I am often heart-broken over stories of parents who must decide whether or not to sell one child into prostitution so that the remaining children would not starve. What a horrible choice for a parent to have! To trade the life of one child for another’s. For a father to sacrifice his own life so that his child may live is heart-breaking, but most of us parents wouldn’t hesitate if given the same, or similar, choice. I wonder, though, is the child worthy of that sacrifice? Most of us, without hesitation, would answer a resounding, “YES!” Yet, somehow, we believe and teach we-God’s children-are not worthy of the sacrifice He made. Hmmmm…..
I am convinced that any belief that we are not worthy of the death of Christ reveals how we view our relationship with God. It speaks directly of a slave/master relationship we believe we have with our Father. Think on that awhile. A master would never consider his slave’s life worthy of his own, but a father would. No master, present-day or past, would ever consider sacrificing his own life for that of his slave, no matter now valuable his slave is to him. But, most fathers would never consider NOT sacrificing his own life for his child. Father’s do that for their kids; masters don’t for their slaves.
How would you view a father who decided not to risk his own life to save his child’s and his reasoning was that his child wasn’t worth the sacrifice? Would that not reflect on the character of the father and not the worthiness of his child? However difficult it might be for a parent to sacrifice one child for the life of another, I can’t imagine them believing the child that was spared did not deserve the sacrifice of the sibling.
So, where do we get the idea that God’s children are completely unworthy of His sacrifice to restore them to Him? I believe it’s indicative of our view of performance….that our worth is based on it. Since I can do nothing….add nothing….I am unworthy. But, my worth is not based upon me….it’s based upon my relationship with Him. He is my Father….He is a loving Father….therefore HE considers me worthy of the sacrifice He made….therefore, I am worthy of the sacrifice He made.
Let’s look at it another way. While I don’t believe the Jesus paid a penalty for a sins–our sins were forgiven–He did pay a heavy price for us to be restored to our Heavenly Father. Suppose you found at a yard sale an original painting by Michelangelo. It’s in lousy shape. Some child scribbled over it with markers. It’s torn a bit in one corner. But, it’s an original painting by one of the greatest painters of all time. What’s its worth? I would guess that, despite its damage, it’s still a quite valuable piece of art. Why? Because of the one who painted it. Anyone who knows anything about art would recognize this piece as having incredible worth. Some would even be willing to mortgage their homes to buy it if necessary.
We were created by the Creator of the Universe. Are there any words to express His greatness? Yet, He created us. Furthermore, He created us IN HIS IMAGE!! Does not that assign us great worth from the moment of our existence? If a Michelangelo painting is worth great sacrifice, surely if God creates a being in His own image, is not not worth far more? Maybe even a worth great sacrifice?
One more thought: what determines the worth of something? Is it not the price one is willing to pay? Our Heavenly Father, the Creator of the universe, the One who created us declared in a definitive manner that the sacrifice of His Son is the price He was willing to pay to restore His children. Is He a fool? Some are willing to spend thousands of dollars for worthless junk but is God? How can we honestly believe that God, in His infinite wisdom, would pay the life of His son for something that had no worth?
Again, our worth….or worthiness or unworthiness…..is never even remotely determined by anything having to do with us. It is completely dependent upon what He says. He is the One who determines our worth. He has been very clear in His opinion of our worthiness.
I am worthy of the death of Christ because God, just as any loving Father would do, He was willing to lay down His own life to restore His children to Himself.
I am worthy of the death of Christ because God is no fool. He will not trade the life of His Son for that which has no worth.
I am convinced that the death of Christ loudly proclaims not only His love for us, but also His view of our worthiness.