Freely Given All Things

With the Lord Jesus Christ comes all good things. Our Saviour told His disciples, ‘seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you’. What are ‘these things’? All temporal things that are good and necessary for our earthly life. All the blessings of salvation; a hatred of sin, forgiveness of sin, and peace with God. All the blessings of spiritual life; union with Christ, the love of God, the indwelling of the Holy Ghost. All the blessings of heaven and eternal glory.

First the best, then the rest

Paul’s argument is simple. If Jehovah God provided us with the Lord Jesus Christ, the greatest gift of all; if He spared Him not, but delivered Him up for us all, then nothing that is less than Christ will be withheld from us. Every good and perfect gift is the inheritance of the family of God. The Godhead works together for our good. All the angelic host works together, under Christ, for our good. The temporal universe and everything created in it works together for our good. Even sin, death and the grave are employed to benefit God’s people.

Boundless grace

The word ‘freely’ in our verse speaks of God’s liberality in blessing His people. His goodness is bountiful and generous. ‘The Lord will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly’ (Psalm 84:11). We have previously seen, ‘them that walk uprightly’ are those who walk by faith in Christ. Our Father delights to give good things to His children. The gifts of His goodness and the callings of His grace, being without repentance, being without regret on God’s part, will never be withdrawn or annulled. 

Sovereign grace

Freely speaks, too, of the sovereignty of God’s choice in dispensing His good gifts. They are liberally bestowed without compulsion in God and without reference to merit in the recipient – of which there is none, we all being sinners. There is nothing innate in us that Jehovah foresaw, sees now, or ever will see, to attract His gracious notice or merit divine goodness. All who know something of their own heart will agree in this matter. To the glory of God, His goodness and mercy is graciously free, both in its nature and supply.

Exercised grace

This is not to suggest there will be no suffering for the Lord’s elect. History proves otherwise, be it the persecution of Christ’s apostles or the testimony of the saints of God in all ages. Believers know sickness, loss and death, and we know what it is to experience doubt. Yet, ‘all things are yours’ says the apostle to the Corinthians. Let us learn to interpret our trials in the light of God’s word and not question God’s word because of our trials. 

Christ is everything

The Lord Jesus is the supreme gift of God’s love to sinners. The covenant of peace is the expression and revelation of God’s grace and goodness. We began our studies speaking of God’s love and wisdom which by design works ‘all things’ together for our good. To that end Christ is our Substitute by whom we are reconciled. He is our Risen Head to whom we are united, our Daily Bread with whom we are fed, our Everlasting Life through whom we live spiritually. 

Infinite goodness

The dimensions of God’s love have not been measured nor the boundaries of His goodness set. ‘Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.’ As we face the challenges of life we have God’s gospel promises to encourage us by day. When we face the challenge of death God’s promises are our comfort in the darkness. Those who trust in the shed blood and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus have in themselves God’s justifying righteousness, complete pardon of sin, sanctifying grace, filial adoption, and eternal life – all ‘freely’ given, in a sovereign way, according to our God’s good will and pleasure. 

The reward of grace

As we face uncertain days, trials and temptations our confidence is not in our own strength but in Christ’s. Our hope is not in our righteousness but in Christ’s. Our comfort comes from the Holy Spirit upon us, the love of God toward us and the faith of Christ within us. We trust Him for everything. We do so knowing all glory and honour is His by right, His by covenant obedience and His by victory at the cross and it is ours as well. It is ours because God has freely given to us all things in Christ.

Amen.