Paid in Full...

April 23, 2009
Danielle Joyner Kelley

“And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again.” 2 Corinthians 5:15.

You no longer belong to yourself. Repeat that. You no longer belong to yourself. You have been bought and paid for by your own Amazing Creator who knew what you needed even when you did not.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

The person you worry about so much getting hurt – yourself? Bought. The person that you dress up to impress everyone else – yourself? Bought. The person you defend until the 11th hour because you don’t want anyone to think bad of them – yourself? Bought. And paid for.

And the price paid for you was no small price. God had to send His only Son to be tortured, beaten, mocked, spit upon, and nailed to a Cross to die for our sins. When we think of the crucifixion we get angry over a story that had to happen to save us, and we grow angry with the players who participated in His death, when the truth is that we were some of those players. It was for our own sin He died. So that price bought us.

When you go to the store and buy an item that you expect to function in a certain way and it does not, how do you feel? You want your money back don’t you? Unlike how we react though, God stands by knowing that the people He purchased can function that way. He has faith that they will function in the way we were intended to. And He never gives up.

He knew what you needed, and He paid the price for it. But when you refuse to function in the way you were intended to function, He paid for you for what reason? Out of love. But you, on the other side, are taking His Grace in vain. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 5:21; 2 Corinthians 6:1-2; Isaiah 49:8.

You run around saying, “I did this” or “I did that” bragging to the world about the good things you have done. But you have more than a Creator, you have an Owner. You don’t get anything good that He does not give to you. “Do you refuse to speak to me? Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?” Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.” John 19:10-11.

Right now you are bought. There is a deposit placed upon your heart guaranteeing what is to come. “Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. The guarantee of what is to come is what God can see. He knew what you needed because He knows all about what Hell is like. Take for example one of the best descriptions of Hell in the Bible, from the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus:

"There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man's table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried. In hell, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.'

"But Abraham replied, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.'

"He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.'

"Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.'

" 'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.' " Luke 16:19-31.

Christians refer to “Abraham’s side” as Heaven, so this is an actual conversation between those in Heaven and Hell. Hell is so horrible that the rich man begged to get out, and when he realized he could not he wanted Lazarus to visit his family’s house so they would not have to experience Hell, and he would not give up on insisting that they be contacted.

Many will say, “Why would such a loving God not give him a second chance?” or “Why would such a loving God create a place so horrible?”. When you ask yourself that question imagine a man has been arrested and charged with the rape and murder of a 6-year-old girl, or that a man has been arrested who raped your girlfriend, wife, mother, or daughter? What if you go to court expecting him to pay, and the Judge says, “Well I’ll give him another chance” and looks at the man and says “You are free to go”.

Think about that. What are the odds based on your life experiences that he will not do the same again? What are the odds that others who are tempted to kill or rape won’t do it for fear of punishment? They will do it because they know there will be no real punishment. Second chances become changes, and then there is no reason not to fight a temptation to commit a horrible act because there is no fear of punishment.

Now think about God, the Creator of the entire Universe and all who live within it. What is He to do? He is to keep things in check is what. And letting one person have a second chance and not another would make Him unjust, and He is a just God, holy and perfect in every way.

Your goal then? To refrain from malfunctioning. When your Owner works on you, you keep trying to work, and adjust to the changes. “And just as we have born the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:49. Live in a Godly manner. The Spirit is within you to show you how.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” Galatians 5:22-25.

Your sinful nature, or flesh, “desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature.” Galatians 5:17. Because they are contrary to each other, they are “in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.” Galatians 5:17. You do not do what you want because your flesh and sinful nature are prone to sin. “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Galatians 5:19:21.

Now you haven’t ever committed any of those have you? If so, remember God’s Grace. You have been bought and redeemed at a price. You are no longer yourself, so function appropriately for the One who bought you.

I want to live in a way that the “No Returns! All Sales Final!” sign does not make my Owner wish He had not seen it (even though He wouldn’t). To some it is a matter of duty, to me it is a matter of honor.

And what higher honor could there ever be?