Three Gifts

Possibly it simplifies it too much but cannot the way of salvation be considered as three gifts combined? First, we have God's gift of His Son. Romans 8:32, "He spared not his Son." He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). This is the first of three gifts; the glorious gift of God's love.

The second is the life that our Savior gave when He died on the cross for our salvation. No man took it from Him. He gave Himself for the church, which is the company of the saved (Eph. 5:25; Acts 2:47). As shameful as dying on the cross as a common criminal was considered, He suffered in order that we might be redeemed. He bought u with His blood.

The third gift is man's gift to God. Possibly man committing himself to serve God through Christ is not so much as a gift as it is taking advantage of the two gifts of Deity. Those in Macedonia gave liberally because they first gave of themselves (2 Cor. 8:5). What we give pales in the light of the other two gifts.

We might add a fourth and that is the Holy Spirit giving us the Word of salvation which we have in the Bible. Salvation for man is the result of gifts.