You do the math...

[I originally posted this last December. It is a thought that strikes me far too infrequently.]

I have the joy and privilege of teaching high school-aged young men on Sunday mornings during the Bible Study hour at our church. We have been going through the book of Acts. This Sunday we will be discussing the martyrdom of Stephen.

Most teaching I’ve heard on this passage focuses on what Stephen was willing to give up to be faithful to Christ. That is certainly applicable, especially when we are living in an age where American Christians are clueless about the intense persecution going on in the world around them.

However, it set me to thinking about the worth of a man’s life. What are we worth?

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. (Mark 12:30)

So, with every thought or deed in which we fail to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength, we break God’s law and sin. What does every sin deserve? The infinite punishment of God.

For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. (James 2:10-11)

With every sin we in essence point our creaturely finger at our Creator and say, “I don’t need You. I know better than You. I prefer this or that to obeying You” or something to that effect.

How many sins would you say you commit in a day? One, five? Two-hundred? Let’s just be conservative and say 200.

A year has 365 days. So that’s 73,000 infinities of judgment for one year.
Most of the guys in my class are about 15-18, so let’s just average it to 17 years – 1,241,000 infinities of judgment – burning in Hell judgment - for the lives they have lived already. For me it would be over twice that – a mere 2,628,000 infinities of judgment.

Now, take all of those in my class – let’s say ten, and for the sake of the math I’ll just be 17 – that’s 12,410,000 infinities of lake of fire burning torment-type judgment. And that’s just where we are by limiting it to 200 sins a day up to today.

That doesn’t count the lives we have yet to live, daily sinning against God and storing up infinity upon infinity of wrath and judgment for our sins. But, that’s just us – what about our families, extended families…those in the U.S.

And, that’s just those living here, what about foreign countries, Mexico, Argentina, even Canada and Brazil. What about across the ocean – England, Germany, Russia, all those new little splinter countries that fractured off the USSR, China (wow China), Japan and on and on it goes.

That’s just today in our lifetimes…what about the seven (give or take) millennia that have preceded us? The billions upon billions of people in the past with their trillions and trillions of infinities of hell-deserving judgment. And, if the Lord tarries, the billions yet to live…

So, in sum, all of humanity is worth...nothing.

I usually think of the Cross in terms of God’s mercy to me and the love Jesus has for me that He would die such a horrible death in my place.

We measure the worth of gold or a diamond based upon what it can be traded for in cash or goods. The dollar is valued against the yen based upon each currency’s purchasing power.

And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, (Revelation 5:9)

My new thought – it’s not really new, I just think I finally got it – what incredible worth of Christ is displayed in the Cross.

God, in His infinite wisdom used something as lowly as two beams of wood and three nails to put on display the infinite upon infinite worth of His only Son in that only He could purchase – or ransom really, He didn’t get much in value in return – those redeemed out of fallen humanity.

And, as I was studying for this lesson on Stephen, this verse hit me…

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:31-39)

All of which leads me to this conclusion: Don’t be afraid to speak up at school. Don’t be afraid to be bold with a rabid atheist family member. Don’t be afraid to pour out your lives proclaiming the infinite upon infinite worth of Christ. He is worthy to be treasured above your plans for the hot wife, the cool house, the 2.1 kids and the dream job. All those dreams and hopes are over, if they are even realized, in 70-80 years, if that. Christ is of far more worth than our uncertain 70-80 years.

If you have not trusted in Him alone to save you from the infinities upon infinities worth of wrath you store up for yourself everyday…if you have not had your eyes opened to the beauty of Christ…if the Holy Spirit is drawing you to examine yourself to see if you are in Christ…what could you possibly be waiting for? Seek Him while He may be found.