“All Things Are Yours”

Jesus said, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). Truth is like a beautiful diamond with many facets. One facet might be, I am loved by God. Another might be, I am a child of God. Still another: God is faithful to complete the work he began in me. Truth is multifaceted, and today I’d like to share another facet with you.

It’s the truth that the whole world belongs to you.

But it’s going to take us a little time to get there—because before the world belongs to you, it first and foremost belongs to Jesus, the Son of God. This is a foundational truth of the Trinity: “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand” (John 3:35).

All things have been given to Jesus. I want you to let that sink in for a moment. All things. Everything has been given to Jesus by the Father.

Matthew said the same thing in his Gospel: “All things have been handed over to me by my Father” (Matthew 11:27). What does this mean? What’s the significance? How does it affect us?

I believe first-century Jews were very aware of the great Messianic promise of Psalm 2. The New Testament directly quotes this chapter four times and alludes to it about fifteen times. At the heart of this psalm is a promise from a Father to His Son:

“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession’” (Psalm 2:7–8).

Here is one of the beautiful facets of the gospel: The Father has given the world back to the children of men, in the person of Jesus. Because He became human, Jesus could rightfully take the world back from the devil, who had deceived our forefather Adam and his wife Eve. What was lost was being given back to Jesus.

So where am I going with all of this? I’m going here: to the fascinating reality that the world is yours.

“But the world belongs to Jesus, right? Why would you say it belongs to me? Isn’t that blasphemous?”

If you would remember who you are, you’d realize it’s completely valid to say the world also belongs to you. You are the bride of Christ, His brother, His sister, and a co-heir with Him (see Ephesians 5:31–32; John 20:17; Romans 8:17). The remarkable truth of the gospel is that everything that belongs to Jesus has been given to us.

And what does that include?

All things.

Don’t believe me yet? Listen to the Apostle Paul tell you—verbatim:

“Let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.” (1 Corinthians 3:21–23)

There it is. All things are yours.

Surely you’re just being poetic, Paul. What do you mean, “all things”?

Oh, you know—“the world, life, death, the present, the future, Christ, God.” You know, ALL THINGS.

This is fascinating stuff. But it’s more than just an awesome piece of information—it’s truth that can set us free.

The Hamster Wheel

I got tired of the hamster wheel of religion. I had heard a lot of promises—but only if I did this or that. In other words, what the New Testament refers to as “law.” The gospel is so much better than that. It’s a declaration that God has already given us everything.

I remember when I first heard this news. Joy came in like a tidal wave. It overtook me.

You mean, God has already given me everything for free through His Son?

Yes. You don’t have to do anything for it.

Correct.

The level of peace and gratitude that naturally flows from this gospel is undeniable. I stepped out of the hamster wheel and into the infinite treasure chest of God’s free blessings.

Once I stepped out of that cycle of trying to earn something that was already given to me, I had to learn how to walk in this new way of life. I felt all this freedom—and for the most part, life became a joy without the pressure. But I will admit there were times when I tested my freedom. I dabbled in old behaviors, experimented with bad language, etc.

The crazy thing is, God didn’t change His truth about me when I stumbled. He kept calling me back to the same truth.

It reminds me of the parable of the prodigal son. The father gave him everything in the beginning. The son went wild and left home. But the father didn’t change his love for him. He was welcomed back with open arms—and a party.

God’s love is kind of reckless, isn’t it?

I don’t think God wants us to stumble. But I also don’t think He’s thrown off by it. He always calls us back to the good news that He’s given us everything through Jesus. It doesn’t change.

What Does It All Mean?

So what does it mean that God has already given the world to us?

First of all—yes, there are Scriptures that speak of the world being burned up or destroyed. But Jesus also said, “The meek will inherit the earth” (Matthew 5:5). Wouldn’t it be funny if one of the disciples stood up while Jesus was teaching and said, “But Jesus, the earth is going to be destroyed”?

That would be funny.

This is a big topic, but I believe God will use His spiritual fire to refine the world and make it new. Nick Padovani covers this more in Song of the Ages 2 (insert link and chapter). All I’m saying is: whether it’s this earth or a new earth, God has given us this world to enjoy and to worship Him on.

Another question that comes to mind: “What else is included in the all things God has given us?” That’s one of the best questions we can ask ourselves for the rest of our lives. In many ways, we’re all on a journey of discovering what God has given us.

It’s like He gave us an infinite Christmas morning, with enough presents to unwrap for eternity. It’s a joy to spend each day opening up gifts from our Father in heaven.

I don’t have the “corner market” on what the “all things” are—but I can attempt to answer. I believe the greatest thing we’ve been given is God Himself. Father, Son, and Spirit are ours. On top of that, one of the greatest gifts we’ve been given is each other—the family of God.

Our local church family, the people we get to “do life” with, is one of the best gifts included in the all things God has given us. Then there are the spiritual gifts—prophecy, prayer, knowledge, encouragement, and more. These are worth exploring, enjoying, and stepping into!

The Bible, food, games, sleep, animals, the sky, the ocean, crafts, talents, hobbies—all these things have been given to enrich our lives and deepen our gratitude and love for God.

May we all discover together what the Father has given us through His Son. Let me know what you’re discovering!

Conclusion

In conclusion, I want to encourage you to drink in the reality of the Father’s gift to the Son. The Father has given the universe to His Son. It’s a beautiful thing. And on top of that, the Son has shared everything the Father gave Him—with you. It’s marvelous and rich, and just another reason to bask in His glorious Presence.

I love when the Holy Spirit illuminates a “non-Christian” song and reveals truth within the lyrics. It’s always fun to stumble across that. As I meditated on these realities—that the world belongs to us in Christ—the song World Is Yours by Nas came to mind. The Queensbridge rapper released it back in 1994. When I listened to the song (the clean version), it was fun to think about this gospel truth at the same time.

I’ll share that song with you. Whether you like it or not, the world is yours.

Thank you, Jesus!

https://youtu.be/KHAl9VhMqLU?si=SDSimgjQbP0jrkFg