The Best Gifts Ever Given
📖 James 1:17–18
✝️Towne East Baptist Church – December 22, 2025
👤 Pastor Bill Allred
A clear biblical message from James 1:17–18 on the greatest gifts God has given—Jesus Christ, eternal life, the Holy Spirit, and the eternal Word of God.
James 1:17–18
Our culture loves to give. Even as society drifts further from God, generosity still shows up—especially in times of tragedy. When disaster strikes, people open their wallets, their homes, and their hearts. Credit where it’s due: America is one of the most giving nations in the world.
We see generosity around Thanksgiving and Christmas, but it shines brightest when suffering hits. Hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis—when the world breaks, people step up. That instinct to give is worth noticing.
Yet every modern tragedy points back to the greatest tragedy of all: when sin entered the world.
The Greatest Tragedy—and the Greatest Giver
Sin cursed creation. It brought pain, shame, sorrow, and death. Worse than any natural disaster, sin placed every human being under condemnation—separated from God and facing eternal judgment. Left to ourselves, we would have to pay for our sins forever.
That is when the Greatest Giver stepped in.
In the middle of humanity’s worst disaster, God gave the best gifts ever given.
James reminds us of this truth:
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights” (James 1:17).
- The Gift of the Eternal Son
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…” (John 3:16)
Jesus Christ is not just a gift—He is the gift of all gifts.
God desired restored fellowship with His creation, but justice required payment for sin. That payment had to be made by someone perfect, someone without sin, someone who could stand in our place. Only one qualified.
So God gave His eternal Son.
Jesus became man, lived without sin, shed His blood, and paid the full penalty of the broken law. Salvation is not earned. It is given. God offered Himself—freely—to all who will believe.
This is why shepherds adored Him. Kings honored Him. Demons feared Him. Heaven rejoiced. It is shocking that anyone could treat Him as optional.
Jesus Christ is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end—the best gift ever given.
- The Gift of Eternal Life
“The wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23).
Eternal life means more than endless time. It means a completely new kind of life.
Time here is brief. Eternity is beyond measure. But the greatest part of eternal life is not its length—it is its quality.
Eternal life is life without pain. No sickness. No sorrow. No decay.
No arthritis.
No heart disease.
No cancer.
No diabetes.
No grief.
No funerals.
This world is filled with physical pain and emotional anguish. Loss, tragedy, and trauma leave scars that don’t heal easily. But God’s gift of eternal life removes all of it.
Scripture promises a future where sorrow is erased and suffering is no more. That alone makes eternal life one of the best gifts ever given.
- The Gift of the Eternal Spirit
“…and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38).
When a person repents of sin and trusts Christ, God does not leave them to walk alone. The Holy Spirit comes to live within the believer—permanently.
This is God with us, 24/7.
The Spirit comforts in grief, strengthens in weakness, convicts when we stray, and teaches us truth. He helps us understand Scripture. He warns us of danger. He carries our prayers to the Father.
Many believers can testify: “I don’t know how I would have made it without the Lord.”
That is the ministry of the Holy Spirit—one of the best gifts ever given.
- The Gift of His Eternal Word
“Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth…” (James 1:18)
The Word of God makes every other gift possible.
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. Through Scripture, God reveals truth, exposes sin, and points sinners to Christ. The Bible transforms lives because it carries the gospel.
Mankind has tried to edit it, ignore it, rewrite it, or dismiss it entirely. Yet Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away” (Mark 13:31).
God’s Word is eternal—and it remains one of the greatest gifts ever given.
The Best Gifts Come From the Greatest Giver
God has not held back. He has given:
- His Eternal Son
- Eternal Life
- His Eternal Spirit
- His Eternal Word
The question is not whether these gifts are available. The question is whether they have been received.
Salvation is found in Christ alone. The best gifts ever given are still offered today—to all who will trust Him as their only hope of salvation.
Closing Call to Action & Prayer
God has already given the best gifts ever offered to mankind. Nothing more needs to be added. Nothing can be earned. The only question left is whether you will receive them.
If you have never trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior, today is the day to respond. Salvation is not found in church membership, good works, or good intentions. It is found in Christ alone—God’s greatest gift.
If you are a believer, this is a moment to thank God for what He has given and to live in light of those gifts: walking in obedience, trusting His Word, and yielding to His Spirit.
A Prayer of Response:
Father God,
I acknowledge that every good and perfect gift comes from You.
I confess that I am a sinner and cannot save myself.
I believe that Jesus Christ is Your Son, given for me,
that He died for my sins and rose again.
I receive Your gift of salvation by faith alone.
Thank You for eternal life, for the Holy Spirit who lives within me,
and for Your eternal Word that guides me in truth.
Help me to live for You, for Your glory, from this day forward.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The best gifts ever given are still being offered—freely—by the greatest Giver of all.
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