2 Corinthians 9:15

Unspeakable. Literally, “that which cannot be described in full.” There can be no full and complete exposition of the gift of divine love. This ascription of praise to God provides a fitting climax to the section dealing with the collection of a gift for the saints at Jerusalem. Scholars are not agreed as to what Paul means by the word “gift.” Some think Paul refers to the proposed collection. But the language here used seems far too strong for such a gift. All through these chapters Paul has stressed, not the material aspect of their gift, but the gift as a result of the operation of God’s grace. The divine gift, by which men are saved, sanctified, and motivated to Christian service for others, is beyond human ability to comprehend in its fullness. Christ is often described in the Scriptures as God’s supreme gift to man (John 3:16; Galatians 1:4; Titus 2:14; etc.). The subject of redemption is inexhaustible, fathomless, beyond finite comprehension. Regardless of how much men study to fathom it, they never discover all its beauty or exhaust its resources. See on John 3:16.

Gratitude to God prepares the way for obedience to His will and for the reception of power to engage in unselfish service. One who is filled with gratitude to God will seek to fulfill all His requirements, not because he is forced to but because he chooses to do so. Gratitude to God is the basis of an effective Christian experience. Not until a man is overwhelmed by loving gratitude to God for His “unspeakable gift” does religion reach inward to the depths of a man’s soul and outward from him in selfless service for his fellow men.