“Things that are freely given to us of God” are all according to the exceeding riches of His grace (Eph. 1:7), in His kindness towards us (Eph. 2:7). These things are also called the “unsearchable riches in Christ”(Eph. 3:8). So these “things” are God’s riches in Christ poured upon the believer the moment he trusted the finished redemptive work of Christ at Calvary. All these “treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hid in Christ (Col. 2:3).
These riches of God at Christ’s expense are the possessions of the child of God through his vital union with Christ (Col. 1:26-27). It may be said that they are:
1. Present
These “things” speak of the blessings and virtues we possess now. They don’t refer to something the Lord will give you in the future as a reward you earned by obedience. It is your union with Christ makes them your own.
2. Instantaneous
These things are divinely accomplished at the instant of believing alone. They become fully effective in us the moment we trusted Christ for our soul salvation.
The Christian positions are not progressive. They do not grow, or develop, from a small beginning. They are as perfect and complete the instant they are possessed as they ever will be in the ages to come.
To illustrate, sonship does not grow into fuller sonship, even though a son may be growing. An old man is no more the son of his earthly father at the day of his death than he was at the day of his birth.
3. Invisible
The believer’s positions, like all things related to the Spirit, are invisible; but as is true of spiritual things, they are more real and abiding than visible things. “For the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Corinthians 4:18), and, “Whom having not seen, ye love” (I Peter 1:8;I Timothy 1:17; 6,:16; Hebrews 11:27; I John 4:12). Even the present revelation by the Spirit is such as “Eye hath not seen.”
4. Inexperienced
These “things” in CHRIST are never subject to human experience. They produce no sensation by which they may be identified. They are taken by faith, and joyous appreciation may come as a result of believing.
They are not experienced. They are facts of the newly created life out of which most precious experiences may grow. For example, justification is never experienced; yet it is a new eternal fact of divine life and relationship to God. A true Christian is more than a person who feels or acts on a certain high plane: he is one who, because of a whole inward transformation, normally feels and acts in all the limitless heavenly association with his Lord
5. Unmerited
Human merit, as in all the operations of grace, is excluded from the divine reckoning concerning “the things that are freely given to us of God”. They rest on the perfect merit of CHRIST.
It was while we were yet sinners that Christ died for the ungodly. There is a legitimate distinction to be made between good sons and bad sons; but both equally possess sonship if they are sons at all. God is said to chasten His own because they are sons, but certainly not that they may become sons.
Human merit must be excluded. It cannot be related to these divine transformations of grace; nor could they abide eternally the same if depending by the slightest degree on the finite resources. They are made to stand on the unchanging Person and merit of the eternal Son of God. There are other and sufficient motives for Christian conduct than the effort to create such eternal facts of the divine life. The Christian is “accepted (now and forever) in the beloved.”
6. Unchangeable
Our standing and position in CHRIST cannot be increased or decreased. It abides as He is, “the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).
7. Eternal
Finally, since these positions in CHRIST are related to, and depend only on CHRIST, they will endure as long as He endures: “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost [without end] that come unto God by him” (Hebrews 7:25).
Evangelist Rodgie Quirante
The Workman’s Treasure Study Series