God, whose I am, whom I also serve.

Acts 27:23

It is a great thing when I discover I am no longer my own but his. If the money in my pocket belongs to me. I have full authority over it. But if it belongs to another who has committed it to me in trust, then I cannot buy what I please with it, and I dare not lose it. How many of us dare not use our time or money or talents as we would because we realize they are the Lord’s, not ours? How many of us have such a strong sense that we belong to Another that we dare not squander a dollar of our money, or an hour of our time, or any of our mental or physical powers? We are alive unto God, not unto ourselves. Real Christian life begins with knowing this.

Watchman Nee

How hard it is for us, especially western Christians,to comprehend the idea of ownership. We blur the lines between being a citizen of a free country and believing that we are still independent people who can choose how to live their lives as Christians. Indeed there are many professing Christians who live as though they are in charge and God must mold Himself into compliance with their will and belief systems. Far too often, God is portrayed as a kindly benevolent grandfather who exists to provide the wants of His children, giving in to their whelms, forgiving their misdeeds, loving and accepting them even while they continue their disobedient, sinful ways. These quote quite often, “God is love,” for them, meaning that if God loves me He will allow me to do whatever I wish and when I end up in trouble, this kindly old gentleman will rush to my rescue, pay my fine, get me out of jail and pick me up, brush me off, and set me back on my feet with a pat on the head; and then let me go back to living as I choose until I need rescued again.

This attitude results in lackadaisical service, convenient commitment, and stubborn childlike disobedience. It makes us the ones in control and God nothing more than our servant. This view affects our witness and testimony leaving the impression that change isn’t necessary to become a Christian. All we have to do is say the words, make a public confession(baptism), and then we can rest assured we are in the club. But this in not the biblical view of Christianity. Let’s look at a few scriptures that speak to what it means to be Christian:

First, the Bible teaches that we aren’t the one who choose God. Rather it is He that chooses us. Therefore the One who chooses has the power of choice and the chosen have no control over that choice. The chosen can only respond with gratitude for being chosen.

“You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and I have appointed placed purposefully planted you, so that you would go and bear fruit keep on bearing, and that your fruit will remain be lasting, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name [as My representative] He may give to you.”

John 15:16

Second, the Bible teaches that even before we became Christians we were not independent. We were the property of Satan- the enslaver. Ever since Adam placed himself in servitude to the devil, all his descendants- including you and I- QQwere born as slaves to sin. We have not power to liberate ourselves for we are the legal possessions of the devil.

“Do you not know that when you continually offer yourselves to someone to do his will, you are the slaves of the one whom you obey, either [slaves] of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness (right standing with God)? When you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness [you had no desire to conform to God’s will]. So what benefit did you get at that time from the things of which you are now ashamed? [None!] For the outcome of those things is death!”

Romans 6:16

Third, because we were the property of the devil, we required redemption- the buying back.

“For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in] the forgiveness of our sins [and the cancellation of sins’ penalty].”

Colossians 1: 13-14

And because we required redemption and the devil knew how valuable we were to God, the price of our redemption was great. God gave up His Son and Jesus gave up His life in exchange for us.

“You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.”

1 Corinthians 6:20

Fourth, our nature is changed and we are no longer who we were and can no longer remain in our former state of being.

“Jesus answered him, “I assure you most solemnly say to you, unless a person is born again [reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified], he cannot [ever] see experience the kingdom of God.”

John 3:3

“But the vessel that he was making from clay was spoiled by the potter’s hand; so he made it over, reworking it and making it into another pot that seemed good to him.”

Jeremiah 18:4

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].”

2 Corinthians 5:17

All of this brings us into a vastly different perspective than that of an independent negotiator for God goes a step farther and brings us into His family as His children. What child is there who truly loves its parents that will keep insisting on having their own selfish way? Will not that child choose to obediently honor and serve the parents who brought them into the world and cares for them daily? In the parable of the Prodigal Son, Jesus contrasted the attitudes of the son who had been welcomed back home after his slavery to the world and the son who stayed home but saw his relationship as nothing more than a resentful servant. The difference between them and us is one of relationship. When we come to truly understand our unworthiness and the extreme price God paid to buy us back, and not only make us free from sin but also adopt us as His children, how can we do anything less than bow before Him in worship, adoration, humility and gratitude. Gone will be our selfish desires and ways and we will then choose to daily live our lives not to please ourselves but to please our Master. We will then become profitable servants.

I leave us with two truths about our relationship with God:

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit Himself testifies and confirms together with our spirit [assuring us] that we [believers] are children of God. And if [we are His] children, [then we are His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His spiritual blessing and inheritance], if indeed we share in His suffering so that we may also share in His glory.”

Romans 8:15-17

“See what an incredible quality of love the Father has shown to us, that we would [be permitted to] be named and called and counted the children of God! And so we are! For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, we are [even here and] now children of God, and it is not yet made clear what we will be [after His coming]. We know that when He comes and is revealed, we will [as His children] be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is [in all His glory]. And everyone who has this hope [confidently placed] in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure (holy, undefiled, guiltless).”

1 John 3:1-3

Although the world focuses on who we are, we as Christians choose our identity not by who we are but by whose we are. When our identity stems from who we are, we live roller coaster lives- up one minute and down the next. But when our identity stems from whose we are we find consistency for God never changes and when we truly become His, neither do we.

Dr. John Thompson