Experiencing Christ’s Ownership of Our Soul

Jun P. Espina         6 min read

Updated on February 17th, 2020


When Christ cried out with a loud voice: “Lazarus come forth!,”  the other dead Lazaruses didn’t rise—only the brother of Mary and Martha. There’s a big difference if you are KNOWN of the Lord. People claim they know Jesus; but does Christ KNOW them? Are we experiencing Christ’s ownership of our soul?

Lost souls INVENT their “own” Jesus; the “Jesus” they can bribe and make a deal with their clean lives and good gifts and Sunday offerings and piousness. Discussing Christ’s name through their chats fills their smartphones. They thought they knew Jesus! Their friends guessed they have an acquaintance with Christ. But does Christ KNOW them? Are they experiencing Christ’s ownership of their hearts?

The Real Christians are Experiencing Christ’s Ownership of their Souls

Christ’s ownership of our soul happened after believing and trusting in His promises and His person as God the Son. But it is not easy believism. Rather, it is taking willingly all of Christ’s claims and submission to His lordship. It is not enough to know Jesus or memorize Scriptures about Him. Judas knew Jesus, but Christ didn’t know him to be His. Christ’s residence in our entire being is so definite and recognizable an episode of life that we need not be high like the Pentecostalists to experience His control of our soul. The miracle of Christ’s indwelling is not unknowable or beyond the sketch of words. Christ converted Mary Magdalene’s soul, for example, from her wasted life in harlotry. She remained in the tomb searching for Christ’s body while Peter and John returned to the disciples. Her soul got a connection to Christ—she didn’t quit looking for Christ’s lost body until Christ first appeared to her after His resurrection. Mark 16:9 (where Christ’s first appearance landed into the New Testament records) continues to amaze me for decades of Bible study. Observe this: “Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.” Lord, why didn’t you appear first to Mary, Your mother in the flesh? In our Lord’s wisdom, appearing first to Mary Magdalene impacts on His teaching on complete forgiveness. Second, His takeover on the souls saved by His atoning blood proves to spread even on those souls represented by Magdalene’s flat-out depravity.

Magdalene was so sinful; Christ cast out from her seven demons. Since Mary Magdalene experienced a radical change in her mind, heart, and soul when she learned to trust in Jesus as God the Son, she knew Christ’s takeover of her soul. But it is not the end of the story, for Christ knew her faith more—and this is another reason for Christ’s first appearance to an ex-harlot—His ownership of Mary’s soul. Christ said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” (John 10:27) He did not say, “They follow Me, hence, I know them.”

In Christ’s gospel, we also learned about a woman “who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years.” She struggled to come close to Christ just she could touch “the fringe of His cloak” believing that she would be healed by so doing. (cf. Matt. 9:20-22) The Bible is replete with the stories and illustrations of trust. Those who have truly trusted Jesus have the signature of Christ’s dominion of their souls. His inner witness is loud and clear.

If we’re assured of heaven today no matter our circumstances, then we are experiencing Christ’s ownership or presence in our soul. Christ’s Spirit’s indwelling is the familiar phrase used by most Christian theologians. 1 John 5:13 teaches this doctrine: “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may KNOW that you have eternal life.”

Personal knowledge of Christ is only experienced with His (and the Father’s and the Spirit’s) indwelling in the soul. Observe the following verses in John 14:21; 23:

“He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will DISCLOSE (or manifest or show in the realm of personal experience) Myself to him . . . . If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; AND MY FATHER WILL LOVE HIM, AND WE WILL COME TO HIM AND MAKE OUR ABODE (residence) WITH HIM.”

I know that Christ owns me by my trials and victories in life. “FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,” said Hebrews 12:6, “AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.” God gave me a heart abnormality for the past 30 years that rules my food choices and even the level my strenuous labors. I didn’t eat an egg for long years, for example, before the discovery of its health benefits related to bad cholesterol build up. I always decide things from my heart’s “viewpoint,” so to speak. Later, my doctor told me not to be cardiophobic sense I stopped using a maintenance drug already for long years. God helped me. I saw myself victorious given God’s presence in my trials. The number one killer disease globally is heart disease, but God bless me to sustain it without the aid of a maintenance drug.

The Difference Between the Fake and the Real Christian

It is the difference between the fake and the real Christian: Christ does not know the pseudo-Christians to be His people. For they simply didn’t have the ownership or seal of the Holy Spirit. The triune God does not live in their body.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise. (Eph. 1:13)

“I Never Knew You”

The following scriptures from Matthew 7:21-23 give us an unmistakable evidence of the teaching that Christ’s knowing us is the way to eternal bliss and not our mere knowledge about Him:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Do You Want to be Sure that Christ Knows You?

experiencing christ's ownership of our life

It is clear that Christ even sees Judas Iscariot among those who preach or do miracles in His name. From the above verses, we are told that we must do the WILL of the Father to be saved. Now, what is this WILL?

Google the verses that talk about God’s will and you will find dozens of them. Observe 1 Thessalonians 4:3, for example: “For this is the will of God, your sanctification; that is, that you abstain from sexual immorality.” This type of God’s will, however, is connected to sanctification. The verse we need is one that is related to the salvation of our soul and we found it from John 6:40:

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day.”

We need to believe in Christ for Him to know and remember us. It is the key to experiencing Christ’s ownership of our eternal future. I was a man with tons of an unanswered question in the back of my mind before my conversion to Bible Christianity. And my experience was that I was so relieved the very first time I met Christ by faith. My experience was more of a concept-suffocation, my brain so confused in processing thousands of directions and views. Then, in Christ I saw that my sin separated me from the Light, who is God, and Christ came to save me and fill my heart with the hope of eternal life. God came to my soul. It was not because of me. Rather, it was Christ who came to change me—His Spirit lived in my heart!

However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. (Rom. 8:9)

Experiencing Christ’s ownership of our soul is Paul’s Christ-lives-in-me reality. He said:

“I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.” (Gal. 2:20)

Real Christianity is about our intimacy with Christ—a matter that only Father and child can tell. Once sealed by Christ’s Spirit; you are KNOWN by Jesus Christ our  LORD assuredly and forever—your name will be remembered by Him on the RESURRECTION DAY: “Lazarus come forth!” And you will rise with him, praise God.

But if you don’t have Christ’s Spirit in your soul, then you are an unforgiven sinner. God will seal the death of your soul in hell forever, according to the Holy Scriptures. (Rom. 3:23) It is your portion, the lake of fire, the eternal torments in hell because Christ does not know you to be His. Your salvation and forgiveness therefore, is a mighty serious business. You better trust Christ or regret forever for a tragedy you could have prevented by believing in Jesus, God the Son and the Savior of man. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23)

How about a prayer between you and Jesus today on the subject of your forgiveness and salvation—and immortality?

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are one.” — Jesus Christ (John 10:27-30)

Read More: About My Conversion—My Faith Life

 

 

About Jun P. Espina

A former educator, Jun P. Espina is a family man, author, blogger, painter, Bible believer, preacher, a lover of books—passionate about many things. He believes life is good when fed constantly with the biblical truth that is wiser than what most people think. Find him on Facebook,Twitter,or at www.junespina.com.


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