"Ye are Christ's" (1 Cor. 3:21-23)

“Let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s” (1 Cor. 3:21-23).

I remember hearing Don Fortner say that he used to admonish his daughter on occasions by telling her to “remember whose you are.” This is how the Spirit of God admonishes Christ’s people in 1 Cor. 3:21-23. He says, “Ye are Christ’s.”

The Corinthians claimed superiority in comparison to others by comparing that minister who instructed them in the Gospel to the minister that instructed their peer. Some said they were of Paul, some of Apollos, some of Cephas (Peter). This is childish pride. It is to think as carnal men think, to think after the flesh as a natural man thinks (1 Cor. 3:1; John 3:6). The correction Paul makes is: “all things are yours.” If God has given all things to every believer, then there is no room for one believer to boast against another. First, because God has given it, and no one can boast for receiving an unearnable gift of God's grace (1 Cor. 4:7). And second, because if we all receive the same gift of “all things” in Christ, then no one believer is above another. Besides, we are to “esteem the other better than ourselves" as Christ Jesus did, who made Himself a Servant of all when He took on our nature (John 13:1-17; Php. 2:5-8). He said, "I am a worm and no man" (Ps. 22:6). Try on that mind for a while!

But notice how the Apostle Paul does not merely rebuke the Corinthian believers in his instruction. He turns on the foot of their error to redirect them away from themselves and their pride to Christ, His grace and His work of love. He “pivots”, as men nowadays like to say, to teach them the Gospel out of their foolishness. This is what ministers of God’s sheep do. They don’t beat the sheep. They exhort them to understand whose they are: “ye are Christ’s.” And to make them understand what Christ earned for them by the purchase of His blood. By this the Spirit of God turns us from our foolishness to Christ so that we will “offer the sacrifice of thanksgiving and declare His works with rejoicing” (Ps. 107:22). “By him [Christ]  therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name” (Heb. 13:15). Paul seeks to turn them by this instruction from themselves in their foolish pride to Christ and humility by God-given faith. When we see Christ, we will renounce our foolishness.

The flip-side of a change of mind (repentance), is faith in Christ (Acts 20:21). Faith gives sight of the glory of Christ in His salvation (Ps. 21:5). Believers are in Christ. “In Christ” means He is our covenant Head. It means He is our Surety. It means He is our Redeemer. It means we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones. Even our bodies are the members of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15-17; Eph. 5:30). One of the main things this means is that when God looks on Christ, He sees His people. And when He looks for His people, He sees Christ (1 Pet. 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:4-8; Rom. 5:12-21).

We are Christ’s. We were given to Him by the Father in eternal election (Eph. 1:4; John 17:2). By this relation, our sins and obligations became His to pay and fulfill (Matt. 26:28; Rom. 5:14-19; 2 Cor. 5:21). In the same way, all that is His becomes ours (Eph. 1:3; Col. 2:10; Rom. 8:32; Eph. 1:22-23). God laid our sins on Christ, and rewards us according to the merits of His blood and obedience (2 Cor. 5:21; Isa. 53:10-12). Therefore, all things are yours, because all things are Christ’s.

The first item in the list of “all things” is the ministers of Christ to His Church, the gifts He gave the Church when He ascended on high (Eph. 4:8-15). The second item in the list of “all things” is the world. The Church is heir of the world to come (Rom. 4:13; 2 Tim. 1:9). Christ has given the world to His people. Even the world that now is is ours. It continues on its predestined course to fulfill God’s purpose for His elect (2 Tim. 2:10; Isa. 43:1-7; Rom. 8:28): to purify their faith, to overcome the devil and the world by God-given faith (Rev. 12:11; 1 John 2:13-14; 4:4; 5:4). What else is ours? Life and death: all present events and circumstances in heaven and earth; all future events; all future blessings; indeed, whatever is comprehended in “all things!” If God purchased His people at the price of Christ’s blood out from under the sword of His justice; if He purchased them out of the hand of their enemy by His conquering blood (Rev. 12:1-11); then God has and will yet give all things to His people! What would He withhold from that one for whom He gave His Son (Rom. 8:32)?! This is the argument of scripture!

But something else is at once prominent by the comfort we receive from it in the conclusion of these words: “ye are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” That comforting conclusion is this: as certainly as Christ is God’s, so certainly is the Church Christ’s. Also as certain is that all that the Father has given to Christ by eternal covenant, by His swearing in oath to Christ and to His people in Him (Ps. 89; Gal. 3:16-19; 2 Tim. 1:9; Eph. 1:3-11, 22-23; Heb. 6:17-18), of all that is Christ’s, nothing can fail to be given to Him (John 17:1-5; Php. 2:5-11; Rev. 5:9-13).

We find it easy to believe that God the Father will most certainly give all things to our Lord Jesus Christ, His Son and our Mediator. He  is worthy (Rev. 5). In fact, at this present time, He is seated on His Father’s throne in glory, and all things have been put in His hand and under His feet (John 17:1-5; Matt. 11:27; Heb. 1:2; Eph. 1:22).

But of all that the Father has given Christ His Son, most significant and most cherished is His inheritance in His people: the Church, His Bride (Eph. 1:11, 18-23). The Lord Jesus so valued the Church, that He purchased her with His own blood (Acts 20:28; Matt. 20:28; Eph. 1:7). You spend the most for what you most treasure. Jesus gave Himself. It is because Jesus Christ is the Lamb that was slain that He is given all things (Rev. 5:9-13). Nothing will be withheld from Him of all that is the Father’s (Heb. 1:2; John 3:35; 13:3; 16:15)! All things are not only His as the Son of God and as Creator, but all things are His by covenant purpose, as Christ, our covenant Head (Heb. 2:5-10; Eph. 3:11). If nothing that is Christ’s can fail to be given to Him, and if the saints are His inheritance, then we have the greatest possible assurance that we shall be saved...and not only saved, but given all things with Him!

Here’s the conclusion we must not miss: if one believer could fail to receive all that Christ purchased for them, then not only will our inheritance will be marred because it is incomplete, but more impossible than that, our Surety, our Redeemer, our Mediator, our covenant Head, our Husband, will be incomplete (Eph. 1:17-23)! Therefore, nothing of all God has promised and given to us in Christ can fail, because we are His (Song 2:16; 2 Tim. 1:9). Not one sheep of all that is His can perish (John 10:28-29). Nothing of all that is promised to His sheep and purchased for them can fail, because all is given to Christ because He fulfilled the everlasting covenant of grace in His blood (Matt. 26:28; Heb. 13:20). All things are given to Christ that He might give all to the Church. In so giving, Christ is fulfilled in His office as our Surety, Redeemer, Husband, Mediator and Savior (Eph. 1:22-23; Rom. 16:20).

Therefore, there is no need to compare ourselves among ourselves, no need for boasting one against the other. Every believer will receive the same inheritance. All things are ours because the fulness of the Godhead dwells in Christ, and because we are complete in Him (Col. 2:9-10). All things are ours because we are Christ’s. All things are not ours because we earned them. They are ours because our Lord Jesus earned them, because He gives them to us out of His grace (2 Cor. 8:9), because we are His Body, because the fulness of God dwells in Him, and because “ye are Christ’s!”

Rick Warta