The cover of our magazine
conveys one of the great joys of life — that of giving something
that brings great joy to someone we love. As we approach Christmas,
there are many good things about the season and some negative things
as well. Many of us will spend massive amounts of time, energy, and
maybe money to try to give our child or grandchild something that he
will like.
I can remember when our children were
small and we had very little money, that my wife would start
shopping at discount stores and sales at department stores early in
the summer to make sure that Christmas morning was a joyous time for
our children. On December 25 we had a family tradition in which I
would run downstairs where the gifts were arranged carefully around
the family room floor and set up our 8 mm camera and the harsh
lights needed to get a good movie. The kids would then be turned
loose and would come running down the steps and their eyes would fly
wide open as they saw the array of toys, dolls, games, candy, books,
and craft items that my wife had accumulated for them. All of that
would be recorded on film, and the joy of giving to our children
would be enjoyed again. My mentally-handicapped son, Tim, still
wants (at age 49) to have his Christmas stocking to open and enjoy.
God has not told us to
celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25, nor has He told us to
give gifts as a religious act. It is interesting that there is very
little mention of gifts associated with the birth of Jesus. In Matthew 2 we see the Magi stating
that they came to worship the one “born king of the Jews” and in verse 11 they do this and bring
gold, incense, and myrrh as gifts. These were expressions of joy at
this happy and world-changing event. The Greek word used here for
“gift” is doron and is used in a generic way to describe anything
made as a donation (see Luke 21:1).
There are other words in the original language of the Bible that
convey a different kind of giving. In the Old Testament a gift that
was used as a bribe was indicated by the Hebrew word shochad. In the laws of Exodus 23:8 and Deuteronomy 16:19 the Jews were
told not to accept such a gift because it would “twist the words of
the righteous.” (Second Chronicles
19:7; Proverbs 17:8, 23; Isaiah 1:23; and Ezekiel 22:12 are
other uses of this word.) In Hebrews 2:4
the word merismos in the
Greek indicated a distribution or dividing of something, in this
case the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Another word used in the New
Testament for a gift is the Greek word charisma. We use this word in English to describe
leadership. In fact the dictionary defines it as “A special quality
of leadership that captures the popular imagination and inspires
unswerving allegiance and devotion.” The Greek lexicon defines the
original word as “A grace or favor or kindness.” The use of the word
charisma in the New Testament is always in connection with a talent
or spiritual gift given to a person and is one he is to care for and
use carefully. In 1 Timothy 4:14
Paul tells Timothy, “Do not neglect your gift, … .” In 2 Timothy 1:6 Timothy is told, “For
this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, … .”
(Other uses of this word are in Romans
1:11; 6:23; 11:29; 12:6; 1 Corinthians 1:7; 7:7, 12:4, 9, 28, 30,
31; and 1 Peter 4:10.)Back to Contents Does God Exist?, NovDec11.