Week 19: Day 3: We are equal. Our Constitution indicates this as a provision guaranteed not by ink on a page, but by the innate characteristic of our Creator. The three things we mentioned on Monday as being equal are that we first, are all sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God. Second, Jesus prayed that we might be equal with him in our relationship, just as he is equal to the Father. Third, the early Christian church had provided that all men were valued equally. God, of course, is the perfection of equality. Three parts, yet one perfect unified God. The Spirit is no less God than Jesus. Jesus is no less God than the Father. And the Father is no more God than the other two. They are equal and in their equality we see not only a diversity of gifts but we see the perfect, stable relationship that must exist in our lives as well. First, some have the notion that being equal means we are all the same. We all drive the same car, have the same house, etc. Yet this is not how God is. The Father’s role was not to come to earth and take upon himself flesh. That was the role of the Son. The Son’s role was to magnify the Father. The Spirit’s role was and is to always point people back to the Father and the Son. Talk about diversification of the workforce! I have said, however inadequate it may be, that their relationship is like those found at a job-site -the Father is the owner, Christ the architect and the Spirit, the general contractor. The building doesn’t get built without all three performing their tasks. And so we can most assuredly say that not all people will wear the same clothes or drive the same car. Each person will be valued as they perform their God-given roles and so therefore, each will have according to their needs and just wants as provided from God’s storehouse. Second, we see then, that equality has less to do with things and much more to do with value, opportunity, and shared experiences. Those are so much more powerful than things. Things fade and corrode. But the intangibles of value, opportunity and experience are principles upon which eternal concepts rest. The gospel tells us to love all men. It says to share freely that which you have. It indicates that we must not judge our brother. All of these are true because we are in the same boat as them. If we judge them, we are really judging ourselves! The same judgment we judge others with will be applied to us at the last day. If we withhold love, then love with be withheld from us. If we don’t share freely, then God will take away that which we’ve been given. There is a universal approach to mankind from God, yet so intensely personal. And so we can begin to see that the nature of God himself is the source for this concept of equality and the rationale for why it must be played out in our lives if we are to be like him. If we are to ‘see him as he is’ and ‘know as we are known’ then we must be equal.
Posted on: Wed, 03 Dec 2014 02:20:59 +0000
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