1 Corinthians 3:23
And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Galatians 3:29And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.1 Corinthians 15:23But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.1 Corinthians 11:3But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.John 17:18As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.2 Corinthians 10:7Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.Romans 14:8For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.John 17:21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.1 Corinthians 7:22For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.1 Corinthians 8:6But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.Galatians 5:24And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
Historical Context
Ancient household structures involved hierarchical chains of belonging—slaves to masters, clients to patrons, children to fathers. Paul baptizes this structure into theology: believers belong to Christ, Christ to God. Yet this belonging is characterized by love and mutual indwelling (John 14:20, 17:21), not mere legal ownership, transforming hierarchical belonging into relational intimacy.
Questions for Reflection
- How does belonging to Christ (not yourself, your pastor, or your theological tradition) liberate you from both autonomy and unhealthy dependence on human leaders?
- What does Christ's belonging to God teach about authority, submission, and relationship within the Trinity—and how should this inform church life?
- How does this verse summarize and resolve all the conflicts Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians 3 regarding ministers, wisdom, and unity?
Analysis & Commentary
And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's (ὑμεῖς δὲ Χριστοῦ, Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ, hymeis de Christou, Christos de theou)—Paul concludes the chapter with a hierarchical chain of belonging. Believers belong to Christ (Χριστοῦ, genitive of possession), purchased by his blood (6:20, 7:23), united to him as body to head (12:12-27). Christ belongs to God (θεοῦ, genitive), voluntarily subordinate to the Father in his mediatorial role (15:28, 'then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him').
This double genitive resolves the chapter's tensions:
The chain nullifies partisan boasting: if we belong to Christ and Christ to God, individual human leaders are merely servants within this hierarchy, never lords. This Trinitarian conclusion anchors Paul's ecclesiology: the church's unity reflects the Trinity's unity; our submission to Christ mirrors his to the Father; our cooperation as one body images the divine community.