WHAT IS THE BEST GIFT OF ALL? -What Is the Best Gift of All?

"Every good gift and every perfect present is from above, coming down from the Father of the celestial lights." (James 1:17) That scripture, of course, refers to the generosity of our heavenly Father, Jehovah God.  Yet, of the many gifts that God has given mankind, there is one that is greater than all the rest.  What is it?  Jesus' well-known words at John 3:16, tells us: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who had faith in him would not be destroyed but have everlasting life."

The gift of God's only-begotten Son that would certainly be the greatest gift that any one of us could ever receive, for thereby we can be freed from the bondage to sin, old age and death.  (note: but not in this world now) (Psalm 51:5; John 8:34)  Try as we may, on our own, there is nothing we can do to be released from that bondage.  However, in his great love,  God provided what is needed to bring about that release.  by giving his only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, as the ransom, Jehovah God gave obedient mankind the prospect of everlasting life.  But what exactly is the ransom?  Why is it necessary?  And how can we benefit from it?

A ransom is a price paid to buy back something forfeited or to bring about release from bondage.  The Bible explains that our first parents, Adam and Eve were created sinless, with the prospect of enjoying life forever on a paradise earth along with  the offspring they later produce.  (Genesis 1:26-28)  Sadly, they forfeited all of that by choosing to disobey God-thus becoming sinners. What was the result?  The Bible answers:  "Through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because they had all sinned."  (Romans 5:12)  Instead of passing on perfect life to his offspring, Adam passed on sin and its consequences, death.

In the case of a ransom, what is paid must be equal to what is lost.  When Adam deliberately disobeyed God, he sinned, and the result  was the loss of a perfect human life-Adam's life. According to the Bible, that caused Adam's offspring to  become enslaved to sin and death.  Hence, it took surrendering of another human life-Jesus' life-given as a sacrifice to make release from bondage possible. (Romans 5:19; Ephesians 1:7)  It is only because god lovingly paid this ransom that mankind has the prospect of enjoying what Adam and Eve lost-life forever on a paradise earth. -Revelation 21:3-5. 

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