Does God Own Everything That You Possess?

“What do you have that you did not receive?” (1 Corinthians 4:7). How would you answer that question? Think about your bank statement, the recent promotion, your marriage, children, grandchildren, your athletic abilities, your spiritual gifts, even your salvation? “What do you have that you did not receive?” I see only two possible answers:

You did not receive all that you possess — or — You did receive all that you possess.

The first response commits a heinous, theological crime: it confuses the Creator-creature distinction. God alone is the only being in the universe to possess without first receiving something. We, on the other hand, must receive something extra nos (“outside of ourselves”) before possessing anything. After all, who can bestow on themselves the gift of life? The second response, then, is the most theologically accurate response a Christian could give: you did receive everything that you possess.   Continue at  David E. Briones