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"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."-2 Corinthians 9:15

Jesus, our Savior, is God's great Gift. To appreciate the teaching of the Bible on this and on every subject, we must handle the Word of God honestly, not deceitfully. We must recognize that our Lord Jesus is one person, and the Heavenly Father another person. Only thus can we appreciate how God could give His

Son, and how Jesus could consent to be the Gift of God to man. As we have previously seen, the oneness between the Father and the Son is not that declared by the creeds, a oneness of person, but is that declared by our Master Himself, saying that He and the Father are one in the same sense that He desires all of His disciples, His followers, to be one-one in mind, in purpose, in will, in effort. "That they may be one, even as we are one." John 17:21, 22

Jesus is God's unspeakable Gift in that it is impossible to tell the riches of God's grace in this connection-the numberless blessings and mercies which are ours through Jesus. He represents to us the very fullness of every Divine provision for our eternal welfare. "In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Deity bodily." (Colossians 2:9) In a certain sense all of God's intelligent creatures are in His image and represent Him. Thus the angels and cherubim are Godlike; even Adam, made a little lower than the angels-of human nature-was an image of God in the flesh-fully in harmony in every line of his character and being with the Divine character. Adam, bodily, represented God in the world.

But all these things, true of angels and of men, are still more true of Jesus; and the Scriptures tell us that He was the "Logos," the Father's Word or Messenger- Jehovah's active Agent in all the work of creation. "By Him were all things made that were made, and without Him was not one thing made." The Logos, the highest, the first, the Alpha and the Omega of Jehovah's Creation, became the Gift of God to man.

Nor was this Gift compulsory; rather, the Logos entered fully into the transaction. He had absolute faith in the Heavenly Father's Wisdom, Justice, Love and Power; hence, when the proposition opened that He might leave the heavenly condition for an earthly condition, in which He would perform a great service pleasing to the Father and beneficial to men, the Logos delighted to do the Father's will. He was made flesh. The disciples and others, beheld that He as a man was not as other men, but was "holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners."

The Redeemer's difference from the fallen race is again declared in the statement: "A body hast Thou prepared Me for the suffering of death." The Scriptures declare that He took the same nature as the one that had sinned, in order that He might redeem sinners. But in His flesh was no sin. Otherwise, He could not have been our Redeemer. Only a sinless one could fill the Divine requirements and give to God a Ransom for Father Adam, the perfect man, thus redeeming his life from destruction and, at the same time, redeeming all of his family involved in sin through him.

"FREELY DELIVERED HIM UP"

God's Gift was not completed in merely arranging that His Son should temporarily become a man, to be our Redeemer. Indeed, the transfer of nature from the heavenly to the earthly was merely an incidental, made necessary by the Divine Law: an eye for an eye; a tooth for a tooth; a man's life for a man's life. And so we read that the Father set before the Son "the great joy," the influence of which was to lead the Son cheerfully to endure the bitter experiences of His earthly life, as we read: "Who, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame."

This joy is intimated to have been:(1) the Savior's pleasure in doing the Father's will; (2) The joy of bringing many sons to glory-the Church; (3) The pleasure and joy of being the world's Restorer, delivering them from the power of Satan, sin and death. These joys, commingling, were quite sufficient. The Redeemer endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself as, eventually, brought Him to the cross, saying, "Not My will, but Thy will, O Lord, be done." He realized that under the contract into which He had entered, His loyalty to the Father would mean His faithfulness "unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore, also, God hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name above every name." (Philippians 2:8, 9) Thus the Redeemer has attained this glorious exaltation to the Father's right hand-to the Divine nature, glory, honor and immortality-as the result of His faithfulness.

AN OPPOSITE COURSE FROM SATAN'S

The Apostle, evidently, purposes to draw our attention to the difference between the course of Satan and that of the Logos in respect to loyalty and obedience to Jehovah. Satan proudly assumed that if he had a separate Empire he could manage it better than was the Divine arrangement. Lucifer, the morning star, said in his heart: "I will ascend above the stars [the other angels]; I will be as the Most High [a dictator, a ruler]." Pursuing this ambitious course, Satan beheld in our first parents a new order of beings, with procreative powers designed to bring into existence a race that would fill the earth. Lucifer assayed to be ruler over this human creation. He became a rebel against the Divine arrangement in so doing; he captured the first pair by his misrepresentations, and not only did he thus become the "prince of this world" (the present order of things), but additionally, as Jesus explained, he became the murderer of the race. John 8 :44) He has, indeed, had a reign of thousands of years, but with what horrible results! The whole creation is "groaning and travailing in pain," under the death sentence.

"MEDITATED NOT A USURPATION"

St. Paul intimates that although the Logos was still higher in glory and honor than Lucifer, in that He was "the Only Begotten," the chief representative of Jehovah, nevertheless He was humble. The Logos "meditated not a usurpation to be like God." (Philippians 2:6- Emphatic Diaglott) On the contrary, He was very willing to accept the Divine proposal that He should take the lower nature, that of man for a time, in order to carry out the Father's Plan. How detestable the pride of Lucifer, afterwards called Satan! On the contrary, how beautiful is the humility exhibited by the Redeemer! He was loyal to the core. He would be merely the Father's Word, Logos, mouthpiece. His joy should be, not in seeking self advancement, but in glorifying the Father; and the Apostle points out that He faithfully and loyally carried it out to the conclusion of His course-in all things desiring the will of the Father who sent Him.

What an exhibition this was to all the holy angels! And did the Father permit Him to really suffer loss because of His loyalty, His faithfulness? Assuredly not! He was not left in death. He was raised from death. Neither was He left by the Father on the lower plane, that of human nature, which He took merely for the purpose of suffering death on man's behalf. On the contrary, the Father highly exalted Him and he exhibited to angels and to men the character pleasing in Jehovah's sight. Bringing the Only Begotten One forward, Jehovah prophetically declares: "Let all the messengers of God worship Him!" Hebrews 1:6

This same privilege has come to the Church. In response, the invitation to become joint-sacrificers with Christ, to walk in His steps, and to enter into and share His glory, has been accepted by one after another of God's saintly people, from Pentecost until now. They have confidence that "He who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep," is both able and willing to bring them also, through Him, to eternal glory. As He walked the "narrow way," they have courage to walk in His steps. As he overcame, they have the encouragement of His Promise that "His grace will be sufficient" for them.

To this class Jesus is God's unspeakable Gift. To these favored ones, His footstep followers, the Savior is specially an unspeakable Gift of God. If as a Gift to the world His merit is beyond the power of tongue to tell, how much more so is He the unspeakable Gift to the Church-to the Elect! As the "Captain of their Salvation," He is leading forth these other sons of God, His younger brethren, to glory. Hebrews 2:10

The Savior is an unspeakable Gift to the Church as the Bridegroom. The thought of becoming an associate and joint-heir in all the glorious work of God throughout the Millennium, is an inspiration which makes the trials and difficulties of the way seem as nothing. Besides, we have the assurance of the Lord that in subsequent Ages the Father will continue to show special riches of grace and loving-kindness toward us who are in Christ Jesus. As our "Elder Brother," the Savior is an unspeakable Gift. Our interests are His interests; our welfare, His welfare; all of the journey in His footsteps which He invites us to take, and which He arranges for us, He has passed over before. We merely walk in His steps.

As our great High Priest over the House of Sons, He is an unspeakable Gift. Through Him we are privileged to be the Royal Priesthood. Our offerings to Jehovah, our little all, would be unacceptable, because we are all by nature sinners, children of wrath, blemished. But our great High Priest's merit imputed to our sacrifices makes them acceptable. As Christ's "members" we are privileged to "present our bodies living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God." (Romans 12:1) From whatever viewpoint we look, the Savior is God's unspeakable Gift, especially to His Church.

OF GRACE, NOT OF JUSTICE

Undoubtedly Justice must be recognized in respect to the Creator's dealings with His creatures. God, being the great Representative of the principle of Justice, continually holding it up before His creatures, and demanding their obedience to this Law, surely could not be exempted from its operation Himself. To this the Scriptures agree, assuring us that "Justice is the foundation of His Throne." Our endeavors in the past to harmonize Love and Justice with our great Creator's dealings with humanity have continually involved us in difficulty. We were assured by the prominent creeds of the world that the Creator had knowingly and willingly brought us into existence under such conditions that the great majority of mankind would spend an eternity in torture.

We were unable to see Justice in any such arrangement, yet feared to criticize our Creator, lest He should, if possible, do something still worse for us. But our reason balked at the proposition, while we desisted from criticizing the Creator. We could not endorse such a program, nor could we see it to be in harmony with the Divine regulations governing ourselves. If we are to love our enemies and be compassionate toward them, should more be expected of fallen beings than of our perfect Creator?

JUSTICE ALWAYS SATISFIED

From the Divine standpoint the human family are all convicts, under death sentence, dead in trespasses and sins, wholly without rights or privileges. As the French Government, not unjustly, has allowed the medical profession to make experiments with convicts who are under death sentence, to try upon them the effects of fear, poison, etc., so God not unjustly has allowed mankind, all under death sentence, to practice all kinds of evil upon one another, and to learn from each other great lessons respecting the exceeding sinfulness of sin and the wages or penalty of sin-death.

Justice merely exacts its penalty; but that penalty paid by Adam and his family left them hopeless respecting any future life. Unworthy of everlasting life, they died; and surely they become no more worthy while dead. None has any claim upon Justice. Adam at the very moment of his fall might have been smitten with a thunderbolt, without having any claim upon Justice; for he was under a death penalty. The fact that Justice allowed him to live for many years with a forfeited life meant not a waiving of the death penalty, but Divine liberality in respect to the execution of the criminal.

When, therefore, in the Bible God presents a hope of a future life through the death of His Son, His unspeakable Gift, it must not be understood as signifying obligation on God's part toward the sinner. It means mercy, grace. Nor does God ignore His own sentence and the justice of the case in the exercise of His mercy. His Law must stand. The death sentence must stand. Justice must be vindicated without a shadow of turning. Divine Mercy is made to intervene by providing the unspeakable Gift.

"Herein was manifested the love of God," in that "He gave His Only Begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him might not perish, but have everlasting life." As we have just seen, Adam and his race under the death sentence had perished, except as God from the beginning foreknew His intention to send His Son into the world for human Redemption-His unspeakable Gift. The Redemption, when finished, will fully have satisfied the claims of Divine Justice-not only as respects the little company now being selected-the Church, the Bride of Christ-but ultimately also as respects the "sins of the whole world." This is a Gift, then, not called for by Divine Justice, but merely prompted by Divine Love.

DIVINE LOVE AND JUSTICE COOPERATE

After the unspeakable Gift shall have been made applicable to the whole world of mankind at the beginning of Messiah's reign, Divine Wisdom will insist that, although the Redeemer may give to humanity every opportunity possible for recovery from sin and death, and every assistance possible for Restitution, nevertheless, none shall have eternal life except as perfect beings in heart harmony with the Creator. Therefore the work of Messiah's Kingdom will be to deliver humanity from sin and death, and to give opportunity for all to return to harmony with the Father; and any who will not so do, Justice will insist shall be destroyed in the "Second Death." Against such a decision, Divine Wisdom, Love and Power will offer no objection, nor will any redemption be effected for their willful sin.

"THANKS BE UNTO GOD"

The Scriptures declare that the world knows not God, and that only the eyes of the consecrated Church are open to behold the "Love of God, which passeth understanding." This class only, therefore, is in any sense prepared to give thanks to God now for the unspeakable Gift. Their thanks go up, not only in words, but also in actions, which "speak louder than words." These thanks ascend as sweet incense to God as His blessings, and mercies abound in all spiritual things toward those who are in Christ Jesus.

By and by, "All the blind eyes shall be opened and all the deaf ears shall be unstopped." Then the whole world of mankind, including those awakened from the sleep of death during Messiah's reign, will be in a condition to recognize God's unspeakable Gift and to render thanks. Nh hen the wilful evil-doers shall have been destroyed, "Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, to the glory of God." Then every creature in heaven and on earth and in the sea shall be heard saying, "Praise, glory, honor, dominion and might be unto Him that sitteth on the Throne, and unto the Lamb, forever," for the unspeakable Gift.

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