People Are Important to God
Several years ago I came across a significant thought I had extracted from the Jewish Talmud. The statement simply affirmed: “When a man appears before the Throne of Judgment, the first question he is asked is not, ‘Have you believed in God?’ or ‘Have you prayed and observed the ritual?’ He is asked: ‘Have you dealt honorably and faithfully in all your dealings with your fellowmen’?”
Obviously, this is not divinely inspired as Holy Scripture is; it is extracted from a mere human document. Yet, it truly reflects the biblical emphasis on human dignity. It forces one to remember that all humans are the image of God and Christians, in addition to that, have been purchased at the inestimable cost of Jesus’ own blood shed on the cross. And all this puts into focus the value God places on His human creatures; it further reminds us that people are important to God!
Although all members of the human race are objects of God’s common grace, and many are also the focus of His special grace, several Christians appear to treat people less than graciously. This applies to dealings with both non-Christians and fellow-Christians as well. Regretably, this constitutes a scandal which keeps unconverted from coming to Christ, confirming them in their unbelief and in their unfounded suspicions about Christianity.
Churches and Christian organizations have become the laughing-stock of many unbelievers, an added amusement to cynical church-goers, extracting also many a tear from truly concerned saints.
While in the early years of the Christian church pagans could remark about believers, “See, how they love one another,” what the unregenerate now observe is contention, disputes, and flagrant disregard for the Christian way of dealing with the brethren. No matter how cogent one’s rationalization is, it still violates the divine pattern regarding interpersonal relationships. It tragically falls short of what God requires of the “communion of the saints.”
As strong believers in Christian outreach, and in God’s regenerative power in saving the lost, how can one disregard the same divine intent to rehabilitate His saints? Aware of God’s unlimited resources, available to all His children, how can one minimize one’s own creativity in seeking to improve conditions by improving people? By ignoring these avenues, many prefer the easy way out instead of dealing exhaustively with a difficult situation, while affirming the high premium God places on individuals.
A friend of mine, the late Dr. Howard Carson Blake, reflected in his Memoirs a thought worth quoting: “In finding my way into a life guided by God, I have been learning that nothing is more important than people! People are more important than things. People are more important than ideas.”
As members of the human family, and also linked to the community of faith, may God renew our understanding of human dignity as outlined in Holy Scripture, so that all our dealings with others will reflect God’s ways instead of the patterns of the world. If people are important to God, may they also be important to us, especially as we relate to those who, like us, are “God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus unto good works” (Ephesians 2:10).
July 9th, 2007 at 8:34 am
Wonderfully put. More and more I see Christians justifying their unChristian behavior. We need to go back to the basics of apologizing to one another when feelings are hurt and striving for unity above justification. Thanks for your comments.