Is human life ever cheap? Hitler thought so, and many people are tempted to think of themselves as useless, of no value.
But the Son of God in the highest place in God's great universe humbled Himself and came down to become one of us, and in so doing He invested all human beings as being of infinite value in Himself.
Because the Lord Jesus Christ became one of us, He adopted us in Himself:
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, ... having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, ... He hath made us accepted in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:3-6).
The "us" is every human being, no matter how sinful or unworthy; He has taken the initiative to lift us up out of the "horrible pit" in which this world in sin has fallen; without asking us first, He has chosen to "adopt" us "in Himself."
It has already been done, and no one can undo it; but we do have the freedom of choice to refuse it.
The gift has been given, and even though through sinful rebellion we refuse to receive it, still it has been GIVEN.
In the end, in the final judgment, our sinful record of itself will not keep us out of heaven and eternal life because in Christ God has forgiven us and accepted us.
We can be lost only through sinful unbelief to refuse to believe how good the "good news" of the gospel is.
"But don't we have to work, in order to be saved?" someone may ask.
Our duty is to believe. But we need to understand what it means to "believe."
To "believe" is to let our sinful human heart learn to appreciate the "breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge" (Eph. 3:14-19).
In short, to do what John the Baptist calls us to do, "Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Be sure to check your e-mail for "Dial Daily Bread" again tomorrow.
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