Ministry of Grace Church

And you are Christ's, and Christ is God's.

Truth to Learn

All things are ours, but we are owned servants of God.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse, Paul gave a fairly concise description of what Christians possess as God’s children. Lest we get puffed up by our possessions (whether physical or spiritual), he now reminds the Corinthians (and us) that we are not on the top of the heap. In fact, in a very polite manner, the Apostle informs us that we are owned by God, we are His possessions. In the first century, slaves were looked down on as non-people, having no rights, owned by their master, no different than animals and other private property. That is precisely what he says we are. We are God’s possessions. And, in doing so, he also points out that there is a hierarchy even within the Godhead. Christ is subservient to the Father, having demonstrated the fact by offering himself on the cross in obedience to the Father.

With this truth Paul closes this portion of his message to the Corinthian Christians. Before we go on, however, let’s look back at what we have learned so far.

The opening chapters of this letter to the Christians in Corinth have been Paul’s response to the divisions which had sprung up there. These divisions had been caused by groups of Christians within the church claiming a kind of superiority over others based on the preacher/teacher they aligned themselves with. Paul condemned such pride and devotion to men rather than humility and devotion to Christ.

He then went on to condemn the worldly preaching tactics of some of the teachers in the church, proclaiming:

that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:5)

These teachers had resorted to using the tactics and methods of the sophists, the great worldly orators of their day. Instead, Paul admonishes teachers within the church to rely on the Spirit of God for delivering the truths taught in His Word:

These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13)

He compared the spirit-led preaching of the gospel to worldly tactics. The worldly teachers believed their message and tactics were based on wisdom and that the message of the gospel is foolishness. However, Paul declares:

… the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. (1 Corinthians 1:25)

Our message, he says, is a mystery which is revealed to those who are saved by “the Spirit who is from God,” but the natural man thinks our message is foolishness.

Next, Paul taught that we all have a part in building the church, the temple of God, and that each of us will receive a reward for the work we do for Him. Our building task is not based on worldly wisdom, but the Spirit of God.

Application

We are God’s fellow workers in building the church. The world is at our disposal, but we are owned by God and need to do His work, His way. Let’s keep working for Him!