The idea of one human...
Illustration
The idea of one human being owning another is repulsive to us.
In biblical times, women were regarded as sexual property, first of their fathers and then of their husbands. Parents owned their children and might sell them into slavery or even sacrifice them. We abhor the notion of one human owning another. We are wary even of the language of Paul concerning a marriage partner owning his or her mate's body (1 Corinthians 7:4), lest this teaching mistakenly be regarded as authorizing sexual or physical abuse. Our nation engaged in a bloody and brutal war to settle the matter of slavery, and today we deeply value individual human freedom. We own things, but we ourselves are free. Yet Jesus spoke of the greatest becoming as a slave to others, and Paul often identified himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. In this passage in Philippians, Paul identifies his life and being according to ownership. He cares nothing for what things he himself may own -- they are to him as rubbish (3:8). Instead, he himself is owned by Jesus Christ (3:12), and this alone is the basis for his life's work. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was once asked, "What is the key to your life?" He admitted that others excelled over him in intelligence, ability, and strength. However, even though he was not the brightest or most skilled, he had vowed that God would have all of William Booth there was to have. And this made all the difference. -- Bristow
In biblical times, women were regarded as sexual property, first of their fathers and then of their husbands. Parents owned their children and might sell them into slavery or even sacrifice them. We abhor the notion of one human owning another. We are wary even of the language of Paul concerning a marriage partner owning his or her mate's body (1 Corinthians 7:4), lest this teaching mistakenly be regarded as authorizing sexual or physical abuse. Our nation engaged in a bloody and brutal war to settle the matter of slavery, and today we deeply value individual human freedom. We own things, but we ourselves are free. Yet Jesus spoke of the greatest becoming as a slave to others, and Paul often identified himself as a slave of Jesus Christ. In this passage in Philippians, Paul identifies his life and being according to ownership. He cares nothing for what things he himself may own -- they are to him as rubbish (3:8). Instead, he himself is owned by Jesus Christ (3:12), and this alone is the basis for his life's work. William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was once asked, "What is the key to your life?" He admitted that others excelled over him in intelligence, ability, and strength. However, even though he was not the brightest or most skilled, he had vowed that God would have all of William Booth there was to have. And this made all the difference. -- Bristow
