“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9).
As Christians, we belong to God. We are to live in such a way that we can say, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). We no longer live for ourselves but for God and His Son. We “have been bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), that price being “the blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-19; cf. Acts 20:28).
Understanding then that we belong to God, how should we conduct our lives?
Glorify God in Your Body – This was the point Paul made in one of the passages already cited: “For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:20). This means we should use our bodies to do God’s work, not the “works of the flesh” (Galatians 5:19-21). Jesus died in order “to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14).
Some people have become convinced that we do not need to be overly concerned about sin in our lives since we are saved by the grace of God. It is certainly true that we are saved by grace (Titus 2:11; Ephesians 2:8), but grace is not a license to sin (Romans 6:1-2; Jude 4). We are to become “dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:11). Instead of being indifferent toward giving up sin, we must be “zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:14). We can glorify God in our bodies in the same way that Jesus did – by being obedient to the will of God. He said, “I glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4).
Do Not Submit to the Decrees of Man – Paul was concerned that the brethren at Colossae might be led away from Christ by following the commandments of men: “If you have died with Christ to the elementary principles of the world, why, as if you were living in the world, do you submit yourself to decrees such as, ‘Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!’ (which all refer to things destined to perish with use)—in accordance with the commandments and teachings of men?” (Colossians 2:20-22).
There were apparently some who were teaching things in addition to what the word of God required. Paul said these things had “the appearance of wisdom,” but they constituted “self-made religion” and were “of no value against fleshly indulgence” (Colossians 2:23).
There is a danger in elevating the commands and opinions of men to the same level as the word of God. Even things that may seem harmless can have a damaging effect. When the commands of men are lifted up along with the commands of God, over time people begin to equate the two. Eventually it becomes difficult to convince them to give up following the commands of man without also giving up on following the commands of God. Paul wrote, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery” (Galatians 5:1). We belong to Christ. We are to take orders from no one other than Him.
Do Not Give Your Allegiance to Men – One of the many problems in the church at Corinth that Paul had to address in his first letter was the problem of division. These brethren were divided along party lines according to their allegiance to certain men: “Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul,’ and ‘I of Apollos,’ and ‘I of Cephas,’ and ‘I of Christ.’” (1 Corinthians 1:12). It is uncertain whether these were the actual men that some there were following or if Paul simply used these names to make the point. In either case, many of the brethren in Corinth were guilty of dividing their allegiance among mere men.
There is nothing wrong with following the teaching and example of faithful men. Paul told these brethren that they should follow his teaching and example, but he gave a disclaimer – they could follow him only so far as he followed Christ. Regarding his teaching, he told them he sent Timothy who would “remind you of my ways which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church” (1 Corinthians 4:17). Paul was also an example to them: “Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).
There may be faithful Christians, even gospel preachers, that we look up to and that have helped us through the years. It is good to regard such individuals for their work and be thankful for them. But we must not become so enamored with them that, should they ever fall into sin or begin teaching error, we just keep on following them blindly into accepting whatever sin or error they may be practicing or promoting. No matter how much we respect someone, we must remember that we belong to the Lord and that we follow Him. Do not let men who were once sound lead you away from Christ.
