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Quid Pro Quo
“For you were
bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and
in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:20)
As in the sermon title for today, there
is an ancient Latin phrase, “quid
pro quo,” which meant “what
for what;” and it also has come to mean “something
for something.” A valuable asset, which may
be money, goods or a service, is transferred to someone
else, but only in exchange for something of like value.
“Quid pro
quo” (something for something) has been a legal term
for a long time, reflecting the idea that a thing of value
must be given for a contract to be valid. If you sell
me a car, I must give you money or something of agreed-upon
similar value. If I don’t, the car is legally still
yours. If, on the other hand, I give you the money
and you don’t hand over the car, I can sue you for the return
of my money and win in court. But we as humans are
not alone in setting up rules and laws that govern us.
God has rules also.
Have you considered Him (God)?
In very many places within Scripture, we find that He is
“holy” (set apart), different
and infinitely better in character than those of the human
race. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul the Apostle said,
“your body is the temple of the
Holy Spirit,” leading to the statement in “our” verse
for today, that we are to “glorify
God” in our hearts, minds and lives. Why? -
Because we’re His creation. Your body, including your
brains, muscles, creativity and everything else is from
Him and is loaned to us for a time. It’s like each
of us are living in our bodies on a short term lease.
We’re not our own – We’re His!
Today’s Scripture reminds us that “you
were bought at a price.” That price was amazingly,
infinitely high – The blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God. He gave His perfect life as a Substitute, in
VICTORY over sin. God has demanded holiness from humanity
since the beginning, but we could not live up to His reasonable
expectations, leaving only two choices: We could be 1) cast
away from His sight forever, or 2) something must be done
that would make us acceptable to Him. That “Something”
was the death of His Son.
Pastor Chuck Smith compared Jesus’
act of dying to two farmers. One of them owned a scrub
one-half acre that didn’t produce anything, while his Neighbor
had millions of acres, well-watered and lush with crops.
The Rich Farmer came over one day and offered the destitute
farmer this deal: “I will share
with you everything I have in exchange for everything you
have.” In “quid
pro quo” (something for something), value is given
for value. But in Christ Jesus we are given EVERYTHING
for essentially nothing! HE has the victory over sin,
but the Father accepts US for what HE has done!
Many do not receive Jesus Christ as
Lord and Savior because they simply do not understand.
Here are examples that will help us understand the VALUE
of the Son of God, in the form of two quotes from the website
“ChristianGlobe.com” -
“A story
is told of a man who loved old books. He met an acquaintance
who had just thrown away a Bible that had been stored in
the attic of his ancestral home for generations. ‘I couldn't
read it,’ the friend explained. "Somebody named Guten-something
had printed it.’ ‘Not Gutenberg!’ the book lover exclaimed
in horror. ‘That Bible was one of the first books ever printed.
Why, a copy just sold for over two million dollars!’ His
friend was unimpressed. ‘Mine wouldn't have brought a dollar.
Some fellow named Martin Luther had scribbled all over it
in German.’” – Originally from “Our
Daily Bread,” June 7, 1994.
Martin Luther, of course, is the progenitor
of the Lutheran Church. Here’s another:
“In April
1667, English poet John Milton signed an agreement with
Samuel Simmons, a London publisher, by which he sold the
copyright of ‘Paradise Lost’ for five pounds, plus five
pounds for the sale of each of three subsequent editions,
an edition comprising 1,500 copies. Milton received a second
five pounds in April 1669, making a grand total of 10 pounds
to the author of England's greatest epic. After his death,
Milton's widow Elizabeth sold all remaining rights for eight
pounds to Simmons, who became perpetual copyright owner.
It's hard to imagine someone selling something of such great
value for so little.” -ChristianGlobe.com quoting
“Today in the Word”, April
7, 1993
Both examples are the same. In
each one, someone had great treasure. A Gutenberg
Bible would literally be worth millions today, perhaps more.
Down through the centuries, “Paradise
Lost” has been exceeded in numbers of copies printed
and purchased, only by the Bible itself. It too, represents
uncounted millions of dollars.
In like manner, the shed blood of Jesus
Christ, given for you and for me, is valuable. He
is the King of king and Lord of lords, who came to this
place and died a criminal’s death, in order that you might
live eternally with God. He literally offers the right
for us to become sons and daughters of the King, to reign
with Him in the glory of eternal life, now and forever.
In exchange, He only asks that you give – yourself – to
Him.
“You were
bought at a price.” In the past you may have
valued yourself as a worker, as a spouse, a parent, business
owner, athlete, thinker of great thoughts; as a debater,
lover, musician or whatever, but all of those abilities,
whether real or imagined, are gifts lent to you by God.
Again, it is like you are driving a car that does not belong
to you. Someone might say to you: “Nice car!” but
down inside you know the truth – It’s not yours! But
if your father bought it for you, then it WOULD be yours,
and if someone said, “Nice car!” you could reply, “Thank
you,” for it would be your car. Except for one thing:
It was your FATHER who gave you the
car. You didn’t earn the car; it was a gift.
It is actually more appropriate at such a moment to say:
“My father gave it to me.” In a similar manner, when
somebody praises you for something, think of your Father
in heaven, for “you were bought
at a price” – “therefore
glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s”
(1 Corinthians 6:20). You were created by God, but
then fell into sin, whether in thought or deed. Jesus
paid the price and bought you back. You are twice
His – Not only through creation, but also by payment in
full on the cross. Give credit to God - He has given
everything for you.
Thank You, Lord, for giving me life.
Thank You for dying in my place, Lord Jesus. Thank
You for rescuing me. All glory to You, Lord.
I am Yours. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Ron Beckham, Pastor
Friday Study Ministries
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchontheNet.org
www.BlessedHands.org
E-mail:
Ron@FridayStudy.org
Tel:
(562) 688-5559
PO Box 92131
Long Beach, CA 90809-2131
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us"
(Romans
5:8)
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