God is a great giver. Consider the daily bounties which He causes to fall upon us—light, warmth and healing from the sun; the rich earth which yields food and materials in abundance; raiment, variety, health, music, beauty. These are only a few of God’s choice blessings. Even upon the unthankful and the defiant are the gifts poured out. But none of these can be compared to the gift of all gifts, the love gift of God. Gifts must be freely given. If they are merited or earned, they are not gifts. Nor could God’s love gift ever be earned even in a million eternities. It is incomparably priceless! It is a gift worthy of the Giver. And, even though the world with its sophisticated skepticism con sistently refuses to believe, this gift is given freely, without any strings attached. It is offered now. In fact, in the mind of God, the gift is already bestowed. It remains only to be accepted. Furthermore, it is offered to everyone. No one is to be denied. To be sure, only God could give such a gift, but God is actually giving it to only those who will receive it from His hand. HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON... Not worlds of gold, not mountains of diamonds, not oceans of pearls, but God’s only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the gift of His love. While the Son of God existed with God from all eternity, still for a little space of time He clothed Himself in human flesh that He might live and die as the transcendent expression of the love of God for a lost world. He was born of a virgin mother. He lived a sinless and perfect life, teaching, working and healing as none other had done. One day, in the middle of time, while, the universe held its breath, He ascended a cross of wood to become God’s sacrificial Lamb, giving His life for the sins of the world, including our own. Following the agony of His death, men placed the Lord Jesus in a borrowed tomb, from which after three days He came forth a glorious Conqueror over sin, death and the grave. Today He lives nevermore to die, but to save and keep those who will trust Him. Here is shown the wisdom of God’ s love. God is absolutely righteous in pardoning our sins when we believe, for they have been fully atoned for by His Son on the cross of Calvary. God’s love has found a way to put away sin, and yet to save the sinner. THAT WHOSOEVER... What a glorious word is whosoever.' What a revela tion of the love of God to a needy world! What a man ifestation of His mighty power, to offer to save whoso ever will come, whenever he desires, and in whatever condition he may be! The need is universal, for all have come under the blight of sin. So the remedy must be universal too. No one need be barred from the benefits of God’s love. The cost need not stand in the way, for there is no charge to man. Neither should one hesitate for lack of merit, since merit does not count here. Race, illiteracy, age, have no bearing on it. When God says whosoever, you may safely rest your all upon His Word, and come. Full well we understand that whosoever includes a lot of territory. The thief, the murderer, the adulterer, may knock at the door. But God has said whosoever. Those who have sinned much will find God’s love theirs as well as those who have sinned little. God has remem bered every possibility and has included it. He freely saves from the uttermost to the uttermost. But God does not save in job lots. It is a personal proposition. For even though God offers His love to whomsoever, it is an individual transaction. It may not include everybody, but it certainly includes anybody. That means you and me, too. PAGE SEVEN
commandments and defy His laws. But God’s love is not to be denied. In spite of the world’s hate, God so loves. There was a tremendous gulf to be bridged before we could be rescued from our «lost condition. God’s holiness and man’s sinfulness are absolutely irrecon cilable. God’s righteousness demands the full punish ment of sin. And even though God’s love sought the salvation of the sinner, His holiness must be completely satisfied by full judgment upon sin. Here see the great ness of God’s love. He so loved the world, that He found a way to save us. LOVED. .. Who can comprehend the love of God? It fills the universe and defies description. It is as high as heaven, yet deep as man’s need. God loves because He is love, and He' is the Author of love. So God’s heart desires the best, the highest, the noblest, for the objects of His affectidn. And, wonder of wonders, that includes you and me! How can God love an unlovely world? How can God desire unworthy sinners? For the life of me I do not know. I could understand if the story read, “God so hated the world.” But I know that God does love us, and I find supreme rest in this knowledge. Do not think that God’s love is a sudden spasm of affection. Rather, it has lived in God’s heart from all eternity. Moreover it will endure everlastingly. God has brought many sons home to glory, for God’s love is intensely active, bestowing everything, receiving nothing. There is no hope for the world other than that God loves. But this love is inexhaustibly benevolent. There is enough and to spare for everyone. Though multiplied millions draw heavily upon it, there is not the slightest depletion. And throughout the years it does not change; it is eternal, unchangeable, constant. THE WORLD . .. Who but God could love a world? It is not a world of mountains and oceans and flowers which God loves; it is a world teeming with men, women and children, millions upon millions of them, and in all sorts of conditions. However, they are all alike in this, that each possesses a soul which throughout eternity will never, never die. God sees us all just as we are. He is not deceived. There are old and young, some living passably moral lives, some deep in wickedness. A few are rich, num bers are poor. Some are educated, others illiterate. There are men with white skins, and others with black. All are different, but all are alike in that they constitute a world which desperately needs someone to care for it. God cares! It is a lost world which God loves. It is lost because of its terrible sin of rebellion. Since that first sin, all have been born in sin. Consequently, sin is easy and natural because of man’s innately sinful nature. In this world none are righteous; all are under condemnation. All must die because of sin, except for one hope: God loves this lost world! Full well we understand the world has not recipro cated God’s love. Rather it has scorned Him, ignored, rebuffed, repudiated Him. It has charged Him falsely. But, can you believe it, He still loves the world, all of it, yes, you too! THAT HE GAVE . . . Here is the acid test of love’s purity: Is it unselfish? Is it generous? True love’s dominant characteristic is always a constant desire to bestow rich gifts upon the one beloved. So God’s great heart of love for us is mani fested by the incomparable gift of His Son. SEPTEMBER, 1947
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