Christ died and returned to life for this… (Romans 14:9)
“Christ died and returned to life for this:”
How would you finish that sentence?
That our sins might be forgiven?
That we could go to heaven?
All true. But not what Paul said.
How does he finish the sentence?
…that he might be Lord over both the dead and the living. (Romans 14:9)
And if there’s any question as to what that means, Paul continues.
For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God.
For it is written, As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will give praise to God.
So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10-12)
So what does this mean for us? How should it shape how we see our lives? To Paul it was very clear.
For none of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord.
Therefore, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. (Romans 14:7-9)
Is that as clear to us as it was to Paul?
We have a good Lord. And our lives belong to him.
So let us live that way, with thanksgiving in our hearts, honoring him in all that we do.
Honoring him in how we treat our brothers and sisters in Christ.
And honoring him by how we live moment to moment, day to day.