(God) Who even (taking one act as a notable example out of all) did not spare His own Son (HIS OWN,—His υἱὸς μονογενής, the only one of God’s sons who is One with Him in nature and essence, begotten of Him before all worlds. Some are God's sons by creation, and some in a higher sense by obedience to the divine commands, by submission to the righteous will of the Eternal, by the possession and manifestation of God-like qualities. This is an infinite gift, because the Son of God is an infinite being; and it is the greatest of all possible gifts because it is God Himself. John 3:16, "God so loved the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son.". It is Christ Jesus that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead, who is at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”. While we must be careful to exclude from the idea conveyed by the language of the text anything like a struggle or conflict between opposite principles and feelings existing in the Divine mind, we are entitled, and even expected, to view the act of God in giving up His own Son with feelings substantially the same in kind as those with which we would contemplate an act of heroic self-denial, or of generous sacrifice, performed by one of our fellow-men for the advancement of our happiness.1 [Note: W. ), The wants of men, and the supplies of God. God loves the race, and yet He loves the Son. If God had asked his flocks and his herds, his silver and his gold, we may well suppose that Abraham would have given all without a murmur. There is no limit to His amazing grace, no end to His unfailing love and no boundary to His everlasting mercy, which is new every morning. 8:28, 30). If at times the soundness of redemption is felt to arise from a personal appropriation of its benefits, yet there is peculiar consolation in the view of it which embraces the entire Church of the firstborn. Then; says the Son Himself, I restored that which I took not away, Psalm 69:4. — Calvin. 3. There is a beautiful contrast between the manners of giving the two sets of gifts implied in words of the original, perhaps scarcely capable of being reproduced in any translation. After him, can there be any thing too great for God to bestow? Freely, that is, largely and plentifully, without diminution. We dishonour Christ by mistrust of the power of His saving merit. The answer lies in the previous verses: God in His providence is working “all things” together in order to achieve a specific goal—our glorification (Rom. p. 228). This penalty pre-supposes transgression. If in this mysterious work of human redemption it may be declared that even Christ pleased not Himself, so we say with becoming reverence that God pleased not Himself in delivering up His Son, except in so far as He desired to show His great love unto rebellious men, and thus win them back from sin and uphold the interests of His moral government. We are, further, accustomed to speak of Christ’s mission and death as being the revelation to us of the love of God as well as of the Man Christ Jesus, because we believe that ‘God was in Christ reconciling the world,’ and that He has so manifested and revealed the very nature of divinity to us, in His life and in His person, that, as He Himself says, ‘He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father.’ And every conclusion that we draw as to the love of Christ is, ipso facto, a conclusion as to the love of God. recalls the same words in Rom 8:28. He that spared not his own Son, etc. "The New John Gill Exposition of the Entire Bible". Therefore let us own this perfect satisfaction of Christ to the justice of His Father, and His Father’s general and universal punishing of Him, and not sparing Him at all. Do you live as if you did? II. Our language is, “I will not offer unto God that which doth cost me nothing.” Let us bow in silence before the dim intimation that seems to flicker out of the words of the text, that so He says to us, “I will not offer unto you that which doth cost me nothing.” “He spared not his own Son”—withheld Him not from us. How the greatness of the surrender is made more emphatic by the negative and the positive. Copyright � Broadman Press 1932,33, Renewal 1960. No other mercy can be so dear to God as his own Son: He was his soul's delight. He may give sources of earthly happiness, but He gives Christ with them to make them doubly sweet, and yet to prevent their drawing off the affections from heavenly joys. No. It was exacted, and He answered, Isaiah 53:7. What would become of us if God were in this unqualified manner to give us all things? Romans 8:32. Romans 8:32. All things that are for our real advantage, of what nature soever they be (1 Corinthians 3:21; Psalms 84:11). Here in the passage we have the unlimited nature of divine love revealed. chap. It is farther added, that God delivered him up for us all. This is an answer to the question of Romans 8:31; but as the great historical facts of the gospel now come into view, there is an advance in thought. On the one side stands the solitary Christ; on the other side all the things that vulgar estimation recognises to be good are lumped together into an “also.” They are but the golden dust that may be filed off from the great ingot. What a solemn hiatus! 3. 2. And having “given Him” for this purpose, He “spared Him not” from suffering.