There are some gifts that you remember throughout your life, and there are some gifts that you’ll never forget. Then there are some gifts that transform who you are.
Gift #7: Relationship extended (John 1:9-13). John reminds us of the world’s blindness (2 Corinthians 4:4). Jesus is the true light–what is real and genuine. People had seen only reflections of the light of God’s glory, but in Jesus the full “radiance of His glory” was revealed (Hebrews 1:3). The Creator of the world became its Savior, but the world rejected Him and did not know Him. But then John tells us (John 1:12-13) of the gift of relationship. This is entirely by grace through faith.
Gift #8: Presence revealed (John 1:14-15). God took on humanity. The infinite became finite. Eternity entered time. The invisible became visible. God became fully man, yet remained fully God. It’s what Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 3:16. But God also “made His dwelling among us.” This was not a mere appearance. He took on all the essential attributes of humanity and was “made in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:7). Jesus manifested God’s divine glory during His earthly life with a clarity never before seen, but it was veiled by human flesh. Jesus’ manifestation of the divine attributes revealed His essential glory as God’s Son (Colossians 2:9).
Gift #9: Grace abounds (John 1:16-18). You life is blessed by His grace and freed by the truth. Because of Colossians 2:9 the gift of grace is a limitless, never-ending flow (Ephesians 2:7).
What is the impact of these gifts?
- Grace triumphed over the law. Jesus Christ brought the full realization of grace and truth.
- God was made visible with a clarity never before seen or known. It is through Jesus Christ, the “image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), that God is revealed.
- God, who cannot be known unless He reveals Himself, became most fully known because Jesus explained Him. “What is God like?” Jesus is the explanation of God. He is the answer to the question (cf John 14:7-9).