This
question challenges personal identity, individuality, and autonomy. What a
mouthful. But these are the heart issues that arise when possession or
ownership of our lives are spoken of. We understand this when talking of worldly
slavery or identity theft, but when speaking of the Christian life, it can evoke
raw emotions.
For some,
they are happy belonging to God as if only in an association with Him. Even though
recognised as members of God’s family, this can still allow for vague feelings which
permit a strong sense of spiritual independence and self-governance. But how
does God think of us in this matter?
The
apostle Paul had to address this issue with the church at Corinth due to their
many areas of sinful failure. Like the world, they had failed to accept the
apostle’s teaching, that when anyone is
in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has
come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Either their lack of understanding, or
their resistance to the full scope of what changed in their lives when
spiritual rebirth occurred, led to shameful living in many areas of their lives.
In
response, the apostle Paul unashamedly gives God’s perspective on this matter
in 1 Corinthians 6:15-20. First, in verse 13, we’re told that our bodies
are to be used for the Lord. Why?
Because your bodies are members of Christ (:15),
as the person who is joined to the Lord becomes
one spirit with Him (:17). Therefore, your
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are
not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body (:19-20).
Intrinsic to salvation is the entire persons transfer of
ownership. Faith in Christ activates the Holy Spirit’s indwelling ministry, jealously
claiming and sealing the one for whom Christ died. Similarly, regeneration sees
the sinner’s name entered in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Rev 21:27) and transfer
of citizenship from earth to heaven occurs (Php 3:20). Heaven’s paperwork, so
to speak, is irrevocably completed. Condemnation is recalculated to be justification,
and the divine ledger shows a balance of innocence before Holy God (Rom 4:8; 5:9).
God’s wrath is calmed to peace (Rom 5:1) with those who previously were enemies
of God, now affectionately embraced as the beloved of God, and all at Christ’s
expense (Eph 5:1).
Remember that you were at
that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and
strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the
world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near
by the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:12-13). What an astonishing
transformation! This is the work of an indomitable Saviour who does all things
well and nothing by half measures (Mark 7:37).
With such an overwhelming amount of divine activity on
behalf of the repentant sinner, the Lord enacts His right of ownership by assigning
each believer to His sole possession. Therefore, there can only be one
appropriate response, and that is for the child of God to glorify Him in body
and spirit. Both the inner and outer person lives for the goal of glorification.
Peter expresses a correct response with this exhortation; But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy
nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who
called you out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
May each of us display Christ’s ownership through joyful
obedience that glorifies Him and builds
up others for the pleasure of God.