Spirituality Column #803

April 5, 2022

Common Christianity / Uncommon Commentary

I Don’t Buy It

By Bob Walters

“You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” – Paul writing to the church in Corinth, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

This one clause of this one verse, “you were bought at a price,” has instilled nearly perpetual confusion and guilt into the loving work and passion of Christ.

It’s one of those Bible lines written about something else – sort of like “Do not judge…” (Matthew 7:1) – that on its surface and out of context has launched a thousand sinking ships of misdirected doctrine.  We see Jesus on the Cross and think He’s at the cosmic pay window, evening up the holy account of our sins that must be paid for. The “paid” theme is replete in hymns, prayers, and sermons, but I can’t find a verse in the Bible that says Jesus “paid a price.”  Makes me crazy.

Atonement, redemption, ransom, reconciliation, propitiation, expiation?  Yes.

But “paid”?  No.  And yes, I know I’m practically alone on this one.  But hear me out.

Paul has encountered a Corinthian church that is doing almost everything wrong.  Its fellowship is split and stratified.  Its worship is misfocused.  Its services are chaotic.  Its “Lord’s Supper,” rather than a humble supplication, is a lavish, prideful feast over here and a sparse, demeaning pauper’s ration over there.  The church errantly took its internal fights outside, was skeptical of Paul’s authority, permissive in its behaviors, and itself seemed to be repeating Israel’s long history of prideful and sinful mistakes against God.

But there’s more.  Corinth was a major Greek city and trading crossroads.  Of its twelve varied local temples (including one synagogue), the dominant religion in town was adoration of the Greek love goddess Aphrodite, whose high-on-a-hill temple employed a thousand priestess prostitutes.  The church’s attitude was, “Why not?”  Reminds me of today: “Hey, it’s my body.”

Notice that this “bought at a price” phrase is firmly planted in the section of 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 subtitled, “Sexual Immorality.”  Then chapter 7:1 picks up with “Marriage” and Paul presents the primacy of sexual morality existing in the man-woman, husband-wife marriage bed and nowhere else.  Aphrodite’s prostitutes and sexual sin vs. our bodily and spiritual union with Christ are the issues Paul is addressing. To say, “Bought at a price,” in this context, is accurate and appropriate. 

A Christian life is improved by (1) Not exposing itself to the temptations of satan; (2) Keeping one’s spouse as a mutually exclusive bodily gift from God; and (3) Knowing the ownership of our bodies properly resides with our Creator, God, not ourselves.  Freedom, yes.  Ownership, no.

“Bought” is Paul’s powerful indication of God’s ownership, not payment.  Our understanding of that is critical to our relationship with Jesus, in whom our only salvation exists “without payment” (Revelation 21:6).  To think that Jesus on the Cross is some sort of measurable trade or transaction or purchase is to abrogate the freely obedient love and perfect sacrifice of Jesus.  The Cross is a mystery of God’s love which brings joy, not an earthly quid pro quo to trigger guilt.

I'm adamant against thinking of salvation in Christ as a commodity to be bought, traded, measured, or judged.  As we are forgiven in Christ's power and God's grace, we join the treasure chest of the Kingdom of God.  We are restored as God's divinely beloved, escaping a “What’s in it for me?” station profaned by earthly values of things that rust, pass away, or are defined by fallen human description.  We are infinitely owned by God and I’m thankful – joyous – for it.

The gift of Jesus to us is a life to be lived, a love to be nurtured, a truth to be known, a faith to trust, and hope that solidifies into the joyous reality of divine eternity.  That is how big and un-boxable Jesus is.  Yet humans crave the smaller, familiar metaphor of transaction; it calms our narrow intellect by being consistent with the sodden tradeoffs of virtually all else in fallen human life.

But … did Jesus buy me? Golly, I didn’t “buy” my marriage. My joy and love aren’t in keeping score or auditing a receipt; my joy is an unselfish, shared, and reciprocal love; that’s Jesus.

Salvation is not in a transactional metaphor. God’s pure love wins, and you can’t buy it.

Walters (rlwcom@aol.com) would not find peace if he believed his wife Pam had traded for him.  And as for this Jesus “purchase,” Whom did He pay? Ask instead, “Whom did He love?”  P.S. – Next week or soon, we’ll look at 1 Corinthians 7:23.