A Fuller Dignity

I started my research on “dignity” for reasons I will present shortly. Most of the search engine hits concerned “human dignity”; that is, the dignity that all humans possess because all men are made in God’s image. Interestingly, most of the sites were Catholic.

I don’t dispute that every human is an image-bearer and, by virtue of design, has inherent dignity. This is increasingly difficult to believe, as our global descent into madness continues. Seeing what some people have willingly done to themselves leads me toward the conclusion that some people really don’t like their Creator, and want to deface or obliterate His image if at all possible. “All who hate Me love death,” and so forth (Proverbs 8:36).

That is human dignity and the daily self-inflicted assaults thereon, but I have something else in mind. We, as humans, have one level of dignity, but as children of the King, we have another:

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7 (emphasis added)

The dignity of sitting together in the heavenly places in Christ far exceeds the dignity of being an earth-dweller made in God’s image. And this is a dignity we possess NOW. In God’s mind – in ultimate, bedrock REALITY (which is really the only place that matters) we are already raised and already seated. It is a spiritual reality, not a wish, hope, or dream.

Paul repeats this:

He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,

Colossians 1:13

The Greek word for “conveyed” is methistēmi and it is not a change in status. It is a change in location.

Dignity is not thinking of oneself as being better than others. I’m not persuaded that it’s connected with reputation, either. Rather, it seems most like valuing your honor. The things that are beneath your dignity are those things that are dishonorable.

Suppose you are in a grocery store, you pay for your purchases, and you discover that the cashier accidentally gave you $5 extra with your change. Of course, you give it back. Why? Because you are an honorable person and stealing is beneath your dignity. You are unwilling to sell your honor for five bucks.

Or five million. Your HONOR is simply not for sale, and not negotiable.

The Christian community may be recovering the sense of honor, generally shared by all people, but particularly enjoyed by those in Christ. Bindi Marc explores this (30-minute video).

It was this graphic that inclined me toward exploring this whole area. Everything in the world system is directed toward outward attractiveness: “dress for success” and “fake it till you make it” and so forth. I need not waste your time unpacking this statement. The question I am asking myself is, am I living in the world, to fulfill the lusts thereof, or am I seated in the heavenly places in Christ? Is attractiveness more important than honor? What things do I eschew simply because they are beneath my dignity?

A few years ago, I had a young man knock on my door. He looked rather like this:

I am used to people coming through the neighborhood and asking if I would hire them to clean my gutters and so forth, and I thought at first that this was what he had in mind. But he surprised me when he said, “I’m a financial advisor with Edward Jones and I’m looking for new clients.” I recall trying to share the gospel with him, but his uncle was in the ministry or something. Jesus is coming soon, but he really wasn’t interested. I was not interested in allowing him to manage my investments.

But the young man pictured above is not an investment advisor. His name is Steiger and he is a youth evangelist. He wants to mobilize the young and win the world for Christ. He seems to be trying to trade dignity for credibility. Or something. He says “we need to become relevant,” and I suppose this is the best way he knows to do it.

We Are Going to See the King

We in the end-times church, and especially in the eschatosphere are being badly distracted by the world, and by our “shepherds” who are emphasizing “being in the know” instead of being ready to go. Yes, we’re to be aware of what’s going on in the world, but being aware does not mean being consumed. I’ve seen a few – QUITE a few – Christian programs directed toward Bible prophecy, and virtually all of them are concerned with either 1) justifying their model of how they think “the tribulation” will play out, or 2) mapping current events to the scriptures, or 3) promoting their magazines, DVDs, prophecy conferences and YouTube channels. FEW talk about what kind of people we should be in order to give King Jesus the bride He deserves.

Maybe that’s okay. After all, we should have a pretty good idea this late in the game of what kind of people we should be. It’s not a knowledge issue at this point; it’s what we’re doing about it. We are going to see Jesus face-to-face. What ARE we doing about it?

I am grieved by our global descent into madness. Hopefully you are also, as it’s a bulwark of safety:

Now the glory of the God of Israel had gone up from the cherub, where it had been, to the threshold of the temple. And He called to the man clothed with linen, who had the writer’s inkhorn at his side; and the Lord said to him, “Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and put a mark on the foreheads of the men who sigh and cry over all the abominations that are done within it.”

To the others He said in my hearing, “Go after him through the city and kill; do not let your eye spare, nor have any pity. Utterly slay old and young men, maidens and little children and women; but do not come near anyone on whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary.”

Ezekiel 9:3-6 NKJV (emphasis added)

In Ezekiel’s day, it was those who were sighing and crying over the abominations in Jerusalem who were marked out for preservation, and it appears that it did not take the man with the inkhorn very long at all to identify and mark the small remnant that would be preserved. You also notice, consistent with Peter’s comment in 1 Peter 4:17, that judgment began in the “house of God.” That the temple courts would be filled with the slain strongly suggests there was a LOT of wickedness among the religious folks (and religious leaders) of that day. Maybe – just maybe – like today.

The list of sins of the ancient Israelites was a long one, but God seemed to center His indictment on one core issue – a root from which most of the subsequent malfeasance sprang. God wanted a separated people, totally committed to Him, upon whom He could lavish Himself. They betrayed His commitment to them and became like the world. They abandoned His ways and followed in the ways of the Gentiles. They squandered their honor and abandoned the dignity God had given them.

I won’t post the passage here, but I urge you to open your Bible and read Ezekiel chapter 16. God found Jerusalem dumped as an outcast – abandoned, naked, bloody and loathed. He spoke life to this helpless infant, raised her up and lavished Himself on her. He swore an oath to her, entered into a covenant with her, and elevated her to royalty.

Even if you’ve never read Ezekiel, that should sound very familiar, because this is exactly what He has done for you. If you are in Christ, God has bestowed His Royal Dignity on you. Each of us has been exalted. This is not to feed our pride, but to engender the deepest possible gratitude, and foster the deepest possible loyalty. We show that gratitude by treasuring the honor He has bestowed on us, and by living in the world as sons and daughters of God.

It’s now incumbent on us, during the few moments that remain between now and our departure, to be aware of and carefully avoid ANYTHING that is dishonorable, or that is beneath our dignity as His bride.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore do not be partakers with them. For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.

Ephesians 5:6-8 NKJV (emphasis added)

You are a child of God. What’s beneath your dignity?