People Are God's

The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him. [Psalm 24.1]

It all belongs to God. Everything that exists, exists for Him - His glory and pleasure. The people of the world are God's.

As I consider this verse in the Psalms today, I think also of the writing of the Apostle Paul:

And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. [2 Corinthians 5.18-21]

All the earth and everything in it is God's. He has given to His followers the task of reconciling people to Him. Necessary to accomplish this task then is all the authority in heaven and on earth, first given to Jesus and then imparted to us through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28.18-20]

Look at John 17.1-2:

After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. [John 17.1-2]

Jesus was very clear above about God's will concerning people and then our role in accomplishing that same will further down in His prayer:

They do not belong to this world any more than I do. Make them holy by your truth; teach them your word, which is truth. Just as you sent me into the world, I am sending them into the world. [John 17.16-18]

To be clear, God's will is plainly seen in the fact that God loves the world (John 3.16) and wants everyone to be saved. Paul later explained it in no uncertain terms as seen in 2 Corinthians 5.18-21 above. God wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth (2 Peter 3.9)!

Every blessing from God comes through the avenue of forgiveness:

Then he said, “When I was with you before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. And he said, “Yes, it was written long ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third day. It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’ You are witnesses of all these things. [Luke 24.44-48]

Because everyone belongs to God, His message for them all is one and the same: forgiveness for all who repent. We are grossly amiss if we treat people with any other agenda. In fact, we are told to forgive just as Jesus our example forgave. Jesus Himself indicated the gravity of our forgiveness, first for others:

Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” [John 20.21-23]

Then for ourselves:

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins. [Matthew 6.14-15]

Why so harsh? Because all the world belongs to God and He is a forgiving and merciful God. Judgment will indeed come to the unrepentant in God's timing, but we have no role in that whatsoever! 

Remember, we are reconcilers, not judges!

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. [Matthew 7.1]

As modeled and commissioned by Jesus, we are given all of mankind to reconcile them to God. Reconciliation comes only through forgiveness. This would explain Paul's instruction:

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. [1 Timothy 2.1-4]

As we understand all this, it becomes clearer why Paul said we should give thanks for all people. If we are given "all people" by God, our natural response should be thanksgiving, but in light of Psalm 24.1, our thanksgiving should be with the realization that God did not give us just any old gift, but He gave us His most prized possession: first His Son, then all people (the world) that they might be saved.

This all seems so obvious, but how easily we forget it. We simply need to feed on God's Word more so that we understand and live by it!

Father, thank You for this reminder today that all people are Yours and that You have love for them. Thank You that You have given all people to "me" so that I might impart every good and perfect gift to them as an ambassador of Christ. May I be found faithful in this task of reconciliation (forgiveness)!