I AM THE GOSPEL Pt. 2

"We live in a culture of self-love, to put it simply, a culture that is consumed with self-love, ego-building, self-esteem, feeling good about yourself, thinking you're important, thinking you're valuable, thinking you're a hero, thinking you've achieved something, thinking you're worthy of honor. We're drowning in awards for everything imaginable and unimaginable. Parents are consumed with boosting the egos of their children with every imaginable means, as well as boosting their own sense of self-value. This is the generation of self-lovers. And just by way of reminder, in 2 Timothy chapter 3 the apostle Paul classified "love of self" as a sin. In fact, a dominating sin. In one of his familiar lists of iniquities, there are numbers of them in his letters, he begins the list of iniquities in 2 Timothy chapter 3 with "lovers of self," and then "lovers of money," and then goes through the rest of his list. This describes deceivers, unbelievers, those outside the Kingdom of God, those who do not know the truth. Self-love is at the top of the list in terms of normal human attitude. Sinners are consumed with pride. They're consumed with themselves. We have made that into THE prominent, dominant virtue in our society." John Macarthur

I began a blog earlier this week entitled I AM THE GOSPEL. This is a continuation of that blog. I agree with John MacArthur's assessment and I will aim to express the same biblical conviction in my own words. However, I do want to begin by actually affirming our worth and value as image bearers of God. This is not to disagree with MacArthur, but to bring some clarification and some perspective. I find it understandable how we in the reformed camp can be accused by others of being "downers" when it comes to speaking of our humanity. I once heard a preacher say that we are no better than the bacteria on a toilet. Well, quite frankly, I think that is overkill.

The other extreme is to exalt man so much that one would almost consider it evil of God to not 'pay the price' of bringing us into fellowship with him. One can elevate man so much that it would seem that the only intelligent and wise choice for God would be to redeem us. We would have proudly considered it God's loss had he not redeemed us. Indeed some preachers speak as if we are the party that brings the greater blessing into the relationship that develops between men and God as a result of what Christ accomplished on the cross. If this were really the case then one would have expected Jesus to speak in this manner.

"Humanity is like treasure hidden in a field, which God found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

So let me begin by affirming that we do bear value, but bear with me as I take the time to unpack that for you. Here is what Genesis 1:26-31 says about the creation of man.

26Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28And God blessed them. And God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29And God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food. 30And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food." And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day. Genesis 1:26-31

God placed his fingerprint upon us (his image) and this is precisely why sin is so horrendous in his sight, but I won't elaborate on this point until later. The problem with the secular view of self-worth is precisely that. It is secular. It is abundantly clear that humanity exercises dominion over the planet. Why? According to the bible it is because we have been made by God to do so. The secular view grounds the value of self in everything else except God. Some may ground self worth in that we are more the most intelligent creatures, but it really doesn't matter the fact is that most people do not ground it in the truth that we are created in the image of God and not doing so only leads one further away from God. A proper understanding of what it means to be made in the image of God can only lead one to God and to recognizing God's great worth and value. The lesser light of the moon is a testament to greater light of the sun. One should see that the moon only shines because it receives the light of the sun and it would be foolish for one to speak of the inherent light of the moon. I am nearing a thousand words here so I'll continue this thought on a later blog. God bless.