You Are Not Your Own
What does the Bible say about belonging? Who do we belong to? In You Are Not Your Own, Alan Noble shows us what it means to belong to God in an inhuman world.
A Dehumanizing Society
In just around 200 pages, Noble presents the problem of a dehumanizing society and gives us an answer in Jesus Christ. The first four chapters explain how the modern creed of “I am my own and I belong to myself” destroys our society. In fact, society encourages the sentiment but ultimately fails us in every respect.
Our modern society has trapped us into a system that makes us inhuman. Our current moment culminates with social media and pornography — revealing our selfishness and self-centeredness. It is a bleak picture. “If we are not our own, we need to justify everything we do. We need to know that we are optimizing and competing and improving. But if we are not our own but belong to Christ, things can just be good. And that’s enough.”
A Shift in Perspective
Chapter 5 begins with the declaration that you are not your own that belong to Christ. It is a bold statement with significant ramifications for our future as well as our daily lives. I was most impacted by the idea that our being united to Christ is a blessing in this broken world. Furthermore, the church offers true community and belonging. “If we are not our own, then our obligation is to honor God with our lives. He has called us to stay in the city and to work for its good – but mostly to pray.”
Personally, I struggle with finding meaning in the day-to-day routines and monotony of caring for my three young children. This book recalibrated and re-oriented my perspective, showing that the leisure time I spend with my family is good and God-honoring. “Biblical rest is possible because we do not need to act to save the world or to justify ourselves.”
Christ Our Comfort
This book is a modern masterpiece. Noble is able to see the world with the mind of Christ. Jesus cancels the noise, cuts through our hearts, and comforts our souls. He is our hope in life and death.
I received a media copy of You Are Not Your Own and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.