12 October 2015 - we belong to god

among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ

We are called to belong to Christ. He is descended from David according to the flesh, but even that royal lineage doesn't justify our belonging to him. If he is merely a good preacher like Jonah it may justify learning from him. It may justify repentance. But it does not justify belonging to him. No one was called to belong to Jonah. If Jesus is a wise teacher it doesn't justify belonging to him. Even if he is wise like Solomon it might be worth coming from the ends of the earth to hear him. But it does not justify belonging to him. If we follow a wise man like Solomon we risk following him into idolatry and ultimately to similar moral failure.

But Jesus is more than Solomon and more than Jonah.

there is something greater than Solomon here.

and

there is something greater than Jonah here.

Jesus Christ is not merely descended from impressive royal lineage. We can see that Solomon was descended from that lineage and it wasn't enough.  Jesus Christ is "established as Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." There is something beyond flesh in play here. He is not merely the son of David. He is the Son of God. This is revealed by the power displayed, not in wisdom, not in preaching, but in the resurrection from the dead. Because he lives we are called to do more than listen to him. Because he is risen we are called to do more than learn from him. We are called to belong to him. It is his right to claim our allegiance because he is the Son of God, filled with the Holy Spirit. Only he can "bring about the obedience of faith" in us. Only he can call us "to be holy" and actually make it possible by the grace of God our Father which he brings us. Wisdom no doubt tells Solomon to follow God's ways. But even wisdom as great as that is unable to provide grace.

The psalmist sings that the Lord has made his salvation known. This is most perfectly revealed in the resurrection of the Son of God. The resurrection reveals that Jesus is who he says he is and that his promise that death does not have the last word can be trusted. It proves his holiness and makes holiness possible for us. We can confidently entrust our entire lives to him. We can "belong" to him.

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.

Let us sing joyfully. It is his resurrection that we celebrate. We belong to the risen one


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 (cf. Rom. 8:14).