About the Author

Thomas Ray Floyd was born in 1953 in Simpson County, Mississippi, the son of Roy Thomas Floyd and Lina Sue Shows Floyd. Thomas Ray's mother was a member of a Primitive Baptist church, and he cut his teeth on the doctrines of distinguishing grace.

When he was a small boy, his father was converted to Christ and became a member of a Missionary Baptist Church. Thomas Ray joined the church of his father when he was 13 years old, and thought of himself as a Christian. The doctrines of grace that he had heard as a child continued to be precious to him and when he became an adult, he joined a Primitive Baptist Church. When he was 27, Thomas Ray made his first effort to preach the gospel in public and was ordained to the full functions of the ministry in 1985. In 1986 he was convinced under the preaching of Rolfe Barnard (by tapes from Mt. Olive Tape Library), the written sermons of Spurgeon, and the ministry of Elder Zack Guess that he had been a false professor and cried out in agony of soul to the Lord Jesus Christ to have mercy and truly save him. And He did! Floyd then began to preach the gospel as he had been taught of the Lord.

Floyd has pastored churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, and Tennessee and until recently was pastor of a church plant known as "Particular Baptist Fellowship." He and his wife Brenda presently attend Zion Baptist Church at Polkville, Mississippi, pastored by Elder Glen Hopkins. The pulpit ministry of Zion Baptist Church can be heard at Sermonaudio.com.

Sunday, November 23, 2014

God's Unspeakable Gift

(Article for publication week of 11-27- 2014)
 
"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift" (II Corinthians 9:15).
 What is this "unspeakable gift?" It can be none other than God's Own Eternal Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the previous verses the Apostle had been commending the Christians at Corinth for their liberality, and exciting them to continue. He concludes by reminding us that we will never out give the Lord Himself. God's gifts, and His One Great Gift by whom all blessings natural and spiritual come down to men are so much greater than our giving that it is indeed "unspeakable." Since God has given lavishly to us, we therefore ought to be generous and liberal in our giving.
God gave His Son, first of all in eternity past to be the Covenant Head of His people. This "unspeakable gift" is an eternal gift which had no beginning. As God loved His Own Son, Who is One with Himself, so He loved the people of His choice as being eternally united to their Covenant Head. God gave us the gift of His Dear Son to be our Propitiation as He was foreordained as a Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. God gave His Eternally Begotten Son to become the Son of Man that He might live a life of perfect obedience, and die an atoning death that we might be made the very righteousness of God in Him(Romans 5:19b).
It is through this one unspeakable gift that all blessings natural and spiritual come down to men. We owe our very existence to the Lord Jesus Christ, for it was by Him the world was created (Colossians 1:16), and by Him that the world is held together (Colossians 1:17). It is through this One Unspeakable Gift that believers have all spiritual blessings (Ephesians 1:3). This Unspeakable Gift is made unto His people "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption", that is everything we need for now and eternity. We are "complete" in this Unspeakable Gift (Colossians 2:10).
Christ is God's unspeakable gift because He is as the Father all glorious. He is Eternal, immutable, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, thrice holy, just, merciful, longsuffering, good, and gracious. He is of the same essence as the Father, so He is verily God.
Christ is the unspeakable gift of God for He is raised from the dead and seated at His Father's Right Hand pleading the cause of His people. God gave His Son to be the God Man, the only Mediator between Himself and sinful man. He ever lives to make intercession for all those for whom He died.
Truly, God's Gift of His Son is unspeakable. All the sermons that have been preached and all the volumes that have been written trying to proclaim and declare the glories of Christ have come far short of describing the glory which is truly His. Human language is not sufficient to express the wonders and beauty of the Lord Jesus Christ. The human mind is not able to fully fathom how wonderful Jesus truly is. But we go on in our feeble way, with stammering tongues trying to tell others how wonderful He is. We go on reading our Bibles and sitting at the feet of men that God has called to preach Christ because we long to know this Dear Saviour more and more. And we always come away with this , "thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift!"
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