A few months ago, I was talking to a friend about the value of human beings, about how it can never be equated with the value of God, but at the same time, humans are distinct from the rest of creation, because they are made in the image of God.

That puts human beings in a very unique place. We should not treat humans as if they are less than an image-bearer of God, but we should not treat humans as if they are more than an image-bearer of God. So therefore, in the Christian life, our first commandment is to love God, and our second commandment is to love human beings. Therefore, we go wrong when we don’t love humans enough, and we go wrong when we love humans too much.

If we don’t love human beings enough, we would be objectifying them. That is taking a human being, created in God’s image, and treating him as if he or she was nothing special. External results of objectifying people include lust, racism, and slavery. This is why people use others.

On the other hand, if we love human beings too much, we would be committing idolatry. That is taking a human being, created in God’s image, and treating him as if he or she was God himself. This leads to an abandonment of personal identity and calling, as well as a devaluing of God and His attributes. That is very dangerous.

So, to keep it simple. 1) Love God. 2) Love people. Just some food for thought.

– Larry