Romans 14:8, commentary and pictures

Whether living or dying, those who believe belong wholly to the Lord, living to Him and dying to Him rather than living to themselves. Christ Himself lived not for Himself but to God, and by living and dying as a man in their place He became Lord of both the living and the dead, purchasing their life and opening the way to immortality. To be His is therefore to be bought and not one's own, consecrating mind, body, influence, and all one has and is to His glory in useful service, self-denial, and saving others rather than for pleasure or self-interest. Because they are His in life and in death, the suffering and sick can rest in His love and care without worry, trusting His will whether He restores or permits death, while faithfully cooperating with the light given for health. To walk with Him now is to die in Him, willing to live as long as He wills and to die when He wills, in hope of being raised at His coming to live with Him in glory.

Belonging to the Lord

Romans 14:8 means that those who believe belong to the Lord in both life and death, living to Him and dying to Him rather than living to themselves or dying to themselves. No life belongs to itself, and no one may live to please himself irrespective of others, for every soul redeemed by His blood has a destiny to fulfill and a work to do in this life that can only be performed by forming correct habits, and all exert an influence for good or for evil. Paul's life illustrates this belonging, for once opposed to Christ through ignorance he was converted and devoted himself in soul, body, and spirit to serving Christ and helping others. Everyone who accepts Him as personal Saviour is enabled to live in this same way, receiving power to become God's children and to share in the divine nature.

This belonging calls those who have received truth to exercise living faith, to know themselves as His workers wholly consecrated to His service, to surrender themselves unreservedly and use every power of mind and body to His glory, sowing the seeds of truth wherever doors are open, and such wholehearted consecration makes His work advance rapidly. To live unto the Lord as His co-workers is to partake with Him in self-denial, self-sacrifice, forbearance, and gracious benevolence. It means recognizing the great influence of words and actions on others, refusing to be swayed by circumstances into a self-chosen agreeable course, and prayerfully considering position and responsibilities instead of remaining self-sufficient and unreliable, for faithful discharge of the duties of the present life is the condition for winning the future immortal life. Even in suffering this belonging gives assurance, for Jesus loves and cares for those who are His, and as Substitute and Surety He undertakes the struggle and can be trusted.

Christ lived and died as a man so that He might be Lord of both the living and the dead. By dying in their place He purchased human life and made it possible for believers to attain immortality, so that those who believe on Him cannot lose eternal life. His own life exemplifies what the verse requires, for He did not live for Himself but lived unto God.

To belong to the Lord in life and in death is to be bought by Jesus and not one's own, pledged to His service for time and for eternity by a perpetual covenant of service. It is to delight to consecrate all one has and is to His service, devoting every part of being and every talent and faculty wholly to the Lord God of hosts because all is already His. It refuses worldly interests that strive for supremacy and enters into no business that makes one indifferent to His claims, while using every particle of influence to magnify the principles of His law. It trains children from birth for God so that He is glorified in their lives.

Bodies are God's property and cannot be treated as one pleases. Living for future eternal life and dying in Christ means studying the laws that govern being and conforming to them, since ignorance in these things is sin. Living and dying bring results upon ourselves, for violated laws of health bring suffering through the ills that follow.

Living in Consecrated Service

Wholehearted consecration is living faith in Christ, knowing oneself as His worker wholly given to His service, surrendering mind and heart unreservedly and using every power of mind and body to His glory, sowing seeds of truth wherever doors open, and such consecration advances His work rapidly. It requires refusing one's own devising and choosing decidedly to be on the Lord's side when character is tested and the turning point of life comes. Belonging to the Lord shapes the whole of life, making Christ and His glory the great aim rather than self-interest and pleasure, advancing the Redeemer's cause, so that every purpose formed, every work engaged in, and every pleasure enjoyed declares consecration to live for Him, to work for Him, and to suffer for Him.

Having accepted Christ, those redeemed by His blood are bound up with Him and share in His work of redemption as co-workers with Him, partaking with Him in self-denial, self-sacrifice, forbearance, and gracious benevolence, fulfilling the destiny and work given to this life through correct habits, using all they have and are for God's glory and the good of others, joining Him in bearing the cross to save the lost, since every soul exerts an influence for good or for evil. Whether living or dying, belonging wholly to the Lord means not living for self or for amusement but glorifying Him in a life of useful service, taking up the great work with determination to do good in the world, forgetting self, crowding life with good works and blessings to others by word and action, advancing in Christian experience, helping others see light and truth, being zealous in self-denial and self-sacrifice after Christ's pattern, feeling answerable for accepted light and precious saving truth, pressing back moral darkness, keeping the soul in God's love and light while He works with human effort, serving Him in every work by walking in faith and working in hope. A minister who has given life to God does not live for himself and does not belong to himself, for his time, work, and life are devoted to the Lord's service, and he is to follow Christ as a willing co-worker, receive Christ's Spirit day by day, and carry out ministry faithfully without giving way to discouragement.

No Christian lives or dies for himself, so duty to Christ must be done in home life and church life and in sowing the gospel seed everywhere, bearing the testimony of truth and standing faithfully in carrying the last message to a guilty world, without discouragement, complaint, or worry over trials, opposition, misrepresentation, unkindness, hatred, and unruly tongues. Living unto the Lord means no life belongs to itself and none may live to please self irrespective of others, but each recognizes the great influence of words and actions on others, refuses to be swayed by circumstances into a self-chosen agreeable course, and prayerfully considers position and responsibilities instead of remaining self-sufficient and unreliable, for faithful discharge of present duties is the condition for winning the future immortal life. Living for God rather than for human approval, work is valued by God whether people appreciate it in this lifetime or not, and the example left continues after death.

Belonging to the Lord in life and in death requires all connected with healing work to assimilate to God's Spirit and carry true Christianity in every respect, being tenderhearted, pitiful, and courteous, pursuing health through peace of mind and happiness of soul, each acting as a healing balm in all done in and out of the institution under the deep moving of God's Spirit on the heart. Staying constantly near the Saviour makes it well whether one lives or dies, and that nearness is kept by caring for health, eating moderately, being careful and prayerful about plans and travel, praying every day, refusing carelessness, and living as God's true missionary. To live unto the Lord with the Lord as Guide is to keep working for Him even with little strength, writing and speaking with whatever clearness of mind and voice He gives to share plain light, thankful for His sustaining help. Belonging to the Lord entails serving Him, including placing oneself in a condition where labor can be done effectively.

Trust in Sickness and Suffering

Whether the believer lives or dies, he belongs to the Lord, and in suffering this gives assurance that Jesus loves and cares for His own and can be trusted, while Jesus as Substitute and Surety Himself undertakes the struggle. Because the sick belong to the Lord in life and in death, prayer for healing is to move forward in faith and take God at His word whatever appearances may be and however faith is tested. Belonging to Him means being held by a pitiful, loving, compassionate Redeemer who loves and blesses, who gave Himself and gave His life, who will not leave nor forsake. He knows the present and future history of all and will do what is for the best good and for His name's glory, whether that is restoration by His power or death, for as the great Physician He is the only help and only hope and can do all things, so trust in Him is to be implicit.

Belonging to the Lord in life and death calls for trusting Him and resting in Him without worry, accepting His will whether He gives life or permits death. That trust leaves the person in His hands and does not presume He will do the part He has left for us to do according to the light given, but cooperates with Him. It does not neglect food nor take any course that would shorten life. The Lord cares for His own and keeps them, so there is trust even in feebleness and danger, yet belonging to Him does not excuse needlessly risking life, for life is not to be thrown away but guarded.

The verse holds true in prolonged physical suffering, helplessness, sleeplessness, and pain, even while praying earnestly for restoration to health, accepting that sickness may be part of the Lord's plan to accomplish unseen purposes. Belonging to the loved Lord who loves him and whom he loves removes murmuring and rebellion and brings the comfort of the Holy Spirit and grace, brightness in the night, and thankfulness for reason and memory and for Jesus as personal Saviour. It brings peace like a river and fullness of His love, with patient continuance in duty under infirmity while looking forward with desire to the home above and praying to be worthy of a place among the sanctified. At an age when death might naturally be expected, being the Lord's whether living or dying means committing entirely to God and finding rest and peace without wonderment, regret, murmuring or complaint.

Then the sufferer is sustained and comforted in much pain by Jesus as best Friend, softened by His great sacrifice and seeking day and night for conformity to His image. Temporal matters are not allowed to trouble and distress, and the great desire is to know it is well with the soul. This is trusting the Lord's plan and providence whether preserved to meet loved ones again in this life or meeting no more until around the throne of God, living to the glory of God with self dead and Jesus living within, holding hope of seeing the King in His beauty and having life that measures with the life of God and appearing with Christ in glory. Whether living or facing sudden death, it is well with the soul because life is hid with Christ in God and belongs wholly to the Lord.

That confidence gives sweet peace and rest in severe affliction and before possible sudden death, with the heart at rest in the hope and faith of the gospel, bringing peace and security even when suffering remains and healing does not come. Christ is hope, Redeemer, life, and crown of rejoicing, the whole source of help and sustaining grace and strength, so fear leaves and the believer trusts Him without misgiving for the journey ahead. Belonging to the Lord as His child through Jesus as Saviour in both life and death gives peace and joy in His love even when recovery from sickness is uncertain and prayer for health is unanswered. It calls for patient trust without impatience, discouragement, or looking on the dark side and dwelling on darkness, counting all things loss for knowing Christ, His resurrection power, and the fellowship of His sufferings.

Trust in Christ is to continue through sickness and every other trial, including as death approaches, for Christ came to redeem humanity and prepares a home for those who trust in Him with childlike faith. One who belongs to the Lord who died for him can commit the keeping of the soul to Him. This means refusing to look on the dark side, rejecting discouragement and a sense of being forsaken as the enemy's work, holding to duty where God has sent, and believing that the Lord will do all things well, which removes despondency and doubt and gives happiness and trust in affliction and helplessness. Those who make God their trust are safe in life and in death.

Hanging hope on Jesus, keeping a close walk with God, being true to God and to one's own soul, looking up rather than to the earth alone for happiness and prosperity, walking tremblingly and carefully before Him and fearing to move without His counsel brings His blessing, prosperity in the work of the hand, the encircling of His love and the ministry of guarding angels. Neglecting duty to God, ceasing to walk humbly before Him, turning the heart from God and forgetting Him forfeits prosperity, health and peace, because all that is good comes from above and eternal immortal life is more than food.

Death and Eternal Hope

Living and dying are both to be unto the Lord, and walking with God in this life is the way to die in the Lord and enter where He abides forever. The verse means willingness to live as long as God wills and to die when He wills, living for Christ's glory while one lives. Life and death are both to be accepted in a way that honors the Lord, with willingness to live or die depending on which course best glorifies Him.

Whether believers live or die they belong to the Lord and can trust Jesus as Redeemer and Lifegiver, and in either case their hope is to live with Him in His kingdom. Those who have served Him and fallen asleep in Jesus will be raised from the grave when the trumpet sounds to glorious immortality, and when He appears they will appear with Him in glory. His Spirit makes believers like Jesus in temper, character, and disposition so they represent Christ to others. When Christ abides in the soul His presence becomes evident in Christlike words and conduct showing conformity to Jesus, and this fosters a deepening love for Him in others.

At an age when death might naturally be expected, belonging to the Lord whether living or dying means committing entirely to God and finding rest and peace without wonderment, regret, murmuring, or complaint. It means being sustained and comforted in much pain by Jesus as best Friend, softened by His great sacrifice and seeking day and night for conformity to His image, while not letting temporal matters trouble and distress. It means making the great desire to know it is well with the soul, trusting the Lord's plan and providence whether preserved to meet loved ones again in this life or meeting no more until around the throne of God, living to the glory of God with self dead and Jesus living within. Such belonging holds the hope of seeing the King in His beauty, having life that measures with the life of God, and appearing with Christ in glory.