Does God Value ALL of Creation?

Next up in our series discussing God and Man, we're discussing the inherent value that God displays for all of humanity throughout the scriptures. Again we are working our way through the whole of scripture to showcase of characteristics of God are present within the Old & New Testaments. 

Transcript

0:07

Alright, what's up everybody? Welcome back to Buddy Walk with Jesus. As always, as we get started, I want you all to know 2 very important things that you are prayed for and you are loved deeply. If you are in need of prayer, do not hesitate to reach out buddywalkpod at gmail.com. You can also find us on all of the socials, including our Facebook group, the Buddy Walk Community, where we are currently walking through the book of Romans in livestream format. We're coming together, praying together the whole 9 yards. So last week we started this new series, Unpacking God and Man. What are core essential truths of how God views humanity? Now, I neglected to mention a couple of things last week. We are covering a lot of ground from week to week. This is going to be another week where we are covering a concept from pillar to post, how these truths are existent throughout the entirety of scripture. Now that might raise some questions for you all, So what I want you to do is along the way write down any questions that you may have. You can use the same email address that I mentioned for prayer. Just put in the subject line question about the podcast episode and if you enter the name of the podcast episode I'll know and that way I can address the questions that you have. We also have an option where if you go into the episode description There is a link where if you click that link it'll open up a message window if you're on your phone, I believe it does for desktop as well, and you can just type and it will go straight to me. So those are 2 options that you have, but seriously, write down any questions that you have along the way because, like I said, we're covering a lot of ground and it's sure to bring about different questions. So while each episode in this series can be taken standalone, there is some measure of building on concepts, on conversations, references to previous conversations that are going to happen along the way. So if you missed it, last week we talked about the love of God to all of creation, not just believers, but to everybody, displayed from pillar to post, displayed from Genesis to the modern day. And this time we're doing a similar format, but we are asking the question, is mankind very good or is mankind inherently evil? There are going to be certain parts in this episode where I am going to be touching on this concept of total depravity because we are talking about how much worth and value that God puts on mankind And that question of worth and value is reflected on whether or not we are inherently good or inherently absolutely terrible without means for any kind of good apart from God. So I am going to change things up a little bit on the format now. Normally I do the opening shtick and then we get into the meat and potatoes and we close off in some prayer. We're still going to close off in some prayer, but I'm going to go ahead and pray as in to this time together. I want us to be centered on being present with God as we are walking into this time studying His Word. So, Father, I thank you for today. Father, I thank you for another day that we get to draw breath, that we get to Study your word and learn about the ways that you have for us that are for our best interest now father I ask that as we Approach the scriptures we approach postured understanding that this is the very words of life, that these words are meant to shape us to our very spirit. So meet us here and help us to be sensitive and aware of the Holy Spirit in the midst of this time. Father, show us any biases that we may have coming into this, anything that we had predefined, and in all of this, I pray, Lord, that only your words stick, that you are glorified in all of this. Father, I thank you. I love you in Jesus' name. Amen. All right. Let's party, y'all. So we are jumping right into the same set of verses, but a little more expanded that we started off last time. So we are going to Genesis chapter 26 and we are starting our Genesis chapter 1, sorry, verse starting at verse 26. I said this last week, We are going to keep revisiting this because this is a core aspect that speaks to how God views us and how in turn we should be viewing creation. So Genesis chapter 1, starting at verse 26, then God said, let us make mankind in our image according to our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth. So, God created man in his own image. In the image of God, he created them, male and female, he created them. God blessed them, and he said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth. Then God said, Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seeds it shall be food for you and to every animal of the earth and every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life I have given every green plant for food and it was so. And God saw all that He had made and behold it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning the sixth day. We found our way back to this scripture. This time we need to take a look at it in addition to the second part of the creation account that we have in Genesis 2. So we are going to jump over to Genesis chapter 2 and then we'll start to break this down. So Genesis 2, this time we're starting at verse 4. So Genesis 2, 4. This is the account of the heavens and earth when they were created in the day that the Lord made earth and heaven. Now no shrub of the field has yet on earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted. For the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person." So, we talked about this last week, and I'll say this again. I believe wholeheartedly that we need to leave the science out of Genesis 1 through 3. I believe wholeheartedly in a non-literal interpretation of Genesis 1 through 3. That is my belief. Now, avoiding the trap of getting caught up in, was it a day? What about the 2 different Gospel or the 2 different creation accounts? What is what does that mean that they're different and all of those kinds of things? There are concepts that are present in these accounts that tell us about the character of God, about the story of the beginning, all of that sort of stuff that exists present, but detached from the need of any kind of science, or any kind of literal interpretation. Also, that's not how the original audience would have read this section of scripture. That is a post-enlightenment concept to try and read science into an ancient oral tradition. So we go forward looking at these 2 different accounts that are different. What does that mean? Well, there are 2 different aspects of the story of the Creator creating everything. Now, compare that against other Middle Eastern creation accounts. Oftentimes, different creation accounts are going to have some kind of conflict, some kind of something accidentally happened, some kind of conflict between gods happened, something. Some kind of byproduct of some celestial event in between gods. This is the only time where you have a deity reaching in and saying, I am creating this and it is good. There is 1 that is cosmic in nature. There is 1 that is more personal in nature. We have a larger scale creating animals, creating plant life, creating mankind, then we have the more personal creating mankind in chapter 2. Now, I said this last week, but I'll reiterate it again, just in case you missed it. I, The only thing that I take as historical from all of this is a historic Adam and Eve. I allow for the conversation of Adam and Eve not being the literal first humans, but maybe being the first ones created in the image of God, I don't know. There's a lot of theories even within the sub-theories. So there is a time and place to kick the can around about what all of that means, but when we're talking about how does this... What does this tell us about God? That's where a lot of those theories and a lot of kicking the can around becomes less important. Part of studying the Bible with authenticity is to understand how this would have been taken originally. So ancient people would likely understand the creation narrative as a symbolic story explaining the origins of the world and their place within it, focusing on the themes of order emerging from chaos, the power of a divine being to shape reality, and the importance of human responsibility to care for the created world, rather than a literal account of events. They would likely interpret it through the lens of their own cultural and environmental understanding that would draw parallels to their own experiences with the natural world and the forces of creation and destruction around them. The beauty in looking at both creation accounts is that the display of God as creative is present in both accounts, highlighting 2 different aspects of the process, 1 in grand scale, 1 in intimate scale, both of which display the value that the Creator has for the creation, along with the intimacy in the act of creation. That word breath is Ruach. It is the breath of life from God, That God literally breathed His Spirit into the dust and created mankind. So, God says In verse 26, let us make man in our image. The Hebrew word for image refers to a shadow or representation. Imagine standing with your back to the sun and holding out an object, maybe a hammer in your hand. The shadow on the ground is not the hammer, but it points to the presence of the hammer that's in your hand. God also says, let us make man after our likeness. Likeness further emphasizes this same idea. In the Hebrew language, it means resemblance. So humanity is created to resemble God. How you may say? Well, mankind is created with reason, self-awareness, will, and a spiritual capacity for worship. This is important because it sets humanity apart from all other created beings. We are not just a higher form of animals. Animals were not made in God's image or likeness. Humanity's unique creation and status mean that we have the capacity for a personal relationship with God. Again, let's get the science out of here. I am somebody that before I was a Christian, I was a scientist. I believe in the interpersonal connection between us and other forms of creation and other people at a scientific level. That science bolsters the beauty of God. This does not have to be an either-or sort of dynamic, and we do not need to force the Bible into scientific paradigms. So all of what I might have said might sound like, oh, he's talking about things like evolution. I am not. Because that conversation is much larger in scale. What I am talking about is within the creation narrative, We are given a beautiful story of how God created creation and the value that He put upon it. God did not create Adam and Eve just to exist. He gave them purpose. Again, in 26, he establishes this order saying, let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth, Adam and Eve were given responsibility to rule over and care for God's creation, serving essentially as rulers of the planet. Their subjects were the animal kingdom. Genesis 2.15 adds, The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it. His authority in Eden was a reflection of God's sovereign rule over everything. Adam and Eve eventually sinned. They ruin their royal dominion, but it is important to remember that God's original intention was for them to live in a magnificent state of royal authority and harmony with all creation and harmony with God. So we will get to the Fall here in a little bit. So we have creation. We have the establishment that at creation we have this beautiful display of God creating Adam and Eve. Now, that same idea is reflected throughout other portions and other writings and other reflections in the Old Testament. We're going to jump over to Psalm 8, starting at verse 4. So Psalm 8 verse 4. What is man that you think of him? And a son of man that you are concerned about him yet you have made him a little lower than God and you crown him with glory and majesty You have him rule over the works of his hands. You have put everything under his feet. God is so big that he makes the universe with his fingers. Man in scale is dwarfed by the expanse of the universe. Yet David does not doubt that God was mindful of man. He simply said, you are mindful of him, and only wondered why. Asking that question is healthy. There's nothing wrong with saying why, but with it We must not miss the assured confidence that God is mindful of us. He thinks of us and considers what we do. The foundational idea here is that humanity's worth is rooted in being made in the image of God. Humanity was so valued that we were made for relationship and dominion over the earth. For those of us that are believers today, we still are given dominion just in a different way. So The question then becomes, what does being made in God's image mean for how we see ourselves and others today? We talked about last week, we are all made in the image of God. We are all inherently loved and valued regardless of what you've done, where you've been, whether or not you call yourself a Christian today. Likewise, whether or not you call yourself a Christian today does not matter when does not matter when considering are you cherished? Are you valued? So we've covered creation but there's this pesky thing after chapters 1 and 2. It's Genesis 3. It's the fall. Now, before we get into this, I have to set the table because there are a lot of side conversations that pop up around the fall. Did it actually happen? Is it all a story? Who's to blame? Was it actually an apple? Was it actually a tree? What is sin? What is hell? Is hell real? Remember, part of the beauty can only really be found when we stop trying to dissect every single piece of this and allow the story to wash over us as the original audience would. That is the approach that we are taking today. So talking high theology, yeah, sure, there's room to kick the can around about what actually happened, was there actually a serpent, was there actually a tree, and was there actually fruit And all of those kinds of things. But we're taking this more as a whole, rather than trying to divvy it up and establish different truths within it. So we are going to jump back into the text and we're starting off with Genesis 3, chapter 1, or verse 1. So Genesis 3, verse 1. Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord had made. And he said to the woman, Has God really said, You shall not eat from any tree of the garden? The woman said to the serpent, from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat. But from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die. The serpent said to the woman, You certainly will not die. For God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you will become like God knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was desirable to make 1 wise, she took some of that fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves waste coverings. Now they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden in the cool of the day and the man and his wife hid themselves From the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden, then the Lord called to the man and said, Where are you? He said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked. So I hid myself. And he said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree, which I commanded you not to eat?' The man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate. Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate. Then the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, curse are you more than all the livestock, more than any animal of the field, and on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat, all the days of your life. And I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her descendant. He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel. To the woman, he said, I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you shall deliver children, yet your desire will be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. Then to Adam he said, because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, you shall not eat from it, cursed is the ground because of you, With hard labor you shall eat from it in the days of all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you, yet you shall eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, until you return to the ground, because from it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return. Now the man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like 1 of us, knowing good and evil. Now he might reach out with his hand and take fruit also from the tree of life and eat and live forever. Therefore the Lord said sent him out of the garden of Eden to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So he drove the man out and the and at the east of the Garden of Eden he stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life. So immediately after the point where we see humanity elect to separate its will from God's will, we see his desire that they don't end up in a state where redemption is impossible. So he has them leave the garden. In the midst, he promises reconciliation for himself. I won't get into all of the details and specifics right now of Atonement Theory and the actual events of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, but regardless, the promise of a Savior happens. God displays his value for mankind and value for the redemption of mankind through both of those actions. So we jump now to Genesis chapter 9, and we're going to start off with verse 6. Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every animal of the earth and on every bird of the sky. On everything that crawls on the ground and all the fish of the sea, they are handed over to you. Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you. I have given everything to you. So I gave the green, as I gave the green plant, but you shall not eat flesh of its life that is its blood. I certainly will require your life blood from every animal. I will require it and from every person and from every man as his brother I will require the life of a person whoever sheds human blood by man his blood shall be shed For in the image of God he made mankind. As for you, be fruitful and multiply. Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it." So 1 of the weird things that unfortunately needs to be said sometimes when discussing the realities of the present processing of Genesis is that this is not in any way, shape or form, a call for modern folks. This whole idea of be fruitful and multiply, it's unfortunately taught in some places that it's godlier to have kids. And this is not a call going forward for all. This is a call to first off, the original creation of God within the narrative. So Adam and Eve are created and they're told, okay, now you've been created, you are male and female, go out and populate the earth. Now, you fast forward, there's sin that takes place and there's this whole thing of, you know, 10 generations down from Adam the flood narrative because of humans wickedness and violence and all all of the Questions that come into well who were the characters involved? There are some that state that this is the non- Adamic human beings, the ones that were not created in the image of God that predate Adam and Eve. There's this, There's all of these questions that center around the actual flood narrative. And that's something that I want to draw out in all of this, that I want to acknowledge that there are offerings. When we're talking about things like the fall and creation and the flood narrative in these ancient events, I want to be authentic to the fact that there are a million little side roads that can be taken that can distract from the ultimate conversation in all of this. And so when we look at the flood narrative, we see that God is genuinely grieved over what has happened, that this is a response to mankind's wickedness and the evil that was taking place on the earth. And so you have Noah and you have the ark and you have the flood and you have the new first creation coming out and entering into this new world where it's now your job to be fruitful and multiply. So we have to keep the command in context with the story. And so, again, we take these accounts and then we see how later generations would reflect upon these concepts and these truths. So, this time we have Psalm 139, starting at 13. So, this is at a time where people would know how this all went down. And so now we have Psalm 139, A Psalm of David starting at 13. You made all the delicate inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex. Your workmanship is marvelous. How well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. You cannot be... They cannot be numbered. I can't even count them. They outnumber the grains of sand. And when I wake up, you are still with me. So we see that later generations understand this idea that there is an intimacy inherent in the creation of mankind. That each time that there was, so from the beginning in the fall, there was an opportunity for reconciliation, another chance. Then in the generations post-fall to the flood, we see again another chance. And this recognized by later generations. So again, we are establishing continuity. We are establishing a through line. We are establishing that each 1 of these pieces build upon each other. This is why I ordered the episodes in the way that I did. If we first understand that God loves all, then understand that God values all. That leaves no room for total depravity. Now for those of you that don't know, total depravity is the doctrine that human nature is thoroughly corrupt and sinful as a result of the fall. The problem here is the low view of man doesn't line up with the value that God puts on man. Also, it doesn't line up with how many people within the Old Testament acted or how God interacted with them. It sounds good in a soundbite, but just because somebody can be evil doesn't mean that they are default evil. So the question now becomes how does God and his continued pursuit of humanity show his commitment to us and the worth that he puts on us. Let's put a pin there and move forward now, because we've got to get to Genesis chapter 12. Go from your... Sorry, Genesis 12, starting at 1. And I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you, and the 1 who curses you I will curse, and you and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Genesis 12, 1-3 reflects God's value for humanity by demonstrating that God chooses to bless not only 1 individual, Abraham, but through him all the nations of the earth. These are the beginning notes, if you will. The beginning of the music that would lead to the ultimate fulfillment of this. This signifies that God's plan for blessing extends to all people and intends to benefit the entire human race through Abraham's lineage, essentially showing that God values all humanity by choosing to work through 1 man to reach the whole world. No, this is not an indictment on anybody who has an opinion on for or against modern day Israel. I understand that's controversial, but this is a time where there was conflict that abounded. This is a time where this was very, it was very dangerous to go out your front door, so to speak. And so this is a statement to Abraham that I will be with you, But we have to make sure that we are not reading a modern context into it, short of, through you, I will bless the nations. Let's jump over to Exodus 19, starting at verse 3. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord called to him from the mountain, This is what you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the sons of Israel, you yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I carried you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my commandment, then you shall be my own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation." These are the words that you shall speak to the sons of Israel. So you have Abram becomes Abraham, then you have the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and then on to Joseph. And then from Joseph, the entry into Egypt. And then this time passes and there's conjecture about what exactly happened, but we have a ruler that was not aware of who Joseph was. There was a lot of shift in leadership of Israel conquering nations and who was in control of Egypt at that time. And so we end up in a situation where the rulers, they know the Israelite people, but they don't know of the cooperation and how significant Joseph was. And so they enslave the Israelites. And then we have the Exodus. Now that's made up of a group of people, not just the people who were Israelites by lineage, but people that came together, made up of folks both of the lineage of the sons of Jacob, but also people who saw the realities of what was happening and elected to follow God. To follow this God that was mightier than anything else that was happening. And this is the first time that we see a group of people made up of different lineages coming together and saying, okay, if you will be my God, or if you will be my people and follow my ways, I will be your God. This is the original, this is the prototype of what it meant to have a people following God made up of a diverse group of people. Again, demonstrating that it's not about an exclusive group in the purest sense. It is about the entire world. It is about, ultimately, the redemption of mankind. This is the building of that. So next we have Jeremiah 1, starting at verse 1. Of the Lord came in the days of Josiah the son of Ammon king of Judah in the 13th year of his reign it came also in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah until the end of the 11th year of Zedekiah the son of Josiah king of Judah until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month. Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you. I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations. Then I said, O Lord, behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth. But the Lord said to me, Do not say I am a youth, because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to save you declares the Lord." Again, this displays a deep understanding of his creation. While we need to guard ourselves from reading ourselves into history, it's important that we comprehend that God has an intimate understanding of who we are. Intimately understanding who and what he created and embracing us as we are and continuing to give individuals dominion, continuing to give individuals a role within his story. We can easily get lost in the whole, see this sounds a whole lot like predestination to me type of conversation, but what's most important that we keep this in context of the story of the rest of scripture that throughout the lineage of God's people. So he establishes God's people, gives him the law. We have Joshua and them going into the promised land and then we have the lineage of the kings, and then we see an incredible spiral that ultimately leads to Matthew, to Jesus, to the New Testament, to the events going forward. Now, I shift gears from the historical language to the language of the Bible, that we have this spiral that then leads to the intertestamental period, those years of silence, and then Jesus. And so, along the way, he's still providing hope. He's still providing these moments and people that are speaking to his truths. So God's covenant with Israel reflects his commitment to humanity, to humanity's flourishing and purpose. So what does it mean to be God's treasured possession? That's language that we see in the Old Testament and the New Testament. To be God's treasured possession means that you are considered exceptionally valuable and precious to God like a prized item like a treasure chest. So from this point we shift gears. We've we have explored the Old Testament Now we get into the New Testament. This is where we get into the fullest example of what this looks like. So we're gonna jump to John chapter 1 starting at verse 14. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and he saw, And we saw his glory, glory as of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John testified about him and called out, saying, This was he to whom I said, He who is coming after me, and has proved to be my superior because he existed before me. For of his fullness we have all received and grace upon grace for the law was given through Moses grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ. No 1 has seen God at any time. God, the only Son who is in the arms of the Father. He has explained him. Philippians 2 starting at verse 2. Therefore, if there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit intent on 1 purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humanity consider 1 another as more important than yourselves. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who as he already existed in the form of God did not consider equality with God as something to be grasped but emptied himself by taking the form of a bond servant and being born in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross. For this reason also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. The continued love of humanity happens as we are given counsel on how to endure within the world, to emulate Christ for the sake of others, to emulate Christ because that is the practice that is best for us. That the promised Savior came, word made flesh, came, lived, died, rose again. Hebrews 2, 14, starting at 14, therefore since the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise also took part of the same so that through death he might destroy the 1 who has the power of death, that is the devil, and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. For clearly he does not give help to angels, but he gives help to the descendants of Abraham. Therefore in all things He had to be made like his brothers so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For since he himself was tempted in that which he was suffered, he has suffered, he is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted. The incarnation of Christ is the ultimate affirmation of human value. So the question becomes, how does God becoming human change how we view ourselves and others? We do not define ourselves. We do not make ourselves. We discover ourselves in the eyes of God, in His revelation of ourselves to ourselves. We do play a role in our own transformation. It's yielding, giving way to the Spirit, and of following, of walking out of obedience, of discipleship, so that God's transforming power can take hold, that God's transforming will can be done. All of that simply put, because of Jesus, God made flesh. So much value for humanity that He stepped into our circumstances, not just for the elect, but for every single human being. Now, what would it be if we didn't go to the verse John 3 16 for God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the son into the world to judge the world, but so that the world might be saved through him. This is the keystone point, right? But in comparison to 16, how many times have you heard it with 17? This is the ultimate act of conveying value. Romans chapter 5, starting at verse 6, for while we were still helpless at the right time, Christ died for the ungodly. For 1 will hardly die for a righteous person, though perhaps for the good person, someone would even dare die. But God demonstrates his own love towards us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. This reflects Old Testament promises like Isaiah 53, but he was pierced for our offenses. He was crushed for our wrongdoings. The punishment for our well-being was laid upon him and by his wounds we are healed. All of us, like sheep, have gone astray. Each of us has turned to his own way. But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all to fall on him. Reflected in our darkest hours, This is light, friends. God's redemptive plan through Jesus Christ underscores the worth of every single individual. This is why we need to embrace the Jewish roots of Christianity and not give way to some kind of anti-Semitic, the Jews are the ones that killed Jesus sort of mentality, because literally from the Jews first and then to the rest of the world is fulfilled in Jesus. It is only by that way that we see the full power of the full story of redemption of God and from of God the redemption of God to all of humanity. Galatians chapter 3 28. There is neither Greek nor Jew. There is neither slave nor free. There is neither male nor female. We are all 1 in Christ Jesus. This is not a call to uniformity. God cares about who you are uniquely. That's part of the beauty. But this is saying that altogether we are a part of the kingdom of God. James chapter 2. My brothers and sisters do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and is dressed in bright clothes and a poor man in dirty clothes also comes in and you pay special attention to the 1 who is wearing the bright clothes and say, You sit here in a good place and you say to the poor man, You stand over there or sit down by my footstool. Have you not made distinctions among yourself and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters, did God not choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court? Do they not blaspheme the good name by which you have been called? If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law According to the scripture, you shall love your enemy as yourself. You are doing well, but if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. We are 1 body with many parts. That matters. The church as a community is where all members have equal dignity and value. Then out from that we have humanity has equal dignity and value. So how can we as the church better reflect the equal worth of all people, of every single person? Now, the more things change, the more they stay the same. There are some things that humans have always been struggling with. Let's jump over to Matthew, Chapter 22, starting at 36. Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? And he said to him, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself upon these 2 commandments hang the whole law and the prophets Luke chapter 10 starting at 25 and behold a lawyer stood up and put him to the test, saying, Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And he said to him, what is written in the law? How does it read to you? And he answered, you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind and your neighbor as yourself. He said, you have answered correctly, do this and you will live. But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, and who is my neighbor? This is a question that humans have been asking for a very long time. Jesus replied and said, a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. And by coincidence, a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by the other side. Likewise, a Levi also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him. And when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him, and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. And he put him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out 2 denarii and came and gave them to the innkeeper and said take care of him and whatever more you spend when I return I will repay you which of these 3 do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robber's hands. And he said, the 1 who showed compassion to him. Then Jesus said, go and do the same. John 13, I am giving you a new commandment that you love 1 another, just as I have loved you, that you also love 1 another. By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for 1 another yes there is part of love where it is walking alongside somebody and being like, yo, I think maybe some of what you're doing is out of pocket. There is point in the relationship where, yes, you will need to speak to truth to try and help your brother or sister, but ultimately love is multifaceted and an action word. It needs intentionality and it needs to be demonstrated. And so in love, we care for 1 another. We care for each other's needs. We make sure that people do not go without this is a very Key thing that has been evident through all of scripture Human worth is affirmed through creation, through the redemption of mankind, and through the restoration of humanity to God. Human dignity is intrinsic, it's bestowed by God, and it's demonstrated and affirmed through His love and actions. And so it's our job to reflect that. It doesn't mean that we're going to agree with everybody. It doesn't mean that we're gonna like everybody. But loving other people because that's what we are called to do. Because we were first loved and shown compassion. We are 1 of the people that was redeemed to God. 1 of the byproducts of Jew first and then to the rest of the world. 1 of the byproducts of the promise of the Savior after the fall of man. Because of that, we love other people and people, regardless of if they are Christian or not, have value, have worth, and we should treat them as such. That's the problem with viewing people in a low context. The goal is to just convert them so that way then, once they are a Christian, you show them value. That is incorrect. Value first because they are breathing and then you know maybe you end up having a conversation with them about Christ but it's not a matter of the big presentation. It's a matter of walking with them. So that's it, that's all, that's a wrap. Hopefully that outline made sense. So I'm just gonna recap really quick. So we have creation, created in the likeness of God, given worth and value from jump. We have the fall and we have a promise of a Savior and the continued display of God's cherishing and love and value by saying, okay, this is the introduction that you've done this this is the end this is the introduction of death and things like that and and and this this this state of being let's go ahead and not because you're going to you could potentially end up in this state as you as you are for all time and so removing them from the garden and then the the the flood happens and then the redemption through Noah and his family and then the continued and then the continued interaction with mankind throughout history, to the point of Jesus, the God-made flesh, for the first time walking with his creation outside of the garden since the fall. And then Jesus ascends and creates the bridge for us and God and we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the hope of ultimate restoration and because of that we are called to live by a certain way in a certain way within a certain context showing value and love to every single person there is. So with that, let's go ahead and pray. Father, I thank you for this time in your word. Father, I thank you for the truth of scripture and the fact that we are, we have access to it and that we live in a time where we can just pick up our phones or we can just pick up our Bibles and we openly have access to it. Father, I thank you for this community. I lift them up to you. I lift this body of believers up to you that they may be sensitive, that we may be sensitive to the Holy Spirit. I pray, Lord, for the strength and faith to go forward and to test these things, study that this body of believers may be known as the Bereans to study for themselves. Father, I thank you that you continue to be for us and with us and I pray Lord for humble hearts for all of us that we may stand in the awestruck wonder of the reality that God you continue to engage that you have provided a means for redemption father I thank you I love you in Jesus name amen all right until next time remember you are prayed for you are loved deeply You can drop any comments that you have by clicking that link down in the episode description or by emailing at buddywalkpod at gmail.com. Until next time, peace.