Among the many compelling Bible study topics, understanding what it means to be ‘bought with a price’ stands out as a profound reminder of God’s ultimate sacrifice. This study will explore how this concept applies to our daily Christian lives and the deeper implications it holds for our faith.
1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Ye are bought with a price…
What does that mean?
(Live in a society that glamorizes independence. And that’s a good thing…)
What if you bought something and it didn’t work? Would you take it back?
The Weight of the Price Paid
(STORY OF BROTHER PRINTER…)
Paid 200 bucks for a stupid printer.
Now, how about if you’d paid for it in BLOOD?? With your LIFE? Been humiliated, or tortured?
What sort of expectation would you have from those you suffered for?
Hebrews 12:3 For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.
4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.
When you BUY something in a store…
(Get into servitude, year of release?) ?????
1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Worship God in your body and spirit which are God’s…
Let’s consider this: THEY ARE GOD’S! YOUR BODY AND YOUR SPIRIT BELONG TO GOD! THEY ARE NO LONGER YOURS TO DO WITH AS YOU PLEASE…
YOU BELONG TO GOD!!!
No longer your body, will to do as you please.
Jesus’ conversation w/ Peter… “When you’re old another will bind you and lead you where you wouldn’t go… signifying what death…
John 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
19 This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.
Doesn’t sound like you do whatever you want, saved by grace. Eat, drink, and be merry…
Ye are not your own…
Living as a Soldier for Christ
2 Timothy 2:4 No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.
(Story of Colosseum and Roman soldiers…)
Condemned man got second chance. His ability to soldier was only thing standing between him and death.
Are you THAT sold out…
How about as focused as Apostle Paul?
Philippians 3:8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
Do you count your life as nothing except for serving God?
Count it as DUNG except for the excellency…
We are ENGAGED IN A BATTLE TO THE DEATH FOR OUR SOUL AND WHERE WE AND THE ONES WE LOVE ARE GOING TO SPEND ETERNITY!!!
Do we even understand the stakes????
Wrestle not against flesh and blood… Worse!!! Principalities, powers, etc…
The devil has a different plan than God’s plan for your life.
The Spiritual Battle
Ephesians 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Has anyone here ever seen the “Lord of the Rings” movies? It is a classic story of a battle against good and evil. THOSE BATTLES IN FLESH AND BLOOD CAN’T EVEN COMPARE…
Do we even understand the battle that is raging all around us? Pulling us to make bad decisions? To pull us off track? Off focus? To hurt our testimony in the sight of other people?
Thankfully, God doesn’t leave us defenseless in this battle. He has given us the Armor of God—truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, faith, salvation, and the Word of God—to equip us to stand firm against the enemy. (Ephesians 6:13-17)
The IDEAL for the flesh would be to live any way that satisfies our flesh and still inherit eternal life.
Unfortunately for the flesh, that’s NOT how it works.
Paul: Compared to a race, ONE wins the prize, so run that ye may obtain.
So, why do we think the discipline should be any less to obtain the eternal crown paid for in BLOOD?
Paul said to run (the spiritual race) so you could obtain the prize!
Your Body and Spirit Belong to God
1 Corinthians 9:24 Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
25 And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.
26 I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air:
27 But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
Are we striving to run the race, or are we making excuses for not doing our best?
SIDEBAR: I want to point out here that this is APOSTLE PAUL writing in verse 27. Paul was concerned that after he’d preached to others, he would be a castaway himself! Doesn’t this serve to refute those who think you can live any way you want and still go to heaven?
SO HOW DOES ALL THIS PLAY OUT IN OUR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES?
Whenever someone comes to me and starts the conversation with “WHAT’S WRONG WITH…” the conversation is over. BECAUSE THEY ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER.
(STORY ABOUT A YOUNG LADY WHO ASKED ME ABOUT TATTOOS…)
Now, this is not a message about tattoos, and if you got one before you were a Christian I’m not trying to make you feel bad… BUT THIS IS THE POINT:
If you have to ask ME, then there’s a doubt in your mind about the activity. And if you doubt in your mind it’s sin. Even if I tell you, “Oh yeah, no problem, it’s okay…”
Making Choices That Honor God
Romans 14:23 And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
If there’s no doubt then why are you asking me?
No one ever calls me up on the phone and asks my opinion about:
- Whether it’s a sin to eat a piece of chicken.
- If it’s a sin to drive their car to work.
- Whether it’s a sin to read to their kids at bedtime.
(ASK CONGREGATION)
What are the big questions people wrestle with (in your experience)? Tattoos? Drinking alcohol? Listening to worldly music? Smoking? Various forms of entertainment? Etc. Etc. Etc…
My thought: If you have to ask someone else, or if you are preparing a big speech to defend your actions in case someone challenges you on the issue, then you’re already wrong.
The question should not be how close to the edge of the cliff you can get without going over, it should be how close you can cling to Jesus and live a pleasing life to Him.
Loving God with All You Are
Matthew 22:37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
How much is ALL?
Because it’s not even restricted to “actual” sin.
Even if it could be CONSTRUED as sin…
Avoid the APPEARANCE of evil.
1 Thessalonians 5:22 Abstain from all appearance of evil.
All things are lawful, but all things edify not…
1 Corinthians 10:23 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.
24 Let no man seek his own, but every man another’s wealth.
Where do we draw the line with following Jesus?
Is there a line in your mind that if Jesus tells you to follow his guidance on that you will refuse?
The Rich Young Ruler’s Example
Luke 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
QUESTION?
How many people think the rich young ruler made a bad decision?
(OR How many think he made the RIGHT decision?)
SIDEBAR: Note that Jesus didn’t say he WASN’T good in verse 19. He asked him a question. He was giving him (and us) a CLUE about who he was conversing with.
Jesus didn’t tell EVERYONE to give all their stuff to the poor and come follow him. But that was this young man’s problem. He had a line in the sand. He turned away from Jesus and went his way.
Jesus wasn’t turning from him… He told him to get rid of what was standing between the rich ruler and his relationship with him. The rich young ruler made a bad decision.
There are a lot of preachers in the world who give us a very comfortable message. “You can have it ALL! Riches, power, fame, luxury… all the things this world has to offer. You can please your senses AND be pleasing to God and have eternal life.”
Well, I’m not out seeking to afflict my flesh. I’m not seeking tribulation in my life, but Jesus said
IN THE WORLD YE SHALL HAVE TRIBULATION!
John 16:33 These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
Tribulations remind us that overcoming adversity is central to growing in faith. These challenges are not meant to defeat us but to refine us, strengthening our dependence on God.
We can’t always please our flesh. There are times when we have to choose. There are times we have to choose between our flesh and our spirit.
When we get to those crossroads in our lives, is our mind already made up on which fork in the road we’re going to choose?
Did we agree ahead of time that we’re going to choose Jesus’ way no matter what?
OR, do we have a line in the sand that Jesus had better not cross if he wants US to follow him?
It’s POSSIBLE to have a 100% relationship with Jesus.
Abraham was just a man and he was ready to offer his son on the altar to God.
What’s God asking US to separate from our lives?
I know, I know. Most preachers tell you today there’s nothing for you to do. No sacrifice. No discomfort. Jesus did it all. And all you have to DO is BELIEVE… PEACE, LOVE, JOY.
And I’ll grant you that Jesus said we WOULD have 100fold more in this life… WITH PERSECUTIONS…
Mark 10:28 Then Peter began to say unto him, Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee.
29 And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel’s,
30 But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.
But at the same time he requires obedience.
CONCLUSION:
JESUS PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE FOR YOU AND IN RETURN FOR YOUR SECOND CHANCE IN LIFE HE WANTS YOUR LIFE.
NOT EXCUSES…
WE ARE DEAD TO SIN IN CHRIST!
Romans 6:3 Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4 Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6 Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
What does it really mean to be DEAD IN CHRIST? Or to CRUCIFY OUR OLD MAN?
Does it mean we get a pass to live any way we want and still live in eternity with Jesus?
Or does it mean that no matter what WE want to do, JESUS’ WILL come before anything else?
I encourage everyone here to examine every aspect of your life. Don’t leave anything off the table. And ask,
“God is this pleasing to you?
Show me how I can improve.
How can I be a better, more effective servant?
It’s not about pleasing ourselves.
It’s about pleasing the one who gave us a second chance by his own death.
Daniel Lantis has been a pastor and professional speaker for over 41 years, dedicating his life to serving Christ. Throughout his journey, he has given generously, whether it’s money, cars, or buildings, and has never lacked anything in return. He encourages others to give their resources to Jesus, trusting that He will provide abundantly.
