Good morning. I think that human dignity is an interesting concept. We read that from the beginning, we, and I refer to all of mankind, are created in the image of God: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27. When we take that verse of scripture to heart its truth should be sufficient to ensure an attitude in Christian people that every human being is worthy, remarkable, valuable, special, and exceptional.
For my children’s lesson this past Sunday I took a dollar bill and “mistreated” it. I yelled at it with derogatory words. I stepped on it, crumpled it up, and then I mixed in a handful of dirt. I asked the children at the beginning what was the value of the dollar bill, and it was agreed that it was worth one dollar. After the mistreatment of the dollar bill, I asked them “what was its value”, and it continued to be one dollar. The value could never be diminished by words or by inappropriate actions, a buck is still a buck. It is the same with us. Our value is determined by our Creator, and by the price He paid for our redemption, the blood of Jesus Christ.
We read in Galatians 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Who, then, is a reasonable target for words and actions that would destroy or diminish their dignity? We are all created by God in His image. We are all one in Christ no matter what superficial differences we may recognize. There is no one whose dignity is not worth guarding.
There are plenty of people with whom I disagree. There are people whose actions and words make me sad, confused, and/or angry. There are plenty of people whose outward appearance is quite unlike my own. Do any of these differences and distinctions create a reasonable excuse for me to belittle them, despise them, or devalue them? Of course not, they are created in God’s image and are valued and loved by Him, and therefore must be valued and loved by us all.
For our thought today please consider what it means to value every person and to guard their human dignity. We live in a world that seems to rejoice in tearing each other apart with words at least, and at times with actions. Let us never fall into that trap. May we see one another as God sees us and may the value we place on human dignity never be in doubt.
Vern