PONDERING... What is our only hope in life and death?

This is part of a catechism study we're doing on Sunday mornings.

What is our only hope in life and death?
That we are not our own but belong, body and soul, both in life and death, to God and to our Savior Jesus Christ.

Romans 14:7-8 ESV - "7 For none of us lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. 8 For if we live, we live to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord. So then, whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord's."

BREAKDOWN

Our Only Hope?

The single point that gives us any reason to believe that good will come

We?

All mankind

Not Our Own?

"Our own" would imply self-possession, autonomy. We are not under our own ownership.

Belong?

Someone does own us.

Body and Soul?

That ownership is both physical and spiritual.

Life and Death?

That ownership is both now, on earth, and forever, in eternity.

To God?

God is the one who owns us, and by so doing, gives us hope.

SUMMARY

This summary might seem hopeless. To say that our only hope is in realizing that we are completely subjected to God is counter-cultural. We have been raised to believe that complete dominion is tyranny. We are all underdogs looking for our great defeat of the odds. Yet, a thought being ingrained does not ensure its truth. As Americans, we sometimes lift the concept of freedom so high that we not only misdefine it, but we also create a new god. We need to let this go. Our hope rest in our being completely under His control, and their is no contradiction here.

I'll never forget bringing both of my kids home from the hospital. We were so excited, and completely terrified... especially with Jedidiah. Not only was he our first kid, but he had also been in the NICU for 2 1/2 weeks. Our introduction to parenthood included tubes and machines...and a fully staffed hospital. We were relieved to have him healthy, but taking him home, alone, was scary. His life literally depended on us. There wouldn't be a nurse in the next room. We didn't have machines to monitor his breathing, nor alarms to sound if something wasn't right. It was just us. From an earthly perspective, he would live because we would care for him. We, by the grace of God, would give him food, shelter, love...etc. 

This is just an infinitesimal (pun intended) example of our relationship to God. So much greater is our dependence upon Him. If your hope is not in Him, what is it in? You're hoping in something. As I've asked before, can it carry that weight? Our hope rests in the provision of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Like the old hymn says: Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.

Ponder, pray, and propagate your perceptions.

Upchurch