What Does It Mean to Belong to Jesus?
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We often get caught up with how we appear to others—our image is important to us. The desire for approval can creep into even the simplest tasks that we do, or preoccupy our thoughts. Whether it is the reason behind why we dress or act a certain way, the filters we use on our Instagram or Facebook posts, or the people we choose to hang out with in public, creating a persona or protecting the one we already have can be a sinister motivator. As Christians, how do we break with this self-centered behavior and the idolatrous search for approval by others?
Christians may find themselves to be outcasts because of their faith.
The apostle Peter has some very helpful words in the beginning of his second letter as he writes to Christians who would have been on the outside of society, those who would have been the outcasts. Because of their faith in Christ, they no longer would have fit in with their neighbors or former friends. The urge to slide back into society and feel the old sense of belonging would likely have been a temptation for them as no one likes to be the odd one out. Peter writes in his introduction,
Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ: May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence. (2 Pet. 1:1-3)
All Christians are in the same “inside circle” as children of God.
Peter tells his Christian brothers and sisters that they have received the same faith that the apostles have. The apostles don’t have a special Christianity because they are apostles. All Christians have the same beautiful and wonderful faith. All Christians by God’s power have the Holy Spirit indwelling them, helping them to face life challenges and grow in godliness. The Christianity that the apostles held is the same as the Christianity of the other followers of Christ (2 Pet. 1:1).
Have you ever felt left out? You look on while the popular girls or guys do their thing. You wish you were on the inside circle. You wish you had something special about you to make people notice. So, maybe you try to make yourself look different by your dress, make-up, lifestyle, activities. You try to play the part so somebody, anybody, will take notice and include you, make you feel special and sought after. With Jesus you don’t need to do any of that.
The most wonderful gift, Jesus himself, has been given to you along with all Christians over the centuries. Along with famous Christians, renowned missionaries, pastors, and evangelists who have done great works for Christ’s church, and even the apostles, you have the same faith. You are not second class. The Holy Spirit dwells in you like he dwelt in the apostles. Jesus is your Savior just like he was the apostle Peter’s. And you didn’t do anything to deserve this “faith of equal standing.”
Jesus was hated and despised by all those who were popular in his day.
This faith that you have received was given to you not because you where the popular one, the good one, the pretty one, the athletic one, the creative one, or even the nice one. You didn’t do anything to earn this faith. This faith that you have was earned by Jesus Christ, by his righteous living, by his work, by his obedience, by him being perfectly good and holy all his life for every single minute, and by his horrible and abusive death for all your sins. And this holy living didn’t make him the popular one; rather, it made him hated and despised by all those who were popular in his day.
The Pharisees were the elite, the upper crust, the popular ones that people didn’t want to offend—these religious leaders were part of an exclusive club. In their minds the Pharisees were the ones God favored above the rest because they were following God’s law (really they were following their own rules that they had added to God’s law). Yet, Jesus lived a life pleasing to his heavenly Father, obeying God’s laws from his heart, and it made him the outcast of those who were the inner circle of Jewish society.
Christ suffered hatred, abuse, and shame so that you might have the gift of being included in God’s family, so that you could be encircled by God’s love and care. You could know the comfort of the Holy Spirit, the faithfulness of your heavenly Father, the love of your elder brother, Jesus. In Christ, you have God as your shepherd, provider, and friend. You have the ear and heart of the King of the universe. God came down from his exalted place in Heaven to be the outcast for you—the Savior that you needed—so that you might be included in his heart.
Belonging to Jesus means being a servant, a bond slave, of Christ.
Perhaps the most shocking thing that Peter says is at the very beginning of his letter. He calls himself (and, in extension, all others who have the same faith) a slave. Our English Bibles often gloss over this word because it is uncomfortable to modern ears and sensibilities. Slavery, however, was a common institution that everyone in Peter’s day understood. And while Scripture does not approve of or encourage slavery, Peter does see how some aspects of slavery relate to belonging to Christ.
Slaves were bought for a price—their actions were under the direction and oversight of their master, their whole life was dependent on their master, and the master’s wish was their command. A slave was under the protection and care of his master, and the master’s instructions were the primary guide for the slave. A slave didn’t care what another master might tell him or her to do or what another master may or may not like. The wish of their own master was their only concern.[1]
Because he is good and holy, Jesus wants those who belong to him to be good and holy.
In a similar way Peter is teaching us that we only need to listen to and be concerned about the commands and wishes of our master Jesus Christ. We were bought with the blood of Christ. We are under Jesus’ care and direction. We are dependent upon him for everything, and he supplies everything we need to find joy and peace amid any trial.
Jesus loves us, to the point that he even died for us. He is not a cruel master but rather a loving one, whose commands are for our good. Because he is good and holy, Jesus wants those who belong to him to be good and holy. His instructions are to steer us into growth and life. Jesus, our master longs for communion and love with those who follow him (2 Pet. 1:4). In fact, Jesus refers to all who belong to him as his friends, brothers, family, wedding guests, chosen saints, and those who will reflect his own character (2 Peter 1:4). Being Jesus’ slave means gaining heavenly riches and earthly peace and grace (2 Peter 1:2-4).
Focus on Jesus first.
Because you belong to Jesus, loving him is your only concern—your motivating factor. Placing your Savior first allows you to then look and see how he would desire you to love and serve others. With Christ first, you are able to go about your daily life, not stressing about your image, because you know you are being remade in the image of your Savior.
You don’t need to worry about being in the inner circle because you know you are loved eternally by God—you are in his heart. You don’t need to worry about pleasing or making yourself better according to worldly standards—you seek to show your thankfulness to God for your salvation by pleasing him. With this mindset, you will be able to set aside the self-centered, approval-seeking motivations and instead experience God’s peace and growth in grace as you focus on your master and Savior Jesus Christ.
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Notes:
[1] For some insightful comments on the use of slavery in 2 Peter and its implications, see William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter (Revised Edition) (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1976), 293.
