"For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich." II Cor. 8:9
The wealth of the pre-incarnate Christ could be assessed in a number of ways, but the most concise evaluation is given in the epistle to the Hebrews: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto by His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds [Heb. 1:1-2]." This is reinforced in John 1:3, "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made."
As the author and heir of "all things," everything belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ, both in earth and in heaven. The richest man on earth is a pauper in comparison to Christ for several reasons. First, He has no peers, and no successful competitors. He said, "I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof [Ps. 50:9-12]." Second, His wealth extended beyond the limits of the inhabited earth to embrace realms that no man has yet explored, let alone possessed. Wherever His eye rests, from the navel of the earth to the reaches of the most distant star, He can say as a matter of fact, "It is Mine." Third, He need never die and leave it all behind. His wealth is His, and His forever.
Pause for a moment, and let it sink in. He was rich! And that by a measure our concept of riches cannot even approximate. "Yet," our text abruptly continues, "for your sakes He became poor." How poor did He become? He surrendered all the prerogatives of deity to become not merely a man, but a man who owned nothing. He had no home of His own, no transportation of His own, no property of His own, no capital of His own. Falsely accused, He could not have afforded a legal defender had He wanted one. When He died, he had no grave site of His own, and had to be buried in a borrowed tomb. His estate consisted of a seamless robe, and His mother's care had to be entrusted to a friend. He had no insurance!
Not only did the Savior die that we might live; He became poor that we might be rich. Those who trust Him as Savior and Lord are rich beyond comparison. They have life they will never lose; health that will never fail; a home that will need no maintenance; treasure in an impregnable vault, secure against moth, rust, thieves and the fluctuations of the stock market. And these are but the "tip of the iceberg," so to speak. Perhaps the most impressive expression of the riches that belong to the redeemed, however, is found in this terse passage: "The Spirit [himself] beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together [Rom. 8:16,17]."
Joint heirs, like joint account holders at the bank, have equal rights and privileges, equal access to all that is in the account. As joint heirs with Christ, every believer will have equal rights and privileges with Him, to all that is rightfully His. He is "heir of all things." I am a "joint heir" with Him. All that is His will be mine! This is incredible, but true, according to the Word of God Who cannot lie! Well then does the apostle speak when he says, "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether…the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's [I Cor. 3:21-23, italics added.]."
How glorious is this grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! What a pity that so many believers spend all their energy to acquire a pittance in a world we are bound to leave, and so little improving an endowment we cannot lose!
With gratitude for HIS grace,
"Pastor" Frasier
The wealth of the pre-incarnate Christ could be assessed in a number of ways, but the most concise evaluation is given in the epistle to the Hebrews: "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto by His Son, Whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by Whom also He made the worlds [Heb. 1:1-2]." This is reinforced in John 1:3, "All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made."
As the author and heir of "all things," everything belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ, both in earth and in heaven. The richest man on earth is a pauper in comparison to Christ for several reasons. First, He has no peers, and no successful competitors. He said, "I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is Mine, and the fulness thereof [Ps. 50:9-12]." Second, His wealth extended beyond the limits of the inhabited earth to embrace realms that no man has yet explored, let alone possessed. Wherever His eye rests, from the navel of the earth to the reaches of the most distant star, He can say as a matter of fact, "It is Mine." Third, He need never die and leave it all behind. His wealth is His, and His forever.
Pause for a moment, and let it sink in. He was rich! And that by a measure our concept of riches cannot even approximate. "Yet," our text abruptly continues, "for your sakes He became poor." How poor did He become? He surrendered all the prerogatives of deity to become not merely a man, but a man who owned nothing. He had no home of His own, no transportation of His own, no property of His own, no capital of His own. Falsely accused, He could not have afforded a legal defender had He wanted one. When He died, he had no grave site of His own, and had to be buried in a borrowed tomb. His estate consisted of a seamless robe, and His mother's care had to be entrusted to a friend. He had no insurance!
Not only did the Savior die that we might live; He became poor that we might be rich. Those who trust Him as Savior and Lord are rich beyond comparison. They have life they will never lose; health that will never fail; a home that will need no maintenance; treasure in an impregnable vault, secure against moth, rust, thieves and the fluctuations of the stock market. And these are but the "tip of the iceberg," so to speak. Perhaps the most impressive expression of the riches that belong to the redeemed, however, is found in this terse passage: "The Spirit [himself] beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together [Rom. 8:16,17]."
Joint heirs, like joint account holders at the bank, have equal rights and privileges, equal access to all that is in the account. As joint heirs with Christ, every believer will have equal rights and privileges with Him, to all that is rightfully His. He is "heir of all things." I am a "joint heir" with Him. All that is His will be mine! This is incredible, but true, according to the Word of God Who cannot lie! Well then does the apostle speak when he says, "Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours; Whether…the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's [I Cor. 3:21-23, italics added.]."
How glorious is this grace of our Lord Jesus Christ! What a pity that so many believers spend all their energy to acquire a pittance in a world we are bound to leave, and so little improving an endowment we cannot lose!
With gratitude for HIS grace,
"Pastor" Frasier
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