“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:5
Dear Ones:
What is the measure of the worth of a gift? Is it not in how much it cost the one giving it? How about the fact that it may be the ONLY gift of its kind? And lastly, what are the vast, and blessed, repercussions or effects of the gift? The reason for which we ask these questions is to answer another: What does God mean by the words of the Apostle Paul when he wrote: “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us ALL, how shall He not WITH Him, freely give us all things?” (Romans 8:32) If the worth of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus was such as to be totally unique and singular, there being no other,…and if the extent of that sacrifice was such that it would be for all mankind, having eternal repercussions, …then what was the value of the gift of God’s Son to mankind? Perhaps the greatest “measure,” and demonstration of the gift was in the total, unwavering, and unalterable love of the Father for the Son: “…this is My BELOVED Son, in whom I am well pleased.” There was in that love a reason, and it was the perfection of the Son. He was flawless, perfect in every way, and in particular, holy and good, perfectly ONE with His Father. It was a relationship of perfect communion, oneness of mind and heart, oneness of being…no separateness or discord. For Christ to take the sins of the entire world, knowing that He would feel, and know, separation from the Father for a time, was the ultimate in suffering for the Son and for the Father. Though there would be the certainty of the resurrection, the reunion of communion, there would of necessity have to be a time when, as the hymn-writer wrote: “The Holy One did hide His face; O Christ, ’twas hid from Thee! Dumb darkness wrapt Thy soul a space, The darkness due to me. But now that face of radiant grace, Shines forth in light on me.” This is true worth, that the Father loved the Son with a perfect love, and the Son loved the Father in like manner. The proof of the worth and power of that love was in the Sacrifice, Christ on the Cross, and the sorrow in the heart of the Father in giving the Son. What does this say to us concerning what He desires to give us WITH CHRIST, that He be honored and glorified on this earth…in our lives?
When we come to Christ, not grasping the extent of the greatness of the love of God for us because of Jesus, we are apt to not believe Him to meet our every need. We may not yet understand that we are “complete” in Him, and have ALL in Him, to receive from Him. We forget, or might not yet realize, that He is the God of the “much more.” What is the great motivating factor in inspiring us to seek Christ, and things above, for every need? It is the greatness of the love of God revealed in the sacrifice of Christ. “How shall He not WITH Him, freely give us all things?”
Dear Father, open our eyes to see “what it cost Thee to make a sinner whole, and Savior teach us the value of a soul.” Give us grace to see Thy love as it truly is, in all of its blessed, eclipsing dimensions. And with that vision, grip us and change us forever to live by it, by Thee, for Your glory and honor. We thank Thee, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad