Gift of all gifts

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HOME / PROCLAMATION MAGAZINE / 2007 / NOVEMBER/DECEMBER / RATZ;AFF

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER 2007
VOLUME 8, ISSUE 6

A R T I C L E S

The Gift of all gifts
Dale Ratzlaff

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6).

One cannot read these timeless words from the "Gospel Prophet", without the inspiring rendition of Handle's Messiah playing in the sacred halls of memory. Although this ancient verse was penned some 2,700 years ago it speaks a timeless message of good news to us today.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given

This Child is for us! He is heaven's gift to us! The incarnate Christ is a gift from the Father to us. He is our Child, our Son. " For God so loved the world that He gave…." 1 He did not loan Him to us, He gave Him. "I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine." 2

Like any gift this Child must be received.

"But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God" (Jn. 1:12).

The reception of this Gift unites us to the infinite God.

"That they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us" (Jn. 17:21).

Packaged with the Gift of this Son are the other "good gifts" of grace: the Holy Spirit,3 rest,4 eternal life,5 glory,6 authority7 the kingdom,8 and all the promises of God's Word.9

Wonderful Counselor

He is Wonderful and He is a wonderful Counselor. How wonderful it is to have a Counselor who guides us into all truth and prepares our way before us.

"In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel of His will" (Eph. 1:10, 11).

When following His counsel we are safe. He knows the end from the beginning. In Him "are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." 10

The mighty God, The everlasting Father

When we realize that this Son is also the "mighty God, the everlasting Father", we long for the day when we can see Him face to face and not be overwhelmed by the brightness of the revelation as was this Gospel Prophet.

"Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts" (Isa. 6:5).

The revelation that this Son given to us is indeed the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father who could say, "He who has seen me has seen the Father" 11 is a necessary confession of the Christian faith.

"I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins" (Jn. 8:23, 24).

Couple this verse with John 8:58 where Jesus says, "Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." Here Jesus declared in no uncertain terms that He is the "I AM", the self-existent One. How important then, that we not compromise the full deity of Christ.

The Prince of Peace

As I write this short article, the news is filled with anxious uncertainties: the worsening international relationships, Sudan calling for the execution of a teacher who allowed her class of children to name a teddy bear "Mohamed". Yet in spite of appearances, our Son is the Prince of Peace!

"In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world" (Jn. 16:33).

"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful" (Jn. 14:27).

How the world needs this ancient message! May God impel us to proclaim the simple gospel—the unsearchable riches of Christ—the only hope for a world in desperate need of the good news of this Son who was given to us. †

Footnotes

Jn. 3:16.
Sos. 6:3.
Lk. 11:13.
Mt. 11:28.
Jn. 10:28; 17:2.
Jn. 17:22.
Lk. 10:19.
Lk. 12:32.
1 Cor. 1:20.
Col. 3:2.
Jn. 14:9.

DaleRatzlaffPhoto Dale Ratzlaff is the founder of Life Assurance Ministries, Inc, and owns LAM Publications, LLC. He served as an Adventist pastor for 13 years, seven of which were at Monterey Bay Academy where he taught Bible. He and his wife Carolyn left the Adventist church in 1981 when he realized he could no longer teach the investigative judgment in clear conscience. He has authored, Sabbath in Christ, The Cultic Doctrine of Seventh-day Adventists, The Truth About Seventh-day Adventist "Truth" and Adventist to Christian. These are available through his website, LifeAssuranceMinistries.com.