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).
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).
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!
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).
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.
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."
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?
For Thought and Discussion
Link to Teacher's Guide
Lesson 1