Skip to main content

the worth of the individual

"One who heard us was a woman named Lydia, from the city of Thyatira, a seller of purple goods, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said by Paul." (Acts 16:14 ESV)

In Philippi (Acts 16) Paul encounters three individuals who are influenced by the proclamation of the gospel:  Lydia, a demonized servant girl, and a Roman jailer.  Each individual's story is different, but all experience the power of Christ.

The history of redemption (that is, real history-- the one story that rules them all) focuses largely on individuals.  From the one who disobeyed and cast our planet into darkness (Adam) to the One who restores all (the second Adam, Jesus Christ).  In between there is Abraham, and Jacob, and Joseph, and Moses, and Ruth, and Deborah, and David, and Esther... down to Zacchaeus, Martha, Mary, Bartimaeus, Nicodemus, etc... There is the one lost sheep, the one lost coin, and the prodigal son.  Paul closes his letters with reference to many individuals.  

In studying this passage I came on a number of helpful quotes, regarding the worth of the individual...


“If we could see how precious the human soul is, as Christ saw it, our ministry would approach the effectiveness of Christ’s.” (Phillip Brooks)

“Love is a personal sharing in the destiny of another.” (Quoted by Lorne Sanny, “The Worth of the Individual”)

“There are no ordinary people. You've never talked to a mere mortal.” (C. S. Lewis)

“The Bible, however, has quite a different emphasis: with God there are no little people.” (Francis Schaeffer, No Little People)

“Man’s dignity rests in God who assigns an inestimable worth to every person. Man’s origin is not an accident, but a profoundly intelligent act by One who has eternal value; by One who stamps His own image on each person. God creates men and moves heaven and earth to redeem them when they fall. Our origin is in creation and our destiny is for redemption. Between these points every human heart beat has value.” (R. C. Sproul)

“It is true that historic Christianity is in conflict at many points with the collectivism of the present day; it does emphasize, against the claims of society, the worth of the individual soul. It provides for the individual a refuge from all the fluctuating currents of human opinion, a secret place of meditation where a man can come alone into the presence of God. It does give a man courage to stand, if need be, against the world; it resolutely refuses to make of the individual a mere means to an end, a mere element in the composition of society. It rejects altogether any means of salvation which deals with men in a mass; it brings the individual face to face with his God.”  (J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

clement quotes hebrews

Clement of Rome wrote to the church in Corinth around AD 90.  This is perhaps the same Clement, companion of Paul, mentioned in Philippians 4:3.  Many hold him to be the first bishop / pope in Rome, aka St. Clement I.   Clement quotes from the letter to the Hebrews.  Origin suggested that Clement was in fact the writer (as transcriber or amanuensis) of Hebrews.  Perhaps this letter began as a "word of exhortation" given by Paul at the synagogue (Heb 13:22; cf Acts 13:15) which then became a circular letter for the churches.  Other possible authors of Hebrews include Luke, Barnabas, or Apollos.  The theology is Pauline, but the transcriber is obviously second-generation (Heb. 2:3-4). At any rate, this early church leader in Rome, is already quoting Hebrews in his letter in AD 90:    CHAPTER 36  ALL BLESSINGS ARE GIVEN TO US THROUGH CHRIST This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Savior, even Jesus Christ,  the High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and he

Howard Hendricks on OT books chronology

When I was in seminary, Howard Hendricks (aka "Prof") gave us a little card with the books of the OT chronologically arranged. The scanned copy I have was a bit blurry and I wanted to make something like this available for our church class in OT theology ("Story of Redemption"). A few minor edits and here it is...

one-liners

Here are 25 of my favorite one-liners from comedian Steven Wright:   1)  I'd kill for a Nobel Peace Prize. 2)  Borrow money from pessimists -- they don't expect it back. 3)  Half the people you know are below average. 4)  82.7% of all statistics are made up on the spot. 5)  A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. 6)  All those who believe in psychokinesis, raise my hand. 7)  The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. 8)  OK, so what's the speed of dark? 9)  How do you tell when you're out of invisible ink? 10)  If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something. 11)  Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm. 12)  When everything is coming your way, you're in the wrong lane. 13)  Hard work pays off in the future; laziness pays off now. 14)  I intend to live forever ... So far, so good. 15)  If Barbie is so popular, why do you have to buy her friends? 16)  Eagles may soar, but weasels don'