Link to Student Guide
Lesson 1
Copyright © 2006, 2007
David Chadwell & West-Ark Church of Christ
The objective of this lesson: to focus on the importance of people to God
From the beginning, people occupied a role in the creation and a relationship with God that was unique. Nothing was like human beings. In creative design (Genesis 1:26), role to be served in creation (Genesis 1:28), and communication with God (Genesis 3:8), human beings were distinct. Nothing else was made in the image and likeness of God. This uniqueness is evidenced in (1) the consequences endured because of rebellion (Genesis 3:14-19); the impact of human rebellion on non-human creation (Genesis 3:17,18); and the grief humans brought to God (Genesis 6:3, 5-7).
Both the general creation account (Genesis 1) and the more detailed account of the earliest times of humans (Genesis 2,3) indicate the unique relationship between people and God. Significance in understanding this truth should be given to both (a) the consequences of human rebellion on the rest of creation (also see Roman 8:19-22 -- by human rebellion the slavery of creation occurred, and by the revealing of the sons of God, creation's slavery will end) and (b) the consequences on humans that altered their lifestyle.
From the beginning, several realities are associated with human existence. (1) The human being had and has a unique relationship with God. (2) This unique relationship exists because of (a) the creative act of God and (b) the character of God. (3) Therefore, to despise a person is to despise the person's creator--God. (4) While our treatment of God involves more than our treatment of each other, human to human treatment is critically important in God accepting a human being as righteous. (5) It is impossible to hold God in reverence and humans [or a human] in contempt (1 John 3:10-24; 4:7-21). (6) Those who are in Christ share a special bond with each other. That bond is never to be neglected (Galatians 6:10).
Since people are made in the image and likeness of God [and God is not physical], people by God's design have a unique relationship with God. Humans have the ability to reflect God's character as does nothing else in creation. When a person or people abuse a person or people, that act has special significance to God. Emphasis needs to be given to the fact that it is not possible to reverence God and hold people in contempt [individually, as groups, or collectively]. Perhaps among the greatest challenges God has given us is the challenge to respect people who are quite different from ourselves. God has never had a problem with that situation--remember Jonah 4:10,11 or Romans 5:6,10). The ultimate horror of abortion, adultery, murder, bitter words, greed, etc. is in the contempt of people for people.
It should be obvious to those who know God's character that He places premium significance on the way people treat people. For example, people have long known the Ten Commandments. These instructions form the core of Israel's submission to God and came from God Himself. With the exception of Sabbath regulations (Exodus 20:8-11; Matthew 12:1-8), Jesus repeatedly affirmed in his ministry to Israel that the values of those commandments reflect God's interests and character. Six of those instructions have to do with the way people treat people--honoring parents, murder, adultery, stealing, lying about another person, and coveting what belongs to another person. Over half of those instructions focus on the way people treated people. Of those instructions, four (under 50%) dealt with honoring or reverencing God. The point is NOT that it is unimportant to honor or reverence God. The point IS that the person who declares he or she belongs to God cannot neglect his or her relationships with people. Honoring God will not excuse our neglect of people! God is not honored if we abuse people because people were made in the image and likeness of God. To abuse or selfishly use that which the Creator made in His image and likeness is to abuse or selfishly use the Creator!
Only humans place too little significance on the way humans use, abuse, or destroy other humans. God values human life more than humans value human life. The further people get from God, the less value human life has to them. The closer people get to God, the more value human life has to them. There is a basic inconsistency in defending the will of God by destroying people.
Wrong conclusions are easily reached when we divide God's activity into periods of time that are discarded. God's character has never changed. His basic will and concerns have never changed. People, from the first rebellion against God, continue to exist only because God is merciful (consider Acts 17:30 and ask yourself how God responded to 'the times of ignorance.') God's great concern for human to human treatment reflected in six of the Ten Commandments only was revealed in greater detail later. God did not reject or abandon His concern for people's proper treatment of people.
After Jesus' death and resurrection, Paul emphasized the same fact to Christians [likely Jewish Christians or proselytes to Judaism]. To those who had been significantly influenced [whether for one generation or many generations] by those instructions in Exodus 20, it was unthinkable that anyone could relate to God and not submit to the morality of those directions. To such people, Paul said in his letter to Christians in Rome and his letter to Christians in Galatia that devotion to Christ with his emphasis on love would fulfill the moral commitments found in those instructions. Paul affirmed that all the moral emphasis in those instructions is contained in God's instruction to love our neighbor as ourselves because love will neither abuse nor exploit another person (Romans 13:8-10). The love for people given by Jesus Christ will serve to fulfill the moral directives of the instructions known as the Ten Commandments. Paul made the same point to Christians in Galatia when he wrote, "For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Galatians 5:14).
Remember, the Bible of the earliest church is what we commonly call the Old Testament. Those scriptures as surely encourage righteous and moral behavior as does the New Testament.
To the Jew, the Jewish Christian, or the gentile proselyte to Judaism, setting aside those original six instructions on human to human treatment was unthinkable. Consequently, they had major difficulty of accepting the conversion of gentiles who knew nothing about the covenant or those original six instructions. Paul reassured those people that a proper understanding of divine love and a proper pursuit of that love surrendered to all instructions God gave about human to human behavior.
Toward the end of his life (Matthew 22:34-40), the majority of the Pharisees tried to intensify and broaden opposition to Jesus by discrediting him. One in their ranks was a lawyer. Then, in Israel, a lawyer was a scribe who was a recognized expert in Jewish law and its application. His knowledge was rooted in religious perspective. He asked Jesus a "loaded, highly emotional question": which commandment is the greatest commandment? This was an often debated question that produced conflict and confrontation within Judaism. The Pharisees thought any answer Jesus gave ran a significant risk of a hostile reaction. Jesus answered, and this time he went further in his response than requested [on occasions, Jesus refused to give any answer to a question. See Matthew 21:23-27.]. He said the greatest commandment God had given was, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind" (Matthew 22:37; Deuteronomy 6:5) and the second greatest was "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39; Leviticus 19:18). Everything God commanded and urged would be fulfilled if these two commandments were observed.
When not threatened by a major crisis from without Judaism, Jewish men often debated theological views among themselves [we often do the same thing]. One of the perspectives that was a subject in such debates was (a) God's most important commandment and (b) God's least important commandment. As is typically the case among us in some of our discussions, Jewish men were often quite passionate about their personal position and conviction. The very nature of this question suggested Jesus could subject himself to the passions of the men who heard His answer. If the idea of subscribing priorities to God's instructions is rejected without consideration, note that Jesus' answer included a 'first' and a 'second.'
Jesus said the second greatest commandment God gave focused on the proper treatment of people. In ancient Judaism, the command focused on the proper treatment of fellow Israelites. In Christianity, that divine directive focuses on the proper treatment of people. The examples are found in Jesus' instructions (Matthew 5:44-48), in Jesus' death (Luke 23:34), in Stephen's death (Acts 7:60), and in Paul's instructions (Romans 12:17-21). Jesus ranked this directive second only to honoring God with all one's being (also see Mark 12:28-34). Christians need to understand that loving God involves loving people. Had God not loved us when we were truly His enemy (Romans 5:8,10), never would we received God's salvation in Jesus Christ. We urgently need to remember that truth when we look upon other people only as enemies. Is our faith in God powerful enough to say, "God, forgive them. They do not comprehend what they are doing."
The point to be noted and stressed: Jesus did not stress the importance of loving God without immediately stressing the importance of people loving people. Stress again our view of God directly impacts our view of people.
Do we trust that God can use our deaths as well as our lives to achieve His righteous purposes? We know Stephen's name 2000 years after he died. Who will remember you 100 years after your death?
Critical in a Christian's good treatment of people he or she regards as enemies is the confidence that God is bigger than physical existence.
For Thought and Discussion
At the core of this discussion should be God's general account of creation and God's specific account of human creation. See paragraph one.
The core of the discussion should be taken from paragraph three. It is important to help your students note that the breath of God's emphasis expanded rather than discarding one concern for another. The emphasis on expressing love for God through proper treatment of people is always a part of God's teaching.
Paul emphasized that a pursuit of God's concept of love would fulfill the last six of the Ten Commandments.
The question the lawyer asked Jesus: "Which is God's most important commandment?"
It focused on the proper treatment of people.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 1