Title For Faith/Romans 14:7-9
In the text, the word “for” appears five times. "Not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's. For this purpose the Lord died." The word "for" here is a moving verb that speaks of a change of consciousness. For example, it means a change of purpose in life. When we believe in Jesus, many things change.
The first is to change the purpose of our lives from being self-centered to Jesus-centered.
When we come to know Jesus, we do not have money, a career, and a big house. Even if we believe in Jesus, nothing changes anytime soon. The phenomenon remains the same. Then why do you believe in Jesus? Because the purpose is different. As the text says, the purpose changes from “for self” to “for the Lord.”
I used to live for the world and live for myself, but now I live for Jesus, and I am living a life that focuses all my attention on him. For example, up until now, I have lived for my purpose, but from now on, the purpose of my life has changed to center on Jesus. In other words, the trajectory was corrected. This is “for” faith. For Jesus, for God, for the gospel.
One day, while I was on my way to evangelism, I was walking on a mountain road and it was hot and I was sitting on a hill to rest. A drunken man came up and said that he lost his weight. Why are you cheekily coming up ahead of me and sitting down, giving me a nonsensical reason and hitting me hard. It is said that Kim Ik-doo said this after he was beaten without saying anything.
"I believed in Jesus, and you received the grace. I am Ik-Dong Kim." Then, the drunkard gets so excited, he gets down on his knees and begs him to save his life. So it is said that he was polite. "If I hadn't believed in Jesus, today would have been your day of business. I believe in Jesus, and you know that grace has been given to you." Then he dragged him around and preached, and it is said that he later became an elder.
If it were me, it wouldn't be a problem. However, since his purpose was changed, he endured for Jesus, endured because of Jesus, and suffered for the sake of the Lord. This is “for” faith. A changed life, a changed life. Before, I endured because of my face and because of my personality, but after meeting Jesus, I endure, lose, lose, and be beaten because of Jesus, not because of me. The purpose is completely different.
A shift in purpose is so important. Just as when a woman gets married, she has to change her interest in living for her family to marrying her in marriage, so after we meet Jesus, we must change all our interests, purposes, and intentions for Jesus. This is the development of a normal believer.
The second is a shift from me-centric to neighbor-centric.
When people don't know Jesus, I become the purpose. You are the center of everything. Because I exist, I am caught up in the way of thinking that you are. So the self-centeredness is strong. However, when you come to know Jesus and your purpose changes, you will have a will that transcends yourself and you will become interested in others. This means that your mind, heart, and consciousness will be opened to the outside. You will have a big heart, a broad mind, and a mature consciousness that is a Dead Sea compatriot. It is not that I have such talents, but that the Lord gives me such strength.
Nightingale, the Angel in White, ran to the battlefield during the Crimean War to heal wounded soldiers. However, he not only healed the soldiers of his own country, he also healed all wounded soldiers, regardless of nationality, even those of enemy countries. After that, he was later called a spy. What he said then was, "Patriotism alone is not enough." That said, patriotism alone could not cure "my country" soldiers.
It means that we could not treat the soldiers of my country only with patriotism and abandon the dying people just because they were soldiers from other countries. It means that we will come out of the fence of patriotism and reach humanitarianism in which we can see and love people as people, whether they are soldiers of our own country or those of an enemy country.
So, humanitarianism sees and loves people as people, and Christianity sees people as brothers and loves them rather than just people. This is all because of the open mind that comes from a changed heart after meeting Jesus.
The famous theologian Harnak said, "The Christian view of neighbor is to regard God as my father, to regard myself as a child of God, and to regard my neighbor as my brother." So, first of all, we need to change our purpose in life. If you only change your purpose, you will stop sticking with yourself. I can be a tool used for everyone.
Third, it also turns attention towards society.
Engels said, "A man can know himself by what is known to others." This means that my own price is set by others. When people need me, it means I'm worthy. In other words, I'm priced for what people need me for.
Everyone, if you want to do some volunteer work in the church, know it as a great honor and do it with courage. If there is no value, I will not even make such a request. Please do it before the price drops.
Man is not fundamentally created to live for himself. Man was created to live for others. You are created to work, toil, and sweat to live for someone and for the world. Some housewives complain that our women die after trying to support the family for the rest of their lives. It is an unknown word.
The reason God created the family is to set us free from nihilism. Having a family gives you a reason to get up early in the morning. Having a family gives you a reason to work diligently, and you end up sweating like crazy. How happy is this? What kind of support is it that you don't want to do, and is it in vain?
Guys, imagine you don't have a home. There is no reason for a person to work diligently. There is no reason to get up early. Then, what will be found in that life and heart? Is there anything more to come but nihilism?
So, when God created man, he created it to live for others. Guys, why are you wearing makeup? For whom? People don't wear makeup when they're alone at home. When a person dresses up nicely, it is all for the sake of others.
In the end, those who have been transformed have matured in this consciousness. That is why we value our neighbors and live with an open mind toward society. This is the open life of a person who met Jesus. And it is the image of the life of a believer who lives with an open mind properly.
The fourth is to have a death that is also open to death.
If you look at the text, it was “living or dying”. This means that "living or dying" is not mine. Also in the text, it says, "No one lives for himself, and no one dies for himself." This means that those who meet Jesus do not die "die" death, but die "die" death even to death. A mortal death is a priceless death, whereas a mortal death is a death in which the changed person dies "for a purpose". So the Christian's death is not a "dying death" but a "dying death". It is death to die for.
In Buddhism, death is when a person comes from nature and returns to nature. This means it just comes and goes. This is the reincarnation view of death.
But Christianity doesn't say that. Verse 8 says, “We live or die, we belong to the Lord.” This means that the matter of our life and death is far from me and is in the hands of the Lord.
If you make a decision, “I will believe in Jesus from today,” from that moment on, I am no longer me. My destiny is to be entrusted with the hands of the Lord. Then, whether my destiny develops for good or for bad, I leave it in the hands of the Lord. If I entrusted it to the Lord, I am grateful if my destiny turns out to be good, and if it turns out badly, the Lord's will is there, so I live by watching. This is the life you entrust to live. That's why the Bible says, "We live or die, we belong to the Lord." This is the life you live for.
There are times when we think we want to die, and there are times when we say we want to die. And some actually die. This is a terrific example. When it is time for us to die, God calls us naturally. And yet it is because of you that you leave us alone in the world right now. And there is no need to be anxious for fear that we will die. Even if he wants to live longer, even if he begs, even if he puts on oxygen respirator and the whole family comes out and struggles, there is no difference as long as he is determined.
That is why the Apostle Paul confessed that in the text. "Not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's." look. Let's all live our lives "for" the Lord.