Dust might be worthless, but in the hands of the Maker, what is made, is priceless!
Mankind: we are of inestimable value. What God had made good, as a reflection of His glory, though a lesser glory, through selfishness and sin, fell from that original glory, still, reflecting a glory, but now tarnished.
But, because of our value, ascribed by God, declared by His good mercy, Our good Maker longs, in Christ, to bring our good, but tarnished original glory, back. But, not just back, but beyond our original glory, our good design and making. And so, now, being purchased back, He is committed to making us beautiful, more beautiful, restored to an even greater glory than in the beginning:
Genesis 1: 26-31 “27So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it… And it was so. 31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”
Psalm 139:13-18 “13For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
But who, in their right mind, would want to pay such a high price for a broken-down thing - such as mankind?
Romans 3:10-20 10As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; 11there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. 12All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
You see, we see the word “worthless” and we assume “without worth”, when in fact, in the right hands, under the right circumstances, that dilapidated thing, when seen through the right lens, is ripe for the picking. (Psalm 8; Hebrews 2; Ephesians 2)
· Made good and with some glory
· Sinned and marred, beaten and bruised, dented and dilapidated - that glory is tarnished, but not gone
· The One who sees through the right lens, sees what thing was in its former glory, and having the right tools and skills, sees through the brokenness, yes, to its former glory, but knows, in His hands, He can restore to an even greater glory, and bring it ultimately to its final and future glory!
We are like junkyard finds… through the right lens, the right person, with the right perspective, able to do the right things, sees an old jalopy, and says “Oh, man!! Look at this find! This is glorious, maaaaan, what this must have been like when it was new! I can make something out of this, and when I’m done, it’ll be better, more glorious, than it was in the beginning…”
God’s declaration of reclamation!
Psalm 8; Hebrews 2 “what is mankind that you are mindful of them, a son of man that you care for him? 7You made them a little lower than the angels; you crowned them with glory and honor… But, (now) we see Jesus the great Restorer, who was made lower than the angels for a little while now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone - setting and paying the price, their worth, purchasing them. 10…bringing many sons and daughters to glory…”
Ephesians 2:3 “...we were dead in our transgressions and sins… gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts… like the rest, were by nature deserving wrath - broken-down, dented and bruised. But because of His great love for us, God - the great Restorer, who is rich in mercy, 5made us alive with Christ - the goal of our restoration even when we were dead - it is by grace you have been saved seen, loved, and purchased.
Corinthians 3:16-18 So, “16…whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
What we are alluding to is mankind’s value: an inherent value as ascribed by God. our value so inestimable, that God would pay the most exorbitant price, the blood of His Son.
John 3:16-19 16For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son (John 6:28-29). 19This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.
This IS the righteousness of God made known to us in Christ, by His mercy!
Romans 3:21-26 21But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.
There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
25God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, (John 10:17-18) through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith.
He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
26he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.
Though we are made in God’s image and likeness, fearfully and wonderfully made, does not mean that man is basically good, it means that mankind has a God-declared value – having established a price for the purchase of that thing for whomsoever would desire to make that purchase.
As we were all objects of wrath (Eph 2), because of sin, we stood condemned (Jn 3:17-18), because we loved darkness and evil (Jn 3:19). But Jesus reveals to us a love, through His restraint (Ro 2:1-4), that is His loving mercy.
This is a love that appeals to the one who will receive, (Jn 1:12) it appeals to the heart more than the temporary pleasures of sin (Heb 11). When we see HIm “lifted up” on our behalf (Jn 3:14-15), and it speaks to our soul, that this is love. At this moment, we realize tha t the ruler of the kingdom of the air hates us (Eph 2), but God, in Christ, loves us, and instead of taking my life, as sin does and the enemy – stealing, killing and destroying (Jn 10:10), Jesus came to give us life, and He gave His own life (Jn 10:11), becoming sin (2Co 5:21) , so that I may live.
