of the passage is that for persons who had experienced such wonderful giving (heavenly giving, and not simply earthly gifts as Israel had received in Old Testament times) there was nothing else that could be presented to them if they abandoned the Christian faith. All the good things of Christianity had been experienced by them, but there had been no fruit for God from them and they had reverted to Judaism (verses 6-8). |
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January 2001 |
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