Under God's Christmas Tree
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For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
But Peter said to him, “Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money!
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification.
For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.
But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.)
Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Salvation by grace is appropriated by faith. Grace is the fountain, but faith is the channel. Grace is the life-line, but faith is the hand that clutches it. And, thoroughly and finally to exclude all boasting, it is declared that the salvation and the faith are both the gift of God. “And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” That salvation is God’s gift is evident. “The gift of God is eternal life through Christ.” “The free gift,” “The gift of grace,” “The gift of righteousness”—these phrases determine the fact that salvation is itself a Divine present to man. “Salvation,” cried C. H. Spurgeon in the great congregation, “is everything for nothing!—Christ free!—Pardon free!—Heaven free!” Thanks be to God for a gratuitous salvation!11 Spurgeon, T. (2005) Chapter VIII: Salvation by Grace.
1431. δωρεά dōreá; gen . dōreás, fem. noun from dídōmi (1325), to give. A free gift with emphasis on its gratuitous character. Used in the NT of a spiritual or supernatural gift (John 4:10; Acts 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17; Rom. 5:15, 17; 2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 3:7; 4:7, “in proportion to the gift bestowed on us by Christ” [a.t.]; Heb. 6:4; Sept .: Dan. 2:6). For a full discussion of all the cognate words see dṓron (1435).
Dōreá (1431), a free gift, stresses its gratuitous character, while dóma (1390), a gift, emphasizes the gift itself. From dōreá we have the adv. dōreán (1432), freely, without charge (Matt. 10:8; John 15:25; Rom. 3:24; 2 Cor. 11:7; Gal. 2:21; 2 Thess. 3:8; Rev. 21:6; 22:17). Dōreá in the NT is spoken of as a supernatural gift (John 4:10; Acts 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17; Rom. 5:15, 17; 2 Cor. 9:15; Eph. 3:7; 4:7; Heb. 6:4). Likewise dṓrēma (1434), a gift, refers to the gift that comes from God (used only in Rom. 5:16; James 1:17). Dṓron, however, is used of offerings to God (Matt. 2:11; 5:23, 24; 8:4; 15:5; 23:18, 19; Mark 7:11; Luke 21:1, 4; Heb. 5:1; 8:3, 4; 9:9; 11:4; Rev. 11:10), except in Eph. 2:8. Dóma (1390), except in Eph. 4:8, is used of human gifts (Matt. 7:11; Luke 11:13; Phil. 4:17). Dósis (1394), stressing the act of giving, may refer to either a human (Phil. 4:15) or a divine gift (James 1:17). The human who gives to God is called dótēs (1395), giver.
In James 1:17, both dṓrēma (1434) and dósis (1394) are translated “gift” without distinction between the two words: “Every good gift [dósis] and every perfect gift [dṓrēma] is from above.” The distinction between dṓrēma and dósis is that while dósis emphasizes simply the act or intent of giving, dṓrēma has in it not only dósis, the act and intent of giving, but also the result of it, the actual gift resulting from the benevolent intent. The intent (dósis) according to James should always be benevolent (agathḗ [18]), purposing to do good to others, although it may not always result in actual good in others. The dṓrēma is described by James as perfect (téleion [5046]), i.e., reaching its goal. In other words, when the dósis reaches its goal, then it becomes dṓrēma.
In Rom. 5:16 tó ([3588], the) dṓrēma is translated “the gift.” It speaks of that which Christ did for the sinner, justifying him (Rom. 5:1). It is called dṓrēma because it is the result of the intent of Christ’s death and resurrection for us, i.e., to justify us before God or to declare us not guilty and to give us His life. His benevolent intent became a tangible change in us as sinners. If the word dósis were used, it would have meant only the act of giving without its result. If the word dṓron or dōreá were used it would have stressed only the free nature of the gift. Dṓrēma involves the purposeful act of God’s benevolence, in that there should be a way whereby we can be saved without our doing something to gain it except believing, which results in our actual salvation from sin. Dṓrēma stands in near equivalence to chárisma (5486), found in Rom. 5:15 and translated “free gift.” As cháris (5485), grace, stands to chárisma, gift, so do dósis and (partly) dōreá stand to dṓrēma, which involves the very character of God’s intention and the result of the salvation of the sinner. Observe that the word chárisma occurs also in Rom. 5:16 in the statement, “But the free gift is of many offenses unto justification.”
More presents under the Tree (get it?): σώφρων sṓphrōn; gen . sṓphronos, masc.–fem., neut. sṓphron, adj . from sṓos (n.f.), sound, and phrḗn (5424), understanding. Discreet, sober, temperate, of a sound mind (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:8; 2:2, 5); self–disciplined in one’s freedom, self–restrained in all passions and desires.1gen gen (genitive).= the recipient of the gift? See the Acts references, showing that the Active Gift of God is the Holy Spirit, through the laying on of hands! And note this repeat of the perfection of the gifts: The dṓrēma is described by James as perfect (téleion [5046]), i.e., reaching its goal. In other words, when the dósis reaches its goal, then it becomes dṓrēma.