Everyone loves surprises. When you are presented with a gift, immediately you wonder: What is it? Do I need it? Can I use it? Is it valuable? Will it cost me something? The word gift implies that it is free, but there is something incumbent on our part. God assumed the responsibility to give the gift of salvation, but it is our responsibility to receive it.
The Greek word for saved or salvation is sozo. It simply means that our spirit was saved when we received the gift of God’s Son. Our soul is being saved through the gift of God’s Word. Our body will be saved and our salvation complete when we step through the gates of Heaven into our eternal destiny.
Acts 2:21
“…Whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Practical Application and Assignments:
Sir Thomas Brown said, “Your time on earth is but a small parenthesis in eternity.” The earth is only an interim stop in your journey through life. Your address is a temporary residence. You are in route to your final destination. The most expensive gift you will ever receive is your ticket into heaven. It has already been purchased by Jesus Christ, Himself.
- Settle the question. “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” Hebrews 2:3
- Receive the gift, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 You receive the gift of salvation the moment you accept Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, for time and eternity.
- Celebrate the gift. Salvation is not about presents under the tree. It is about “God’s presence” within us. The best gift is not the gift you place in a box or hold in your hand, but the gift you hold in your heart. It was given at the Christmas tree in the form of the cross.
“For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8
