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Today being the ninth anniversary of the 9-11-01 attacks on American soil, there has been much written and said about what happened that day, vis-a-vis the degree to which religious tolerance is part of the bedrock of this nation, the proposed burning of the Koran by a small Florida church and the planned construction of a mega-mosque within two blocks of Ground Zero in Manhattan. I do not think for one second that I can compete with the rhetoric that has been expended on these topics. Yet I am stirred in my heart to write something that might be of value to someone. In my attempt at that, I will be abandoning the normal format of this blog in favor of stringing together some thoughts which in total I pray might glorify God and encourage the soul of a fellow pilgrim.
Ground Zero has taken on an aura of holy ground over the years, probably because of the magnitude of the tragedy that occurred there nine years ago. That's usually the case with us fallen people; we tend to place some unknown value on a human life, and then multiply it by the number of lives lost. Yet this leaves us with just a "bigger" unknown value, but because it is "bigger," more honor should be given. Consequently, when almost 3,000 people died on September 11, 2001; in the following years a complicated formula would be devised to determine the value of each particular life.
Much has been said of those who died that day: innocent, hero, unlucky, in the wrong place at the wrong time, selfless. With the exception of the 19 individuals who hijacked the 4 aircraft, everyone else probably was innocent with respect to having done nothing which justified the taking of their lives by another. Bible truth declares however that "There is none righteous, no, not one..." (Psalms 14:1; Romans 3:10); "....for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." (Romans 2:23). And then, "For the wages of sin is death...." (Romans 6:23a). So no one who died on that die could claim innocence in the sense that they deserved to avoid death.
So the innocence of those who died should not have been a factor in their worth. It must have been the huge numbers. Because over 300 firefighters died that day, their individual lives must have been worth more than the lives of the three who died a week or so earlier while fighting a fire. (I hope you sensed the sarcasm). The families of the three collected maybe $150,000 - $200,000 total while the value of each one who died on 9-11 was worth well in excess of $1,000,000. This just shows how flawed the human system is. The Bible states clearly that every soul is of equal value to God. It's apparent in perhaps the most well-known passage of Scripture in the New Testament: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).
"Whoever" is the word which clearly indicates the value of each and every life. The Bible says that God "...is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9). This repentance involves acknowledging our own personal sin and that Jesus is the only one who can save us. "Nor is there salvation in any other name under heaven given among men by which men must be saved." (Acts 4:12). Allah cannot save; Mohamed cannot save; Buddha cannot save; and man surely cannot save himself. If this sounds condemning, please listen to the words of Jesus. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:17-18).
Islam is a lie, and none who follow it will be saved from sin and allowed to enjoy eternal life. Buddhism is a lie, and none who follow it will be saved. Secular humanism is a lie, and none who follow it will be saved. I'm not going to make a statement that Christianity is the truth and all who follow it will live because Christianity exists today in many aberrant forms. I will say what Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6). True Christians follow Jesus as both Savior and Lord. When it comes to the lordship of Jesus Christ it is important to remember His words: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21).
True repentance involves a yielding of ones ways to the ways of God. It is a false belief within false Christianity that you can profess Jesus as Savior and wilfully say "No!" to Him as Lord. You can be forgiven every sin, big or little, when you come to Him in repentance; but you cannot use a cloak of "Christianity" as a license to do whatever you want. While it is the truth which sets people free, it is complete futility (or worse) to try to stamp out everything that is opposed to the truth. Truth will always stand on its own. So Christians do not fight Islam by burning the Koran (a book of lies) but rather by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with Muslims. Christians do not fight abortion by shooting abortionists, but by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with them and those who seek their services. Christians do not fight the assault on the sanctity of marriage by degrading gays, but by sharing with them the Good News of Jesus Christ.
What is the value of a life? Every human life is so valuable that, "inasmuch then as the children [you and me] have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself [Jesus Christ] likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15). Now Jesus is able to say, "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen." (Revelation 1:18). His life and His death and His resurrection alone are able to save. It is this truth which needs to be spoken and lived.
