God's Special Gift

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God;
To declare, [I say], at this time his righteousness:
that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” (Ro 3:23-26 AV)

“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.” (Ro 7:14 AV)

BIBLE STUDY
Title: God's Special Gift

Topic(s): Salvation, God's Love
Scripture: Romans 3:23-26

What do you associate with Christmas, birthdays, anniversaries and lots of other special occasions? If you said "gifts," 99 percent of the rest of our society would probably agree with you. Gifts are one of the ways most of us show we care about someone.

But no one has ever given a gift that is as special as the one God gave. This gift came through His Son, Jesus Christ. Let's take a closer look at what God's Word says about this gift.

What Does God Say?

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:23-26).

* Who needs God's gift?
* What does this gift prove about God?
* How would you explain to someone the way to receive this gift?

My Thoughts

God's gift is free, but it's not cheap. It cost the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ. It was Christ's blood that redeemed us. The word redeemed means "to buy back." It's used to describe paying a ransom for someone's release. Sin had held us captive. It held us under its control (Romans 7:14). But Jesus paid the ransom price and set us free.

This allowed God to be both "just and the justifier." For God to have ignored our sins would make Him unjust. He would be violating His own laws. But Jesus became a propitiation through His blood. The word propitiation means "to satisfy." To maintain God's justice, the Law had to be met. Jesus satisfied that Law through His death.

My Part

Take a piece of paper and divide it in half. On one half, label it "Mankind" and list all the ways people try to pay for their sins. On the other half, list The way God has paid for our sins. Which way have you chosen?

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