Do people have intrinsic value #3

In my first and second article I have shown that both the religious and the ire-religious are enslaved to a list of rules and strictures that they must comply with in order for to achieve self-validation or a sense of worthiness. I have mentioned that those who do not live up to these standards are full of self-loathing, guilt, and shame some even lose the will to live. On the other hand those who feel they live up to their standards (though none do perfectly) have an inflated sense of ego and look down their noses at those who fail to meet their performance level. Both those who fail, or those who believe they succeed live lives that are less than desirable. The one group are depressed the other are full of pride. Are people truly valuable outside of achievements and personnel success? America's bill of rights seems to think so. I am not writing this to say that we should not live by standards or that we should not have goals; what I am saying though is that to base our importance as human being on these things is to base it on an unstable foundation. There are many who cannot perform any task without help and there are those who through no fault of their own have failed to be successful you could be one of them for no one knows the future. In my next post I will try to show you why humanity has dignity and value outside of our ability to perform.

Sinking sand or stable ground

People will try to achieve self-validation through being the best mom, or a superior athlete, or being at the top of their field. Some will feel valuable as a person for things as shallow as beauty or having the best stamp collection in town. People will work hard and sacrifice many things to earn a sense of value and purpose in life. What happens though to the mom's sense of value when her kids turn out badly, or the beauty queen when she loses her beauty? None of these things are wrong in themselves but if they become the basis of their self worth their identity is built on sinking sand. They may not fall apart like many do, but may rebuild their sense of value on some other unstable foundation. Why does humanity work so hard to achieve a sense of value? What has caused this sense of emptiness? Should not people work from a secure sense of value instead of working to achieve value?

Religion seen as a straightjacket

Religion is seen as a straightjacket to many and I would agree. There is a lifetime of demands and rules that religions require in order for a person to win god's favor. No one is capable of keeping all of these demands so they are full of guilt and shame. Those who are not religious also wear a similar straightjacket. The non-religious have just as many rules and demands they must satisfy to gain self-validation and a sense of purpose as the religious do. If the irreligious are to be validated as people of worth they must satisfy the demand of self as well as those socially demanded of them. These rules are set in stone and when they falter in fulfilling them they feel guilt and shame. If they completely fail even through no fault of their own they may perceive that their existence is meaningless and lose their will to live. All of us want to feel successful in life and that our life has meaning. Why are human beings so empty that they feel the only way their life matters is if they fulfill some standard of outward achievements or works? Do people have intrinsic value even when they are unable to give back to society? If so, what gives humanity value over other animals?

 

Jerry Bridges, The Discipline of Grace (p. 19):

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God's grace.

And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God's grace.

And from pp. 22-23:

Pharisee-type believers unconsciously think they have earned God's blessing through their behavior.

Guilt-laden believers are quite sure they have forfeited God's blessing through their lack of discipline or their disobedience.

Both have forgotten the meaning of grace because they have moved away from the gospel and have slipped into a performance relationship with God.

HT: Tullian

God the Eternal Son in His great mercy willingly came to earth on a rescue mission through the womb of a woman to seek and save that which was lost (rescue sinners) (Luke 19:10); (2 Cor 5:19). Sin could not be swept under the cosmic rug nor could it be overlooked without God appearing unrighteous, or being looked upon as being a liar. Sin will be punished, God is a loving Father, but at the same time He is a Just Judge. God’s righteousness would be called into question and rightfully so if God did not punish evil.
God refrained from destroying all of humanity on the day that Adam and Eve rebelled by allowing them to live and have children.If God had dealt with Adam and Eve as they deserved He would have destroyed them on the day of their rebellion, and banished them from His eternal kingdom.Since all of humanity came from the loins of our first parents their end would have been ours, and therefore the end of the human race.God in mercy spared our first parents and chose to demonstrate both His love for humanity and His hatred of sin by sending Christ the Eternal Son of God to rescue us. Christ the Eternal Son willingly absorbed in His own body the wrath due our sins so that we could be reconciled to God. When we look at the cross we should see how terrible our rebellion against God is, and that sin cannot go unpunished. Those who refuse God’s infinite love displayed in Christ’s life, death, and resurrection will face God’s just wrath in the future. The beauty of God’s grace shines brightly in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ for our sins. (John 3:17) For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world would be saved through him. (John 1:29) "Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. There is only one remedy for our sins and today you can receive it through believing in the life,death, and resurrection of Jesus for the forgiveness of sin.

God is love therefore will not punish sin:

Many people believe that all good people will go to heaven that heaven is their reward for being nice. They believe that God is to nice to banish anyone from their eternal reward. God is a God of love they explain and therefore would never punish anyone. The fact is because God is a God of love He hates all evil and all that is unloving and unkind. For God to tolerate any evil would make Him a monster not a God of love. As light invades a dark room and darkness is banished; all that is evil must be banished from God's eternal kingdom. All of humanity has contributed the evil in this world by being unloving to their neighbors as well as not honoring and loving the God who created them. The good news is that God has provided a way to forgive and remove our sins. I will continue this topic in my next blog.

Christians are no better than others

Christians are not saved because they are good; they are saved because they have been forgiven. You will notice that there are many people in the world that are far better people than many Christians. There are people who are far nicer than I am and whose list of good deeds and charity far exceed mine, and I am a Christian. Yet with all their good deeds and charity they are still under God's wrath because their sin remains. Therefore as a Christian I do not feel that I am better than others for I have been a rebel against God as all people have. The difference between a Christian and those who are not is that we have received God's only remedy for our sin. God has provided what no man could provide a way to receive forgiveness of sins. Faith in Christ sinless life, death for our sin, and Christ's resurrection is the only way to receive forgiveness of sin, and be reconciled to God. The Gospel of John says in chapter one verse 29, Behold the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Become one of the forgiven and God will adopt you into His family today!