The best Christmas gift you can give someone is the Gospel.
Think about the essence of this astoundingly amazing message: The Son of God became one of us. He lived among us. He died in our place for our sins—all of them. Because He was fully human, He could die for every human. Because He was fully God, that payment for sin was infinite.
We need our sin paid for because we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) who fall short of God’s unbending standard of righteousness (Revelation 21:27).
We need a Savior, not only because we are all sinners, but also because our good deeds are useless to save us (Ephesians 2:8-9, Titus 3:5).
Our “good deeds” are like white frosting that covers a burnt cake. Actually, God refers to them not as white frosting but rather as “filthy rags,” compared with His pristine and pure holiness (Isaiah 64:6).
Deep down inside, we’re all selfish and sinful. We all deserve God’s wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
Deep down inside, we all know it (Romans 1:18-23).
THE GOSPEL IS THE REMEDY!
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…
Ephesians 2:4-6
Jesus paid the price for our sin by dying on the cross. Then He was buried. After three days, He rose from the dead, proving that His claims were true and His death in our place for our sins was real (1 Corinthians 15:3-4).
Through simple faith in Him—based on His death, burial, and resurrection—we’re saved (John 3:16). This is a simple transfer of trust from ourselves and our good deeds to Christ alone. This reliance on Jesus (not ourselves) is the core essence of faith. It’s so simple, a child could do it. It’s so foreign to our natural tendencies, a self-righteous religious person could choke on it.
3 PRACTICAL WAYS TO “GIFT” THE GOSPEL
Jesus’s physical resurrection from the dead opens the way for us to be resurrected into glory someday and live in His resurrection power today.
And now this same Jesus is interceding on our behalf at the right hand of God the Father. He’s praying for you and for me.
When you share the Gospel with someone, you’re inviting them into this blessed assurance of eternal salvation that can be experienced and expressed today.
You’re offering them a ticket to Heaven (John 14:1-3) and a train ride to identity (Galatians 3:26), belonging (Ephesians 2:19), and purpose (Matthew 28:18-20) while here on Earth.
So, as you buy gifts for loved ones this year for Christmas, don’t forget to give them the gift of the Gospel. Here are three practical ways you can do that:
- Give them Lee Strobel’s new book: Is God Real? (now on the bestseller list, BTW).
- Gift them my memoir, Unlikely Fighter, which clearly lays out the Gospel as well.
- Include Dare 2 Share’s G.O.S.P.E.L. acrostic in your Christmas card.
However you choose to do it, share the best gift ever this Christmas: Jesus!
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
2 Corinthians 9:15
