ECCLESIOLOGICAL ETCHINGS
January 15, 2026
So often in scripture when we see the words “bought” or “ransomed” to describe what Jesus has done, we think of the cross or his death as an act that purchased us from something or someone. And in passages like 1st Corinthians 6:20, it gives that impression — “For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” But the larger passage of 1 Corinthians 6 is about a changed life. It is about becoming something different. We have been bought, not because we needed to be purchase from… you can fill in the blank—but purchased for something…for a purpose. Too many people view faith as nothing more than a rescue mission, and once they have been rescued, they are good to go. But as you read Paul’s larger point, you realize that he has just finished a long and rather harsh discussion on those who have been rescued and are now living lives that do not represent the life of Christ. God is gracious, and the metaphor Paul uses of buying or rescuing has much more to do with finding purpose—being rescued for a life with Christ; a life lived for Christ; a life that glorifies Christ through how we live our lives.
Bring me, Glorious God, to that place where my life better resembles your wonderful expression of love, Jesus Christ. Bring me to that place where I join the baptized community in declaring that we have died and risen with Christ, forever changed and living with purpose. Amen.
