CAn you receive a gift?

This Gift is the heart of the Gospel message.  It’s the “Good News of Great Joy” that will draw all people to God. (see John 12:32) 

This Gift starts with forgiveness or being made “right” with God.  The word used in order to describe your forgiveness and your right status in God’s eyes is called justification. 

Scripture teaches that your justification comes through your acceptance of God’s righteousness. His righteousness becomes your righteousness. (see Romans 5:17-19)

God wants to give you His righteousness specifically so that He can restore to you what He planned for you from the beginning. The Creator of everything wants you to be a joyful sharer of His image of love and light on the earth! 

St. Peter said it this way: 

“His divine power has given you everything needed for life and godliness… Thus He has given us, through these things, His precious and very great promises, so that through them you… may become participants of the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:3,4)

St. Athanasius summarized it like this:

“God gave Himself to us through His Spirit so we can become communicants of the divine nature.” (Catechism 1988) 

The Gift of God’s Righteousness is the Gift of God Himself. His Spirit living in you becomes your righteousness and your divine nature. 

This is how God transforms you into a saint.  He takes you through the transformation process.  And then as Christ’s “ambassador” you invite others to receive His Gift. 

Joyfully sharing the Image of God is your destiny as a Christian, a “little Christ”.  And God simply wants you to receive and celebrate it as a GIFT.

That sounds amazing!