For Sale Or Lease?

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ecord low interest rates are making it possible for a greater number of people to buy a home. Every day the paper is filled with page after page of existing homes for sale as well as advertisements for newly constructed houses.  In addition, landlords are also offering reduced and special rates on their rental properties, promising all types of incentives to people if they will consider renting.

All this causes a dilemma for the person looking to find affordable housing.  The decision comes down to a fundamental choice.  Should a person buy a home, a permanent dwelling, or should he/she rent, leaving open the option of moving at a moment’s notice.  Cost is also a factor until you realize that you’re spending the same amount of money.  It’s just a matter of whether that money is being used beneficially for the person spending it.

This same dilemma is one that confronts all of us regarding our spiritual condition.  We often speak of life in terms of a signed contract.  If someone survives a severe accident or medical emergency, we say that he/she has received a new “lease on life.”  The very use of this terminology underscores the fact that life here is not permanent.  It lasts only for a little while and then it is no more.  Isn’t it amazing then that we live our lives as if this existence was permanent, as if it would never end—but end it will! 

In his first letter to the church in Corinth, the Apostle Paul addressed the question of leasing or selling.  However, Paul wasn’t discussing a real estate transaction; instead, he was speaking about the manner in which our lives reflect ownership.  In 1 Corinthians 6:19-10, Paul makes the following observation, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

The context of this passage concerns Paul’s instruction to the Corinthians concerning sexual sin.  The society of Corinth was much like the one in which we find ourselves today.  Standards were elastic and could be lengthened or shortened at whim by society.  Paul wanted his readers to understand that God’s standard does not change and that those who belong to Him must adopt the standards He sets forth.  To that end, Paul speaks of the Christian in terms of ownership.  He states very clearly that when we became Christians, we became the property of God, transferring ownership to Him, selling our lives to Him.  This means that the property cannot be leased out to anyone else, it belongs solely to God.

What proved challenging for the Corinthians was adopting this mentality.  Society told them it was all right to accept God and to live according to the world’s standards.  This made for a confusing arrangement.  People claimed to belong to God but they were leasing out their lives to society, sending a confusing signal about their claim to having become Christians.

We face this same dilemma today in the 21^st century.  The world around us seemingly has all the answers but those answers constantly change.  Living according to the world’s standards is tantamount to signing a lease every six months.  Each time a new lease is signed, the price grows higher and higher.  But if we belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ, then God has purchased us as His own.  We don’t have to worry about changing leases, changing locations, or packing up to go somewhere else.  We belong to Him and that contract is binding and permanent.

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herever you are today I pray that your walk with God will underline the fact that you belong to Him.  I pray He will encourage your heart and warm your soul with the assurance that you are His through your faith in Jesus Christ.  We are either living under His ownership or we are not.  Are you for sale or for lease today?