Value Sharing

It’s important to share value with ourselves and others. But it’s important we share the right value.

When I think of my unworthiness in light of what I did or did not do, said or did not say, thought or did not think, then I must think upon the worth and value of Christ’s death. 

When I think of someone else’s unworthiness in light of what they did or did not do, what they said or did not say, or I am sure they thought or worse yet, what they did not think, then I must think upon the worth and value of Christ’s death.
The Canons of Dort (1618-19) were written by a Synod gathered in the Netherlands to dispute five heads of doctrine that were infiltrating the Protestant church’s teaching. These remonstrances in writing are of inestimable worth in infiltrating the church’s mind and heart for right thinking and living. They are helpful in this scenario to assist us in thinking on the worth of Jesus Christ’s death and the sharing of that worth with others. 

In The Second Head of Doctrine: Christ’s Death and Human Redemption Through It we read,
Article 3: The Infinite Value of Christ’s Death

This death of God’s Son is the only and entirely complete sacrifice and satisfaction for sins; it is of infinite value and worth, more than sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world.

Article 4: Reasons for This Infinite Value

This death is of such great value and worth for the reason that the person who suffered it is — as was necessary to be our Savior — not only a true and perfectly holy man, but also the only begotten Son of God, of the same eternal and infinite essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Another reason is that this death was accompanied by the experience of God’s anger and curse, which we by our sins had fully deserved.

When I am tempted to look at my unworthiness due to my sin, I can look away to the infinite value of Christ’s death. The death of God’s Son is more than sufficient to atone for the sins of the whole world, then it is sufficient to atone for my sins. God is pleased to look on Christ who died in my place and be satisfied with his sacrifice, so he is pleased to look on me as I live by faith in Christ, even though I sin. As I look away from my sin to this glorious Son of God, I am looking to the perfection and beauty of holiness in his humanity and deity. As I feel my unworthiness due to my sin and the certain misery and death I deserve, I look to Christ Jesus who bore the wrath of God for sin in my place. I see him, in my place condemned he stood. In the words of Robert Murray M’Cheyne, “For every look at yourself take ten looks at Christ.” 

Now I am ready to look correctly at others.

I am tempted to see others and judge their unworthiness. I look upon them with contempt and pride. I think of them as unworthy of my time, my effort, my words, and my life. I certainly think of them as unworthy of God because of the errors of their life.

But when God arrests my mind and heart with the infinite worth and value of the Savior, then I am ready to pour contempt on all my pride, and give my life, my words, my all. I want others to see his worth for I know that their souls are restless. I know they feel the weight of sin as I do. I know they experience guilt as I do. I know they suffer misery as I do. I know they are dissatisfied with trying make themselves gods as I am. I know they are dissatisfied with the other gods they have shaped and formed for their joy. But now I no longer view them according to the flesh.

I can look on others as those for whom Christ died. I can take their hand like one beggar who has found bread and lead them to the infinite source of delight. I can lead them to the majestic holy Savior whose death for the world is of inestimable and infinite value. I will speak of this value and my life will reflect this value as it is spent in generosity for others, not from guilt or to check a box or performance, but out of gratitude because of the infinite worth and value of my Savior and his work.