Masterpieces or Cheap Trinkets?

Are we as human beings masterpieces or cheap trinkets? This is a theme that underlies a lot of what is written by Nancy Pearcy in the book Total Truth. The answer has a great deal to do with what we believe about human origins, the fall, human redemption and restoration and should influence our interaction with others. Genesis 1:26-27 records the members of the Godhead talking and deciding to make man in their own image. So if we adhere to the Genesis account as Truth, we find that humans are far above animals because we are image bearers of God. Being an image bearer of God gives human beings value and dignity over and above the rest of creation. The Psalmist records in Ps 139:14 that he is fearfully and wonderfully made. The theory of evolution makes humanity just higher functioning animals and therefore takes away the intrinsic dignity and value of human beings. The Bible also records that sin and death entered the world due to one man (Rom 5:12). So we are still image bearers but marred and in need of redemption and restoration. If there was no fall, there is no need for a Savior or for the Holy Spirit.

So are we masterpieces or cheap trinkets? Well in addition to being image bearers of God, we should consider the price of our redemption and the effort involved in our restoration. Christ became man and He willingly died for us while we were enemies of God because God so loved. I recently read an article by a well known evangelist who proclaimed that we should be in awe that Christ died for us because we as fallen beings we have no worth or value to God. Wow, really? The Bible is pretty clear in a number of places that the punishment for sin is death. The fact that we deserve the punishment of death due to our fallen nature however does not somehow make us intrinsically worthless. The restoration of fine art masterpieces is a tedious, time consuming job that costs a great deal of money. The painting has to be analyzed as to whether it is a work worthy of such time, effort and expense. The paint has to be analyzed to see what kind of paint needs to be used. The picture needs to be x-rayed to see how many layers of paint are present. If there are centuries of grime, the picture needs to be meticulously and slowly cleaned inch by inch over a long period of time. The very brush strokes of the original artist need to be studied and imitated so that one cannot tell there was any work done at all. If the object in question is marble, one must match the color of the marble exactly so that the new is indistinguishable from the old. The replacement piece must be then be carved such that it seamlessly fits. How many of us would put that kind of effort, time and money into a cheap painting or a cheap trinket? Not many. Why then would we believe that God would pay the ultimate price for something less than a masterpiece? Our redemption and the start of our restoration come at a significant price. Our redemption was purchased with the blood of Christ. Just as the master art restorer meticulously cleans and touches up a painting over much time, matches the marble color exactly and crafts a piece to fit perfectly into the whole, so also the Spirit works on us after our redemption to restore us, transforming us into the image of Christ. We see through a glass darkly but someday when our restoration is complete we shall see as we are seen (1 Cor 13:12). So how should this affect our dealings with others? What did Jesus do? He did not honor or respect poor choices and sinful lifestyles, but He did look beyond the grime to see the masterpieces beneath waiting to be redeemed and restored. We need to correct where correction is needed but we also need to look beyond the grime of sin and treat other image bearers with gentleness, kindness, and love.