“What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You care for him? You made him a little lower than the angels; You crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler of the works of Your hands...”
God has the utmost respect for you. He has a high sense of value for you. You are worth his own life. You are worthy of being treated with dignity and respect because of the kind of being you are (crowned with glory and honor).
Being made in God’s image doesn’t mean you look like him; it means you are a being that’s worthy to be in his class. You are not a worm. You are a valuable creature, born of God’s image, carrying his presence everywhere you go.
What if you believed that about yourself?
What if you believed that about others?
In Psalm 8, David is pondering the existence of humankind. He asks a question, then prophesies God’s answer to himself. The word “angels” is the word Elohim, which is the plural word for God. Man is a little lower than God, not the angels.
He has crowned us with GLORY and HONOR. The word “glory” in this context means dignity, honor, worth, value and respect. You are a dignified being with great worth and value to God.
I’m convinced that if we had the same worth for ourselves, we would live much cleaner and God-honoring lives. I’m confident that if we had the same respect and value for each other, we would create a much more loving and supportive society.
That’s the point of Christ’s commandment - LOVE ONE ANOTHER.
WE CAN REACH THE WORLD BY UNITING IN OUR LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER
Loving one another is a multi-layered concept; let’s break it down a bit.
God loves us (while we were dead in our sin)
We respond by loving him (we love him because he first loved us)
We’re commanded to love one another
Our love for one another is a testimony that we follow Jesus
Our unity convinces the world the God sent Jesus for them too
How do we develop love for one another to the degree that it convinces the world to believe that God sent Jesus to save them?
The answer is in Jesus’ prayer from John 17. (full chapter link)
JOHN 17:20 I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one— 23 I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me. (BSB)
Let me highlight again what I want to focus on for this article.
I have given them the glory You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one— I in them and You in Me—that they may be perfectly united, so that the world may know that You sent Me and have loved them just as You have loved Me.
I HAVE GIVEN THEM MY GLORY SO THEY WILL BE ONE!!
How does possessing his glory make us one? Jesus is saying we have the same dignity, honor, value, and worth that he does. If we recognize that each member of his body shares equal dignity, honor, value, and worth, we will treat each other respectfully, holding to those values for each other.
Imagine if the unbelieving world saw the church treat each other with honor and respect!!
The world is craving identity. They want to belong to something. They want their lives to have worth and meaning. For believers, simply being in Christ adds meaning and value to our lives. Our task is to honor that glory in each other.
The world is raging. People are dividing into groups they identify with because it gives them some sense of worth. If they could see believers treating each other with value and respect, because we have the same father, they would want our father as well.
It’s simple to understand but challenging to put in to practice. It’s hard to lay aside our carnal differences and see each other through God’s eyes. But if we do, we might just have a shot at actually reaching the world with the good news of Christ’s saving grace.
God is love. I pray that his church is known as the same.
