THERE are certain subjects and themes dealt with in the New Testament by the inspired writers in their treatment of which it is evident that the resources of human language are strained to the uttermost to express their thoughts fully. Among these may be mentioned the person of the Lord Jesus and His marvellous work and love. When John sets before his readers what they are to believe concerning his Lord he announces under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that He of whom he writes was in the beginning with God and was God. John, though his knowledge was increased a thousand times, could not reach higher than he did when he said his Lord was God. This is the one to whom the Apostle refers in announcing His Second Coming as that of the “great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.” No honour was too high in their estimation for this wondrous person. They beheld His glory on the holy mount and were eye-witnesses of His majesty. John speaks of Him as the eternal life which was with the Father, whom they had seen with their eyes and handled with their hands.
There are expressions in which His wondrous person is described in Paul’s epistle to the Hebrews as “the Brightness of the Father’s glory and the express image of His person.” There are depths in these expressions which make known to us, as far as words can, that this is One, to use Bunyan’s phrase, who “has no fellow.”
There are many passages in Scripture which set forth God as a Giver and make reference to many of His gifts. There is the well-known passage in John iii. 16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” It is to this great Gift the Apostle refers, after commending the liberal-hearted generosity of those who so nobly contributed to the cause of Christ; turning from the earthly givers his thoughts go out to God’s great Gift—thanks be unto God for His unspeakable Gift (II. Cor. ix. 15). Some of God’s gifts which are exclusively given to His regenerated people are expressly named, such as “eternal life,” “faith,” etc. But in addition to these God is the bountiful giver to the righteous and the unrighteous in sending them sunshine and rain in its season. He it is that gives bountiful harvests and weather suitable for the ingathering of the fruits of the earth and so providing food for man and beast. And if we were not blinded by sin we could not help marvelling at the bounty of His gifts in nature. But wonderful though these gifts be yet they are not to be mentioned in the same way with His spiritual gifts. But God has crowned all the gifts He ever gave by One above all the others—His unspeakable Gift. To get some idea of the Apostle’s meaning it is advisable to give attention to the word unspeakable. It is used four times. (1) What cannot be told out to the end; (II. Cor. ix. 15)—Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift. (2) I. Pet. i. 8—“Ye rejoice with joy unspeakable.” (3) What cannot be specified or enunciated in express words; (4) II. Cor. xii. 4—“And heard unspeakable words which it is not lawful for a man to utter.”
All these words are different in Greek though all translated unspeakable by the 1611 Translators. Our interest in the meantime is the “unspeakable” which describes God’s gift. Scholars inform us that the word means, “that which cannot be told out to the end.”
This paraphrase brings out a remarkable view of God’s great Gift. No one has ever been able to tell out to the end the love that was in His heart—a love which in its height, to use the words of Dr. Mason of New York, had no top, a depth that has no bottom, a length that has no end and a breadth that has no limitation. Who has ever been able to tell out to the end the mystery of His incarnate Person? Who has been able to tell out to the end His glory? Here is what inspired men guided by the Holy Ghost wrote: “We beheld His glory as the only begotten Son,” and again, “We were eye-witnesses of His majesty.” What wonderful views Paul had who at one time persecuted His Lord who was to become to him fairer than all the children of me. Think you that he would say after all he wrote about Christ that there was nothing more that could be said about Christ. Would John Owen, after all he wrote about the glory of Christ, write at the end of his great work on the glory of Christ that he had written all that could be said to this great theme? No! it could not be pointed out to the end. Yes, the work that was done on Calvary’s Cross and the unsearchable riches of the Saviour have never been told out to an end—it is an ocean the furthest shore of which has not been seen by God’s redeemed and the depth of which has never been measured.