Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit · Sermon No. 2247
“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, on the present occasion, to say anything upon the subject of liberality. 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 of old, preachers used to say, the text naturally falls apart.
I. We begin with the thought that 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! But as often as we have preached this Truth of God, 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 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 to 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.