Of course, the Bible teaches that Jesus is the Son of God, the Creator of all things. He is “the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Since He is the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and since “all power has been given” unto him, it can be said that all things rightfully and properly belong to the Son of God. But if that tree, that elk, that river, and even that wicked reprobate are 100% property of the Lord, then that person who has been bought by the blood of the Saviour is 150% or 200% His.
Baptist James Smith was the first gospel preacher to minister in Illinois – that was in 1787. Those were terrible times for the settlers of that region. The natives of the area didn’t take kindly to these white interlopers. From 1789 to 1790 more than 10% of the settlers were killed. In this environment, Brother Smith grew to be greatly loved and appreciated as he traveled from place to place preaching the gospel and encouraging the brethren. In 1790 he was in midst of a church service when the congregation was attacked by Indians. Smith had been concerned about a Mrs. Huff, who was not a believer. As the Indians killed her, Elder Smith fell on his knees beseeching the Lord on her behalf. This so impressed the attackers that they didn’t immediately kill him. Then while they were carrying the preacher away, he continued to sing and pray, frightening them. When they didn’t know what to do with him, through some French traders, they offered Smith for ransom. The people of Illinois raised $170 to ransom their preacher. He became their pastor twice through the sacrifice of people of God. In a similar way, but at much greater cost, Bro. Smith was also twice-fold indebted to His Saviour. As are all the children of God.
Real Christians are the Lord’s by redemption. “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” As wretched, vile, sinful creatures – corruptions of God’s original creation – the Lord has every right to destroy us, or to keep us alive forever but under the punishment of His choice. He also has the right and power to redeem any of those worthless creatures that He chooses. And when He does it, “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
The saints are also the Lord’s by way of adoption. “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. and because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.”
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.”
“As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
Real Christians are the Lord’s beyond the rest of creation, because of God’s sanctification. They are saints by sanctification. In encouraging the saints in Thessalonica Paul said, “We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” And Peter added that we are “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”
These are the facts in regard to the children of God. Despite already being the Lord’s through His right as Creator and our daily Benefactor, we have been chosen out of the filthy multitude and bought at a very high price. We have been clothed in the righteousness of the King, and guaranteed to sit in Heavenly places in Christ. “Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past (wicked sinners) in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”
I have a set of books called “The Biblical Illustrator” which I use pretty regularly for reference. Its 23 volumes take up more than one complete section on my shelves. It doesn’t say so, but I would guess that it is about a hundred years old. It begins in Genesis 1 and goes to Revelation 22 with sermon outlines, comments and illustrations on just about every verse and passage of the scripture. It is invaluable when taken with a lot of salt, so it’s a good thing that my blood pressure is perfect and that I really like salt. The illustrations are usually so antiquated as to be useless, although many of comments are fine. And the sermon outlines are a mixed bag of liberal to conservative, Catholic, Protestant and Baptist. In regard to this scripture, most of the sermons in that set, spent their time pointing out how our lives intertwine with others around us. There was a quote from some scientist or philosopher who said that when a canon is fired, it affects various changes on the other side of world. Of course, there are the political and economic changes, but he was talking about climate changes, and a dozen other things. More recently there have been theories about the “Butterfly Effect.” A bird flaps its wings in Brazil and changes the pattern of the weather in the Atlantic. I think that the idea is an extreme exaggeration, but it makes for a nice story. On the other hand, there is the fact that we live in a community, and what we do does affect our neighbor. Every life is connected to the lives of various people around us – even many that we haven’t met.
Never is that more true than in the community which we call the “Lord’s church.” In First Corinthians Paul spends an entire chapter on the subject of the Body of Christ. We are all members of this body, whether we be important arms and eyes, or little fingers and toes. “And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” I have a friend who cut off his index finger. He gets along just fine right now, but for years he had trouble reaching for things like his coffee cup. He would try to grab things as he had before, but without that finger, they would fall. Now he is going blind, and again, with the loss of this member, his whole body suffers.
Paul’s point in Romans 14 is that there were unnecessary arguments between members of the body. Together they might present a united front before the world carrying the gospel of the Lord Jesus, but their bickering about other things hurt the body of Christ in a dozen different ways. As a member of this church, this body, you do not live simply to yourself. When you chose to stay home from a church service, an evening service, a prayer meeting, you negatively affect the entire body. When you are grieving, other observant members grieve with you. When you have something in which to rejoice, others rejoice along with you. And if you were to die……… “For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.”
Even though this was a part of Paul’s thought, the primary aspect was towards the Lord. “For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s.” So the genuine Christian, knowing this to be true, makes sure that he has a proper relationship to Christ. He is willingly submissive and self-dedicated to Christ. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Why did James use the word “therefore”? Read the context. “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.” Didn’t Paul already capsulize part of my message for us in Romans 6:13? “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.” Those who strive to live unto God are cheerfully obedient to his will.
We, as Christians, are not only part of the community of Post Falls, Idaho and the United States, and we are not only part of the body of Christ which is located in Post Falls, but we are also children of God Himself. As such we live and die unto the Lord.
And speaking of death, we die in the Lord’s time, in the Lord’s chosen place, and in His way. Satan cannot cut us down against the will of God, or contrary to His plan. We are kept by the Lord both physically and spiritually.
I know that there is a difference between joy and happiness, that one may be more spiritual than the other. But there is certainly nothing wrong in being happy under the blessings of the eternal God. And the Christian who knows his place in society, in his church, and under the Lord, will usually be the happiest of all people.
This person will also be the most exemplary – the most useful Christian. Here is a man who is a great public speaker, or an accomplished artist who uses his outstanding skill for the glory of the Lord. And here too is another man, or perhaps a child, who has no remarkable talents, but he is faithful in the small things and he consistently fights against his own sins and temptations. That second person may be more commendable as a Christian than the first man. Don’t bemoan the fact that you are a one talent man and not a ten talent man. Take your opportunities and live unto the Lord; who knows whether or not the Lord will give you 13 talents later on.
When we know that we live and die unto God, we become the best possible blessing to our friends and neighbors. The more selfish that we are, the less important that we are to others. This is often recognizable in looking at team sports, but it’s true of all life, and even church-life. Dedication to the Lord means less dedication to ourselves, and more opportunity to serve Christ. Isn’t this one of the reasons that we are such poor evangelists?
When we know that we live and die unto the Lord, our death will be easier than otherwise. Most people have never really been confronted with their mortality. They understand the scriptures and they realize that some day they will die, unless the Lord intervenes. But few have been told, or few have guessed that they have a fatal disease which will claim their lives in a few months. When that does come along, it forces even the best of Christians into a new perspective on life and death. When we know that “whether we die, we die unto the Lord,” it puts our departure into the best possible light. In fact, even though that death may be months away, or even years, those intervening years are given a new opportunity for glorifying the Lord who “both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.”
Returning to the context of the chapter… The solution to the bickering in the church at Rome was a recognition that… “None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living. But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way.”