PRAISE FOR THE GIFT OF GIFTS – Charles Spurgeon
PRAISE FOR THE GIFT OF GIFTS
“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15. In the chapter from which my text is taken, Paul is stirring up the Christians at Corinth to be ready with liberal gifts for the poor saints at Jerusalem. He finishes by reminding them of a greater gift than any they could bring and by this one short word of praise, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift,” he sets all their hearts a-singing. Let men give as liberally as they may, you can always proclaim the value of their gift. You can cast it up and reckon its worth, but God’s gift is unspeakable, unreckonable. You cannot fully estimate the value of what God gives. The gospel is a gospel of giving and forgiving. We may sum it up in those two words and therefore when the true spirit of it works upon the Christian, he forgives freely and he also gives freely. The large heart of God breeds large hearts in men and they who live upon His bounty are led by His Spirit to imitate that bounty according to their power. However, I am not going to say anything upon the subject of liberality today. I must get straight away to the text, hoping that we may really drink in the spirit of it and out of full hearts use the apostle’s language with a more intense meaning than ever as we repeat his words—“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” I shall commence by saying that salvation is altogether the gift of God and as such is to be received by us freely. Then I shall try to show that this gift is unspeakable. And in the third place, that for this gift thanks should be rendered to God. Though it is unspeakable, yet we should speak our praise of it. In this way, you will see, as old preachers used to say, the text naturally falls apart.
I. SALVATION IS ALTOGETHER THE GIFT OF GOD
Paul said, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” Over and over again we have proclaimed that salvation is wholly of grace—not of works nor of wages—but it is the gift of God’s great bounty to undeserving men. Often as we have preached this truth, we shall have to keep on doing so as long as there are men in the world who are self-righteous and as long as there are minds in the world so slow to grasp the meaning of the word “grace,” that is “free favor,” and as long as there are memories that find it difficult to retain the idea of salvation being God’s free gift. Let us say simply and plainly that salvation must come to us as a gift from God, for salvation comes to us by the Lord Jesus and what else could Jesus be? The essence of salvation is the gift of God’s Only-Begotten Son to die for us that we might live through Him. I think you will agree with me that it is inconceivable that men should ever have merited that God should give His Only-Begotten Son to them. To give Christ to us, in any sense, must have been an act of divine charity. But to give Him up to die on yonder cruel and bloody cross—to yield Him up as a sacrifice for sin must be a free favor—passing the limits of thought. It is not supposable that any man could deserve such love. It is plain that if man’s sins needed a sacrifice, he did not deserve that a sacrifice should be found for him. The fact that he has a need proves his demerit and his guiltiness. He deserves to die—he may be rescued by Another dying for him—but he certainly cannot claim that the eternal God should take from His bosom His Only-Begotten and Well-Beloved Son and put Him to death. The more you look at that thought in the face, the more you will reject the idea that, by any possible sorrow, or by any possible labor, or by any possible promise, a man could put himself into the position of deserving to have Christ die for him. If Christ is to come to save sinners, it must be as a gift—a free gift of God. The argument, to my mind, is conclusive.
Besides that, over and over again in God’s Word, we are told that salvation is not of works. Although there are many who cling to the notion of man’s works as a ground of salvation, yet as long as this Book stands and there are eyes to read it—it will bear witness against the idea of human merit—and it will speak out plainly for the doctrine that men are saved by faith and not by works. Not only once, but often it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Moreover, we are told, “Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace.” The very choice of the way of salvation by believing, rather than by works, is made by God on purpose that He might show that grace is a gift. “Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt: but to him that works not, but believes on Him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Faith is that virtue, that grace, which is chosen to bring us salvation because it never takes any of the glory to itself. Faith is simply the hand that takes. When the beggar receives alms, he does not bless the hand that takes, but blesses the hand that gives—therefore we do not praise the faith that receives, but the God who gives the unspeakable gift. Faith is the eye that sees. When we see an object, we delight in the object, rather than in the eye that sees it—therefore do we glory, not in our faith, but in the salvation which God bestows. Faith is appointed as the porter to open the gate of salvation because that gate turns upon the hinges of free grace.
In the next place, be it always remembered that we cannot be saved by the merit of our own works because holy works are themselves a gift—the work of the grace of God. If you have faith, joy and hope, who gave them to you? These did not spring up spontaneously in your heart. They were sown there by the hand of love. If you have lived a godly life for years, if you have been a diligent servant of the church and of your God, in whose strength have you done it? Is there not One who works all our works in us? Could you work out your salvation with fear and trembling if God did not first work in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure? How can you, then, claim a reward which is in itself the gift of God? I think the ground is cut right away from those who would put confidence in human merit when we show, first of all, that in Scripture salvation is clearly said to be, “not of works, lest any man should boast.” And, secondly, that even the good works of believers are the fruit of a renewed life, for “we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”
II. THIS GIFT IS UNSPEAKABLE
Do not think it means that we cannot speak about this gift. Ah, how many times have I, for one, spoken upon this gift during the last 40 years! I have spoken of little else. I heard of one who said, “I suppose Spurgeon is preaching that old story over again.” Yes, that is what he is doing—and if he lives another 20 years and you come here, it will be “the old, old story” still, for there is nothing like it. It is inexhaustible—it is like an Artesian well that springs up forever and ever. We can speak about it, yet it is unspeakable. What do we mean, then, by saying it is unspeakable? Well, as I have said already, Christ Jesus our Lord is the sum and substance of salvation and of God’s gift. O God, this gift of Yours is unspeakable and it includes all other gifts beside!— “You did not spare Your only Son, But gave Him for a world undone, And freely with that Blessed One— You give all.”
Consider, first, that Christ is unspeakable in His person. He is perfect man and glorious God. No tongue of seraph or of cherub can ever describe the full nature of Him whose name is, “Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” This is He whom the Father gave “for us men, and for our sakes.” He was the Creator of all things, for, “without Him was not anything made that was made,” yet He was “made of flesh and dwelt among us.” He fills all things by His omnipresence, yet He came and tabernacled on the earth. This is that Jesus who was born of Mary, yet who lived before all worlds. He was that word who “was in the beginning with God, and the word was God.” He is unspeakable. It is not possible to put into human language the divine mystery of His sacred being, truly man and yet truly God. How great the wonder of it! Soul, God gave God for you! Do you hear it? To redeem you, O believing man, God gave Himself to be your Savior—surely that is an unspeakable gift.
Christ is unspeakable, next, in His condescension. Can anyone measure or describe how far Christ stooped, when, from the throne of splendor, He came to a manger to be swaddled and lie where the horned oxen fed? Oh, what a stoop of condescension was that! The Infinite becomes an infant. The Eternal is dandled on a woman’s knee. He is there in the carpenter’s shop, obedient to His parents. He is there in the temple, sitting among the doctors, hearing them and asking them questions. He is there in poverty, crying, “The Son of Man has not where to lay His head.” And He is there thirsty, asking a sinful woman for a drink of water. It is unspeakable that He, before whom all the hosts of heaven veiled their faces, should come here among men and among the poorest of the poor. That He who dwelt amidst the glory and the bliss of the land of light should deign to be a Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief, passes human thought! Such a Savior is an unspeakable gift.
But if unspeakable so far, what shall I say of the fashion of Christ in His death? Beloved, I cannot speak adequately of Gethsemane and the bloody sweat, nor of the Judas kiss, nor of the traitorous flight of the disciples. It is unspeakable. That binding, scourging, plucking of the beard, and spitting in the face! Man’s tongue cannot utter the horror of it. I cannot truly tell you the weight of the false accusations, the slanders, and the blasphemies that were heaped on Him. Nor would I wish to picture the old soldier’s cloak flung over His bleeding shoulders and the crown of thorns, the buffeting, the mailed fists, and the shame and sorrow He endured as He was thrust out to execution.
III. THANKS SHOULD BE RENDERED
Now, lastly, I come to this point, that for this gift thanks should be rendered. The text says, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” By this, the apostle not only meant that he gave thanks for Christ, but he thus calls upon the church and upon every individual believer to join him in his praise. Here do I adopt his language and praise God on my own behalf, calling upon all of you who know the preciousness of Christ, the gift of God, to unite with me in thanksgiving. Let us as with one heart say it now, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
Some cannot say this, for they never think of the gift of God. You who never think of God, how can you thank God? There must be “think” at the bottom of “thank.” Whenever we think, we ought to thank. But some never think and therefore never thank. Beloved friend, what do you think? That Christ should die—is it nothing to you? That God “gave His Only-Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Is that nothing to you? Let the question drop into your heart. Press it home upon yourself. Will you say that you have no share in this gift? Will you deliberately give up any hope you may have of ever partaking of the grace of God? Are you determined now to say, “I do not care about Christ”? Well, you would hardly like to say that, but why do you practically declare this to be your intention, if you do not want to say it? Oh, that you might now so think of Christ as to trust Him at once and begin to raise this note of praise!
Some, on the other hand, do not thank God because they are always delaying. Have I not hearers here, tonight, who were here 10 years ago, and were rather more hopeful, then, than they are now? “There is plenty of time,” you say, but you do not say this about other matters. I admired the children the other day when the teacher said, “Dear children, the weather is unsettled. You can go out next Wednesday, but do you not think it would be better to stop a month, so that we could go when the weather is more settled?” There was not a child that voted for stopping a month. All the hands went up for going next Wednesday. Now, imitate the children in that. Do not make it seem as if you were in no hurry to be happy, for as he that believes in Christ has eternal life—to postpone having it is an unworthy as well as unwise thing to do. No, you will have it, I hope, at once.
There is a man here who is going to be a very rich man when his old aunt dies. You do not wish that she should die, I am sure, but you sometimes wonder why some people are spared to be 90, do you not? You are very poor now and you wish that some of this money could come to you at once—you are not for putting that off. Why should you put off heavenly riches and eternal life? I beseech you to believe in Christ now—then you will be filled with thankfulness and joy.
Some cannot say, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift,” for they do not know whether they have it or not. They sometimes think that they have, but they more often fear that they have not. Never tolerate a doubt on this subject, I implore you. Get full assurance. “Lay hold on eternal life.” Get a grip of it. Know Christ. Trust Christ wholly and you have God’s Word for it—“He that hears My word, and believes on Him that sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life.” Then you can say, “Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
Now, dear friends, let me ask you to join in this exercise. Let us first unitedly thank God for this gift. Put out of your mind the idea that you ought to thank Christ, but not thank the Father. It was the Father that gave Christ. Christ did not die to make His Father love us, as some say that we preach. We have always preached the very opposite and we have quoted that verse of Kent—
“‘Twas not to make Jehovah’s love
Towards the sinner flame,
That Jesus, from His throne above,
A suffering man became.
‘Twas not the death which He endured,
Nor all the pangs He bore,
That God’s eternal love procured,
For God was love before.”
He gave His Son because He already loved us. Christ is the exhibition of the Father’s love and the revelation of Christ is made because of “the love of the Spirit.” Therefore, “Thanks be unto God”—the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit—“for His unspeakable gift.” While you saved ones, every one of you, raise your note of gratitude, be very careful to thank God only. Do not be thinking by whose means you were converted and begin to thank the servant instead of the Lord whom he serves. Let the man who was used as the instrument in God’s hand be told for his comfort of the blessing God sent you through him, but thank God and thank only God, that you were led to lay hold of Christ who is His unspeakable gift.
Moreover, thank God spontaneously. Look at the apostle and imitate him. When he sounded this peal of praise, his mind was occupied at the time about the collection for the poor saints. But collection or no collection, he will thank God for His unspeakable gift. I like to see thanks to God come up at what might be an untimely moment. When a man does not feel just as happy as he might be, and yet says, “Thank God,” it sounds refreshingly real. I like to hear such a bubbling up of praise as in the case of old Taylor of New York, when he broke down in the middle of a sentence. Looking up at the people, he said, “There now! The nominative has lost its verb, but hallelujah! I am on the way to glory.” And then he went on again. Sometime we ought to do just like that. Take an opportunity when there comes a little interval just to say, “Whether this is in tune or not, I cannot help it—thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.”
Lastly, as you receive the precious gift, thank God practically. Thank God by doing something to prove your thanks. It is a poor gratitude which only effervesces in words and shirks deeds of kindness. Real thankfulness will not be in word only, but in deed, too—and so it will prove that it is in truth. “Well, what could I do that would please God?” you ask. First, I should think you could look for His lost children. That is a sure way to please Him. Go, tonight, and see whether you cannot find one of the erring whom you might bring back to the fold. Would you not please a mother, if she had lost her baby, and you set to work to find it? We need to please God. Seek the lost ones and bring them in. If you want to please God, next, succor His poor saints. If you know anything of them, help them. Do something for them for Christ’s sake. I knew a woman who used to always relieve anybody that came to her door in the dress of a sailor. I do not think that half of those who came to her ever had been to sea at all, but still, if they came to the door as sailors, she used to say, “Ah, my dear boy was a sailor. I have not seen him for years. He is lost somewhere at sea, but for dear Jack’s sake, I always help every sailor that comes to my door.” It is a right feeling, is it not? I remember, when I first came to London from my country charge, I used to think that if I came across a dog or a cat that came from Waterbeach, I would like to feed it. So, for the love of Christ, love Christ’s poor people. Whenever you fInd them, say, “My Lord was poor, and so are you, and for His dear sake I will help you.” If you want to please God, next, bear with the evil ones. Do not lose your temper. I mean by that, do not get angry with the unthankful and the evil. Let your anger be lost in praise for the unspeakable gift. Please God by bearing with evil men as He bears with you. But if you have a very bad temper, I hope that, in another sense, you may lose it and never find it any more. And lastly, if you want to please God, watch, like the Thessalonians, “for His Son from heaven.” The Lord Jesus is coming again, in like manner as He departed, and there is no attitude with which God is more delighted in His saved people than with that of watching for the time when “unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time, without sin unto salvation.” Beloved, may God help you thus to magnify His Son and to Him shall be all the praise! Let us again lift up our glad hallelujah—“Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift.” Amen.