Betrothed to Christ

“²For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.” – 2 Corinthians 11:2 (ESV)

I am the husband of one wife, Lori. She is mine and I am hers. Together we are walking this world as one. But, I/we are betrothed to another, CHRIST! Paul, in the above verse indicates that we, as the church are to be wed with Christ. He is our husband to be. What does that mean to me/us?

If the betrothal process, the father gives the daughter over to the would be husband and does so with some guarantees. There is the guarantee of devotion to the husband. There is guarantee of dowry to the husband. There is guarantee of purity to the husband. All of these are expected as part of the marriage process.

Now think of Paul’s betrothal of us as the wife of Christ. Paul has given over the church as devoted to Christ. He has promised over the gifts of the church to Christ and His work. And there is the expected purity of the church to the Christ and Christ alone. Just as the actual wife to husband, these are all expectations and come with a great deal of responsibility.

Devotion is to the one and one only. Giving of all of ourselves to Christ and putting aside all other allegiances for the name of Christ. Gifts are given in the name of Christ to ensure that His work can continue in this world. As much as we may dislike the idea, there are needs for the monetary in the carrying out of spreading the gospel. Purity is expected in that we give ourselves to Christ and are washed clean thanks to His offer of salvation. He gets all of us in our new selves to shape into that which is/will be for Him and Him alone.

There you have it, our betrothal to Christ. We are to be devoted to Him, provide gifts to Him for the work needed in this world, and we are to be pure, washed clean for Him.

As you read further in the passage of 2 Corinthians 11:1-15, we see some of the obstacles that will befall us in this world as we are given to Christ. Where these are there, and we need to read and study them to stay away from them, this morning is about our betrothal to Christ and what we give in the process. I have been chosen to the bride of Christ and I take it seriously. I have to remember that I am to be devoted to Him, I give my gifts to Him, and I have been made pure and should work to remain that way for Him. I have been betrothed to Christ and I am to love Him and Him alone.

What is your view of your relationship to Christ? Are you only on the receiving end? What if you see it as being betrothed and with that comes devotion, gifts, and purity to Him and Him alone?

Our Obligation to the LORD

Yes, I have obligation to the LORD. He has given more than I deserve and I am obligated to Him for that gift.

I know what you might be thinking, “it was a gift, how do I owe for it”. Well, it is not that I owe anything, it is thanks that I am obligated to give in return. That thanks is partly conveyed in our receiving of the gift, and the balance is conveyed in word and action. I am obligated to say “Thank you” for the gift of salvation and reciprocate with my actions to demonstrate my acceptance of the gift and dedication of my life and self to Him.

But, our reciprocation is not just receipt, thanks, and dedication, it is to be the FIRST things we do. In verses 35 through 37 of Nehemiah 10, there is the outline of those things that are obligated to the LORD. Those things are noted as not just the things, but the first of those things.

“³⁵We obligate ourselves to bring the firstfruits of our ground and the firstfruits of all fruit of every tree, year by year, to the house of the Lord; ³⁶also to bring to the house of our God, to the priests who minister in the house of our God, the firstborn of our sons and of our cattle, as it is written in the Law, and the firstborn of our herds and of our flocks; ³⁷and to bring the first of our dough, and our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the wine and the oil, to the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and to bring to the Levites the tithes from our ground, for it is the Levites who collect the tithes in all our towns where we labor.” – Nehemiah 10:35-37 (ESV)

So, the obligation I have to the LORD is to reciprocate with the FIRST of everything to Him. I arise in the mornings and pray thanks and petition to the LORD. I give the first of my day to Him. I study His Word first and then on with the rest of my day. I give first to Him and then live on the rest. I am dedicating my life and self to Him and His worship. I am prioritizing the LORD over all else.

What a thing to say it out loud for me and all to hear, as I have done in the above paragraph. It is one thing to internalize things, it is another to say it aloud. I will obligate, and not just obligate, but the first of me to the LORD. He GAVE me the GIFT of salvation and I am obligated to thanks and dedication to Him in return.

What is your thoughts on your obligation to the LORD? Did you just get the gift of salvation and it is time to move on? What if you realized the gift and reciprocated with receipt, thanks, and dedication to Him and did so through obligation and with the first of you?

Gift of Physical Relationship and/or None

Lori and I have been married for what will be 27 years in just a few weeks. We have enjoyed our time together as partners and are looking forward to the next 27 years. Where our time together has not been without its challenges, we are still in love with one another and continue to grow closer. And our closeness includes our physical relationship as well. We are certainly giving fully of one another to the other.

“³The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband. ⁴For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.” — 1 Corinthians 7:3-4 (ESV)

I do not want to get too deep into the weeds here of our physical relationship other than to say that we are happy to be there for one another. Our physical relationship is a gift that we accept and are thankful for.

This is not to say that being celibate is not without its goodness either. Paul was celibate for the duration of his ministry and counted it a gift as well. Paul was fully devoted to the LORD and counted himself blessed to do so.

“⁶Now as a concession, not a command, I say this. ⁷I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another. ⁸To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single, as I am.” — 1 Corinthians 7:6-8 (ESV)

Paul is content with the lack of human physical relationships as he is fully committed to the relationship with Christ. He makes it clear that where this is the life for him, he fully understands that the gift of celibacy for him may not be such a gift for others and where it is not, then the physical relationship should be sought, but only under the guise of marriage.

Both the physical relationship with a spouse, and/or celibacy are a gift to be celebrated. Whereas Lori and our marriage is a gift from God, our physical relationship is as well. Yet that is not to say that the celibate relationship with God is not a gift in and of itself. My mothers 45 year celibate relationship with God is just as beautiful as our 27 year marriage to one another.

Which gift are you enjoying today? Are you concerned that no physical relationship is somehow not as rewarding? What if you count your relationship as a gift, whether physical or not and embraced the love between you and God or you and your spouse as a gift from God?

One Sin, Followed by Death, One Gift Accepted, Followed by Life

The title is correct and yet may be a bit confusing for some, and I have to say that it took me a minute to get through it so that I could share my thoughts.

Let me start with the first part of the title, “One Sin, Followed by Death”. You see, it was Adam and Eve who committed the first sin. They ate from the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” and as such disobeyed the one thing that God had prohibited of them. They sinned one time and that sin lead to sin of all and lead to the death of all (here in this world). Had they not sinned then they would have been companions to one another and to God, likely for eternity in this world in the Garden of Eden. Yet, their one sin started the ball rolling for all of us to be sinners and subsequently dying in this world.

“¹²Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned” – Romans 5:12 (ESV)

Then there is the gift of salvation from God to us, “One Gift Accepted, Followed by Life”. The sin committed by Adam and Eve led to the sin of all, the gift of salvation, where offered to all, is only for those who accept the gift. I know that is hard, yet as I think of my study of the word “gift”, I am reminded that everyone is given the opportunity to accept the gift and where all my receive it, all will not accept. For those who do accept, they are granted eternal life once again that eluded them thanks to the sin of Adam and Eve.

“¹⁵But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.” — Romans 5:15 (ESV)

Yes, both sin and the gift of salvation were the results of one man’s actions, Adam and Jesus, there are very different paths to the impacts of those. Sin is passive and all of us are sinners as a result of the actions of Adam. The gift of salvation is active and all who accept the gift are saved as a result of the action of acceptance of that gift provided by the actions of Jesus. I have to remember the active part of the equation and take that into my day to day to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to hear and accept and not just expect that everyone has or will at some point. I have to be the conduit by which everyone receives the gift and has the chance to accept and therefore lead to life eternal.

How did you come to be a sinner? Are you even aware that you are a sinner due to the actions of one, Adam? What if you accepted the gift of salvation, knowing that it is due to the actions of one, Jesus?

Gift for All Even as All are Sinners

“²³for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” — Romans 3:23 (ESV)

Here is the beginning of the “Roman Road to Salvation” as it is sometimes known. This is where it all starts in our movement to the gift of salvation from the LORD. What I see is that there is no discrimination as to who has sinned, it is identifying everyone. No matter who you are, where you come from, or what you have done, we are all sinners and fall short of a right relationship with God.

“²⁴and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,” — Romans 3:24 (ESV)

And yet, we are ALL presented the gift of salvation. Not just those deemed “worthy” by the law or by others. ALL are presented the gift from God. Boy am I glad that I fall into the ALL.

I am part of the ALL as a sinner and a receiver of the gift of salvation. As noted in the title of this blog, ALL are sinners and ALL receive the gift. But, not all will accept. The gift was/is presented to everyone and everyone has the opportunity to accept, yet not all will.

I was presented the gift and accepted. And that is the key thing here for me to remember. I was presented the gift of salvation and in order to be saved, I had to accept. I could not just receive it and then throw it under the seat of the truck, I have to keep it in plain view and remember it was given and I actively received it. I announced that I had received through baptism and I have to continue to announce it daily as the reminder that I did accept and have a responsibility to Christ as a result.

The gift of salvation is one that is freely given to ALL and ALL have the chance to receive it as well as accept. This is not dependent on and status of actions completed or righteousness under the law or right living standards. We are ALL sinners, regardless of where or what we come from. We are not excluded from the opportunity. Salvation is the free gift and for ALL to accept.

What are your thoughts on your status as relates to the gift of salvation? Are you aware that you are a sinner and yet the gift is for you as well? What if you came to the LORD and held out your hands and accepted the free gift of salvation given to you knowing that it is for ALL and you fall into that ALL?

Receive and Accept the Gift

Receive: to come into possession of: acquire

Accept: to receive (something offered) willingly

— Merriam-Webster Online

I lead this morning with the two definitions above to give a little more understanding into the difference in Peter’s words and what we do.

“³⁸And Peter said to them, ‘Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” — Acts 2:38 (ESV)

Peter is speaking to the group and explaining to them that they should repent of their sins and be baptized to receive the gift of salvation. Notice that he gives them an action to perform before receiving, which would indicate to them that they have to be willing to receive and therefore will be able to “accept” the gift, and not just receive. He was responding to their question of what to do to receive the gift.

“³⁷Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, ‘Brothers, what shall we do?’” — Acts 2:37 (ESV)

I have to remember that receiving something is passive and really without meaning. All can receive something, whether on the street from someone, the words given in a gathering, ticket stubs at an event, or many other things. But accepting is active. I have to be willing to receive for there to be meaning. I have to want that which is given and even ask for it in certain circumstances; the ticket to the concert (and attend), Prayer, and Salvation. And now I have accepted the gift.

Christ has a gift for all, and it is freely given and everyone can receive that gift. Yet, there are those who will receive and tuck it away without thinking twice about it. For those, the gift was simply received and holds little to no value. Then there are those who actively and willingly receive or accept the gift Christ has given. For them, there is value beyond belief.

“⁴²And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³And awed came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.” — Acts 2:42-43 (ESV)

What have you received and yet not accepted? Have you missed out on something great as you have not willingly received? What if you asked for Salvation and accepted the gift freely given as opposed to simply receiving without action?