One Like Yourself

I wrote recently about the value of human life. I wrote about how we need to value human life because God said, "Let us make Man in our image." I wrote that since we value God, we must value human life. The skeptic would then ask, "Oh, so why is it that humans die?" The question would likely be more subtle ... and more diverse. "Why are there hurricanes and tornadoes that kill people?" (because these are clearly supposed to be things that God controls). "Why does God allow abortion doctors?" (because clearly He does ... or doesn't exist). "How do you justify going to war?" (because lots of Christians do -- but not all). (Oddly, a large number of Christians who call all war a sin because it takes human life don't mind at all that babies are murdered in the womb. Isn't that strange? But I digress.) The claim, then, is that while we do value life and while we are supposed to value life, it appears that God does not. At least, not like we do. I mean, from a Christian perspective, who actually determines who lives and who dies? God does. And if God determines that people die, well, how does that work itself out? Isn't He contradicting Himself?

It's not just skeptics with a problem here. Rob Bell, for instance, wrote his controversial Love Wins book because he thoroughly dislikes the concept that people who never heard the Gospel could end up in Hell. "The real question," he told Relevant Magazine, "is essentially if millions and millions of people who have never heard of Jesus are going to be tormented forever by God because they didn't believe in the Jesus they'd never heard of, then at that point we will have far larger problems than a book by a pastor from Grand Rapids." Whether or not you agree with Rob Bell on his views of heaven and hell, the import of that concern has to hit home. If God desires that all come to repentance and not all get that opportunity, isn't He contradicting Himself? Don't we have billions who will die (and God values human life) and go to eternal torment against God's wishes? And, being human, you have to ache for them.

The problem is that we are anthropocentric and God is not. God is theocentric.The problem is that we are human and finite and God is not. He is supernatural and infinite. The difference is that we don't own any of this and God does. Here, let me try to illustrate it with my own little parable.

The art gallery had a grand showing of the works of a famous artist. Lots of people came to see. At one point in the evening, a young man came into the gallery, walked up to one of the pieces, and started writing on it. Writing on it! Before he got too far, security grabbed the man and held him until the police came and took him off in handcuffs. He was now a criminal. Well, the evening went back to normal and people continued to look at the work. Awhile later, another fellow came into the gallery. He walked up to one of the paintings, took it off the wall, pulled out a knife and slashed it from top to bottom and then again from side to side. He pulled it out of the frame and stepped on it until it broke. Then he put the pieces under his arm and walked out. The patrons were shocked. Some went to the gallery owner. "What was that? Your security men stopped the first guy but didn't do a think to stop the second. Why?" "Well," he answered with a shrug, "the first one was a vandal. The second was the artist. The vandal has no rights to the work, but the artist has the right to do as he pleases with his own work."

Different categories.

Psalm 50 has the text from which we get a popular line of thinking. "Every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills" (Psa 50:10). You know, that comforting thought that God can supply all our needs because "He owns the cattle on a thousand hills." That kind of thing. But that wasn't God's intent. His intent was a rebuke. "If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world and its fullness are mine" (Psa 50:12). To put it another way, "I don't need you." His is a rebuke against mankind in general and the wicked in particular. What is the primary failure? "You thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you" (Psa 50:21). God is not like us. He isn't human. He isn't subject to our rules. He isn't required to meet our standards. He isn't one of us. He's the Owner. For us to kill a human is a violation because we don't have that right. God does. And if God believes that it's in His best interest that people who have chosen to rebel against Him end up in Hell, He will see that it happens and rightly so. Our problem is the same as the Psalm 50 problem. We tend to think of God as just like us. He's not. He's in a different category altogether. Not a good mistake.