Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:15
“When, therefore, supreme goodness intended to bestow the supreme gift, it gave the most precious thing it could bring out of its treasure chest, namely, itself, that the heart of man, ever eager for something greater, should not even have a way left to wonder how this angelic or human victim could be so great as to be sufficient for all, or how one could put unshaken trust in a creature. The Son of God has, therefore, been given to us as a confirmation of His mercy, as a pledge of pardon, as the price of righteousness, and as a rule of life, to make us sure of the grace of God, and to teach us the law of living. Who could worthily extol the greatness of this divine goodness and generosity? We had deserved to be disowned, and He honors us with being chosen. We had destroyed the way of life, and He has restored it. Thus, then, we have been redeemed and renewed by divine goodness so completely as to be acceptable through His mercy, and to be justified and blameless through His atoning sacrifice.”
Ulrich Zwingli (1484-1531) in “Exposition of the Christian Faith” from his work, On Providence and Other Essays, edited by William John Hinke (Durham: Labyrinth Press, 1983) 243. Zwingli was the leader of the Protestant Reformation in Switzerland.
What are you thankful for today?
Zwingli concisely captures all that has been restored for humankind in the generous gift of Jesus. This sentence in particular struck me: “The Son of God has, therefore, been given to us as a confirmation of His mercy, as a pledge of pardon, as the price of righteousness, and as a rule of life, to make us sure of the grace of God, and to teach us the law of living.”
This sentence aroused profound thankfulness within me for the work of Jesus! I am thankful for the mercy, pardon, priceless righteousness, rule of life, grace of God, and law of living we have received from Jesus. In plain terms, the Son of God did not just forgive and save us; He lavished His righteousness on us and taught us how to live with confidence in His grace!
With Zwingli, in response to so great a gift, I reply: “Who could worthily extol the greatness of this divine goodness and generosity?” The answer is no one, but there’s a twist: despite our unworthiness, because of His atoning sacrifice and righteousness imparted to us, He chose us to make known His goodness and generosity. Did you hear that?
God generously chose you and me to live with confidence in His grace and make known this indescribable gift through our living and generosity! No wonder the Church came to life in nations such as Switzerland. Common people realized the amazing truth that they were part of God’s plan for making His grace known to the world. Has this thought gripped you?