BiblicalInsights.net

Gift giving is a tradition this time of the year (December).  The emphasis is on generosity.  Many charitable groups are looking for donations.  Individuals are excited about giving and receiving gifts.  Gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh were brought by the wise men to the young Jesus close to the time of His birth.  Gifts involve an interesting dynamic between the giver, the gift itself and the receiver.  Giving begins in the heart of the giver.  A person decides to give and what to give.  This means that giving is a free act.  The gift is a windfall.  It is not earned nor merited.  It can take many forms but whatever form it takes, it is designed to be beneficial to the receiver.  The receiver completes the circle in the dynamic if the gift is received.  Most of the time, the gift is received with warmth and appreciation.  When the gift is received, the benefit or blessing enhances the value of the receiver.  However, sometimes the gift is rejected.  Whenever this happens, the giver is often rebuffed and offended.  The rejection of goodwill and grace is never welcomed.  When the receiver rejects the gift, he/she robs himself/herself of the benefits of receiving the gift which could be detrimental to the welfare of the recipient.  Sometimes people do not act for their own good.
The Greatest Giver
The greatest giver is God!  This is the conclusion of the proper reasoning about both creation and redemption.  Consider Ps. 104:28, where God is depicted with open hands and His hands are filled with good.  Or, consider Rom. 11:29, where Paul affirms that the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.  In James 1:17, James affirms that every good gift and perfect gift is from the Father of lights.  God is constant in giving us the best of heaven.  The heart of God is exposed in the giving of spiritual gifts that are freely bestowed and priceless.  God is magnanimous in His giving.   He does not hold back the best of heaven from His creature–man.
God Gave His Son.  John 3:16.  “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.  Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (I John 4:9-10).  God’s gift–Jesus Christ–is the means of our redemption.  Our redemption is priceless and so is the unspeakable gift of God’s Son (II Cor. 9:15).  Human language is at a loss to describe the wonder and magnificence of this priceless gift.  This gift is the means of spiritual life and eternal life (I John 5:10-11).
God Gave Us a Savior.   Eph. 5:25
Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Eph. 5:25).  Christ’s sacrifice was a selfless act of love to put away our sin.  “For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:26).  We are redeemed by His blood.  “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace” (Eph. 1:7).  Forgiveness by God is priceless and it is essential for our salvation!
God Gave His Grace.  Eph. 2:8-9.
“For by grace ye are saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.  Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).  Grace is God’s favor freely bestowed upon those who stand in need of His saving power.  The reception of this grace is dependent upon the faith and obedience of the human heart in response to God’s love.  God’s grace is not limited.  His grace is not a one-time experience.  His grace is continually available to Christians after its initial reception providing for continual cleansing by the blood of Christ (I John 1:7-9).
God Gave His Spirit.  Acts 2:38
The gift of God’s Spirit is a promise that is received only by those who have obeyed the gospel.  Those who obey the Gospel (manifest faith in the Lord, love Him supremely, repent of their sins, confess Christ and are baptized into Christ) not only receive the remission of sins, but they receive the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in their lives.  “And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him” (Acts 5:32).  “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13).  The Holy Spirit is a seal (denotes ownership).  The Holy Spirit is an intercessor (Rom. 8:26) aiding our prayers.  The Holy Spirit strengthens us with might in the inner man (Eph. 3:16).  The Holy Spirit is a priceless gift!
God Gives His Word.  James 1:17-18.
God begets us by His Word.  The germ of spiritual life is in the seed of the Word of God.  The seed begets us.  The Word of truth enlightens us and guides us into the pathway of righteousness.   The gospel of Christ is God’s way of making people righteous (Rom. 1:16-17).  “Buy the truth and sell it not!” (Prov. 23:23).  The truth is priceless!
God Gives Eternal Life Through His Son.  Rom. 6:23; I John 5:10-11.
“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  (Rom. 6:23).  “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (I John 5:10-11).  Eternal life is a quality of spiritual life and involves being in the presence of God forever.  It is free from:  tears, death, sorrow, crying, and pain for the former things are passed away (Rev. 21:4).  Eternal life is priceless!
God Gives Us Richly All Things To Enjoy.  I Tim. 6:16-17
Paul charges the rich to glorify God with their riches.  God gives us richly all things to enjoy!  The blessings of God are meant to be enjoyed.  Of course, this precludes sinful pursuits.  God wants us to enjoy the good things that He provides for us.  The true disciple of Jesus who puts the kingdom of God and His righteousness first in life, has the promise that all “these things” will be added unto him (Mt. 6:33).  “These things” refers to food, clothing and shelter.  God will provide through His grace.  God sustains us.  These blessings are not meant to ruin and rule us.  They are to be received with thanksgiving and used to God’s glory (I Cor. 10:31).  God’s blessings are priceless!
God’s gifts:  His Son, Our salvation through His Son, His grace, His Spirit, His Word, eternal life and every good and perfect gift are priceless!  They are freely given.  They are the means of our spiritual wealth through Jesus Christ (Eph. 1:3; II Cor. 8:9).  They must be received through love, faith and obedience to God’s Holy Word.  God has opened His hands to bless us with His goodness.  We must open our hearts to receive with meekness and humility the wonderful blessings God bestows.  When we do so, we enrich our souls for eternity.

Greg Epstein wrote a book titled, Good Without God in which he makes the bold claim that Humanism can produce moral goodness without God.  Epstein is the Humanist chaplain at Harvard.  He attempts to provide a worldview for nonbelievers that provides a basis for morality.  The premise of the book is: Humanism can deliver morality without God.  Can we be good without God?  The question is not: Can we be good without belief in God? An atheist, for example, may be able to do some morally good things (as a matter of choice), but doing some good things does not make one good by definition.  No one is sinless (Rom. 3:23).  Consequently, all need a savior (John 3:16).  Jesus  is the savior of the world (John 4:42; I John 4:14). We cannot be good without God when we understand goodness/righteousness to be the result of redemption through Jesus Christ.
Can We Be Good Without God?
This is a question that focuses on the nature of moral values.  Are moral values/laws we hold dear the result of social convention?   Are they the result of personal preference (relativism)?  Or, are they valid and binding independent of our opinions being grounded in the nature of God and His laws?
Consequences of Naturalism
Naturalism is the view that moral values are the by-product of biological evolution and social conditioning.  This means that all moral values are self-determined and relative.  Under this view, the Holocaust could be justified on the basis of a form of eugenics that was advantageous to German Nazis.  If there is no God, anything and everything is permissible!  If a lion kills a zebra in order to have food to eat, does the lion kill (murder) the zebra?  Does it have to stand trial for killing the zebra?  If a great white shark forcibly copulates with a female shark does it rape it?  Do we hold it accountable for rape?  We make a distinction between the conduct in the animal world and human beings.  Human beings are not animals.  Human beings are held to a higher moral standard than animals.  Naturalism fails to make this distinction and treats human beings as if they were animals.  We recognize the truth that for human beings objective moral values and duties exist.
Consequences of Theism
Theism affirms that God is (Gen. 1:1 and Heb. 11:6).  God is good (Mark 10:18).  God is the only morally perfect Being (The Triune God) who is intrinsically good.  God is holy (I Pet. 1:13,14).  God is love (I John 4:8, 16).  God is righteous (Ps. 11:7). “For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.”  Moral laws come from God.  The nature of God defines the nature of moral values/laws.  Moral duties exist because God has expressed His Will to human beings from the very beginning of the creation of mankind (Gen. 1 and 2).  There never has been a time, since human beings were created by God, that they did not have moral guidance from God.  When people give up their knowledge of God and rebel against God, they become morally reprobate.  Sin by definition is a transgression of God’s Will (I John 3:4).  People are not morally good when they violate God’s law and sin against Him.  The basic proposition of theism is:  If God does not exist, then objective moral values and duties do not exist.  Objective moral values do exist (murder, rape).  Therefore, God exists.
The Euthyphro Dilemma Resolved
This dilemma was named after a character in one of Plato’ Dialogues.  The dilemma can be stated thus:  Is something good because God wills it? Or, does God will something because it is good? The solution to this dilemma is: God wills something because He is good!  God, Himself, is the moral standard that determines good and evil.  God’s commands reflect His moral character, His holiness.  (see William Lane Craig, On Guard, pp. 120-121).
Sin Is Intrinsic Evil
Sin is defined by God in His Word (I John 3:4; 5:17).  All unrighteousness is sin.  Since all people sin against God, all accountable people must be saved from sin and its consequences (Rom. 3:23).  No one is good without God!  Through His love, mercy, and grace we can be saved from sin and justified before God. We are made perfect through the redemption that God has provided in and through His Son-Jesus Christ. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.  Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Rom. 5:8-9).  No one is good without being saved by the blood of Jesus Christ.  You cannot be good without God!  “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned” (Mark 16:16).