As Easter nears, we are reminded of God’s love for us in the price He paid. I am afraid, however, that many well-intentioned pastors’ sermons will make Jesus’ death more about us than about Him.
There is a popular teaching today that says we should love ourselves. The logic behind this self-love goes something like this: ‘since God loves you so much that He sent His son to die for you, you must be worthy, and you must love yourself.’ Why is this faulty reasoning? God’s love is about God—not about us! There is no greater evidence of God’s nature than the Cross. The unconditional nature of God’s love is this: “God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners” (Ro. 5:8).
Yes, we are the objects of God’s love, but that does not mean we have intrinsic value. A decade ago, you may recall that a prestigious NY auction house sold Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis’s personal affects for charity. A hair brush or hand mirror sold for thousands of dollars. The items themselves had no such intrinsic value. But the worth ascribed to them was not based on “what” they were, but “whose” they were. Likewise your worth is rooted on “Whose” you are.
If anything, the Cross reveals God’s worth. “Then I looked again, and I heard the singing of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: The Lamb is worthy--the Lamb who was killed. He is worthy to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.” (Rev 5:11-12)
Greg,
ReplyDeleteAmong the many definitions of "agape-love" I have encountered, one in particular stands out that seems to me to best represent it in the most abundant of contexts...and I don't even remember where I discovered it so I can't cite my source: agape love is the choosing to place a value on a person, place, or thing according to one's own reasons, values, or purposes. It has little to do with anyone else's reasons, values or purposes so to outsiders it appears rather arbitrary; but to the one doing the loving pressure from outsiders has no impact. As such there is no attempt to defend why the one choosing to love chooses to love; they just love regardless if the object is capable of returning or responding love in kind back to the original lover.
The "worth" of the individual, then, is solely dependent upon God's choosing and not upon something intrinsic within us...unless it has to do with the fact that we were created in His image and likeness. But even that is based entirely upon something outside of our activity, or our thoughts, or our expression. It is all of Him! It only makes sense that we will be casting all of our crowns--which testify of all of our worth--at His feet!
Stan
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of God" means we are 'nothing' apart from Him. He defines us. His love defines us. Even Jesus said "I do nothing apart from the Father" and "I only do that which pleases the Father." Coming to the end of ourselves is the beginning of our life with God. You said it so well: We have no worth apart from Him.
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