How much does God value each and every human being? Do you see others as God sees them—as God sees you?
We know that God’s final work of creation, before He rested on the seventh day, was man. On the sixth day, “God said, ‘Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind [genus]: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind’ and it was so” (Genesis 1:24).
God the Father and the Word proclaimed what was to be the pinnacle of their great plan of salvation, a creature that was to be made “in Our image, according to Our likeness” (v. 26). And so, the greatest project God had ever devised became a reality. As this new being rose from the dust of the ground, God breathed into his nostrils the “breath of life.”
We learn that he became a living being [KJV “soul”] or, in the Hebrew, nephesh. Scripture reveals that there is a vital ingredient differentiating human beings from the animals. This potential son of God was to be given “a spirit in man.” Job said, “But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding” (Job 32:8).
Only human beings have the destiny of entering the Family of God as full sons in His Kingdom. Only they can communicate spiritually with God because of possessing this precious gift—the spirit in man.
Who Else Watched?
Who else was watching this incredible act of latent greatness? The fallen archangel Lucifer (whose name had changed to Satan) was watching, along with his cohorts—the fallen angels, now the demonic host. And they did not like what they saw. They loathed man. They hated this new being. They would destroy him, if they could.
Within a few short years, Satan’s evil spirit of murder had festered in the mind of Cain, and he rose up to kill his brother Abel, in spite of God’s warning of “sin at the door” (Genesis 4:7). Within a few generations, violence and wickedness had become so widespread that God repented of creating mankind (Genesis 6:5–7).
Thankfully, Noah found favour in God’s sight—and through his descendants the human race continued.
Contending with an Evil Spirit
For nearly six thousand years, human beings have been contending against Satan’s evil spirit of hatred and disgust for all of us. We are all targets of the despising attitude he broadcasts. We may even watch movies that portray in gory detail the shooting, stabbing and hacking of God’s future sons. Sometimes, we may even find ourselves caught up in a spirit of vengeance where we silently cheer on the murderer!
Is God pleased by this? No, He is not!
As we consider our great calling, it behooves us to ask the question: “Do I see others as God does?” We all want to receive God’s favour and forgiveness. We all hope for His grace and mercy, but do we extend it to others—especially those we do not like, or who do not like us?
This is a serious problem, and we need to face it squarely. We need to examine our perspective and our mind-set. If we retain this wrong attitude from Satan, we are in trouble.
“Raca” and Fools
When our Saviour began His ministry, He considered this problem to be so serious that He included it in His first sermon.
The Sermon on the Mount is recorded for us in Matthew 5. After outlining the basis for Christian living in the Beatitudes, Jesus Christ began to magnify the law of God by revealing the spirit that underpins each commandment.
“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder’ and whosoever murders will be in danger of the judgment. But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (vv. 21–22).
What does this mean? Here we see three derisive epithets. Each represents a decrease in the worth we perceive in the other person, culminating in an expression of great loathing even for the existence of the hated one, as if to imply that this is a person not even worthy of God’s grace. By the third stage, the one uttering such despising words is in the spirit of Satan. Even within recent historical memory, we can recall examples of societies and cultures that harboured collective hatred against individuals they came to consider “sub-human.”
God does not want us to be naïve regarding others who may want to hurt us. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can discern the fruits of another person’s words and deeds (Matthew 7:16–20). God pronounces “woe” on those who call evil good, and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Yet even when we recognize the bad fruit that another’s choices are producing, this does not exempt us from our Christian responsibility to love that person as a potential future son of God.
Toward the end of his life, the Apostle John penned his last thoughts in three epistles. In one of them, reflecting on the lessons he had learned in his long life, we read, “For this is the message that you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, not as Cain who was of the wicked one and murdered his brother… Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him” (1 John 3:11–12, 15).
What is the solution to the problem of hatred? To overcome hatred, we must see ourselves for what we really are, and we must see others as God would have us see them.
Almost all deeply converted Christians will recognize the experience of finding a fault in someone else’s character—then realizing that this fault is in fact a part of our own human nature! It can be disarming to see in others’ words and deeds a mirror of our own impure motives and thoughts. We must not deceive ourselves—human nature, with all its capacity for self-deception, lies deep within each one of us.
But there is hope! God’s righteousness, and the life of Jesus Christ in us, can give us the eyes to see our failings and the ability to change them for the better! We really can become like our heavenly Father, but unless we see others as He does, we will remain in darkness.
Speaking Well of One Another
God recognizes that we cannot conceal our true feelings and deepest thoughts from others for long. Our words become a measure of our heart. Jesus Christ knew this when He addressed the Pharisees with these words, “Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34). He continued, “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (vv. 35–37).
You are the only one who can control your tongue. To control your tongue, you must control your thoughts. To control your thoughts, you must firmly determine in moments of meditation and prayer that you will only speak well of others. To do this is hard—and it takes a deep commitment.
“But if I am to stop speaking evil of my brother, does this mean I will sometimes have to be silent?” Yes, it does! But we should not be silent when we must calmly tell someone that we cannot continue in a conversation that involves accusing, degrading and even destroying the reputation of another person through slander and gossip. This does not mean we must be rude or self-righteous, but sometimes we must wisely remove ourselves from such conversations.
Scripture tells us: “Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; and where there is no talebearer, strife ceases” (Proverbs 26:20). My grandfather practiced a well-known old saying, “If you cannot speak well of someone, say nothing.” We would all do well to live by that motto.
Of What Spirit Are We?
As Christians, we understand where evil thoughts come from. They originate from that being who was “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44)—Satan the devil—whose wiles are so great that we may sometimes think we are acting in a godly manner, doing God’s will, even though our motives are far from godly. Notice what happened to Jesus’ disciples John and James: “And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John [also known as ‘sons of thunder’] saw this, they said, ‘Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?’ But He turned and rebuked them, and said, ‘You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them’” (Luke 9:52–56).
Are you and I always sure what “manner of spirit” we are of? Perhaps you have noticed, at times, that you can be thinking kind thoughts toward one person, then in the very next moment be thinking or speaking ill of another? How fickle we are! How unlike God we are! How earthly are our thoughts, when His thoughts are higher than heaven above.
The Solution
So, what is the solution? It involves a frank awareness of our natural, carnal mind. It requires constant and vigilant prayer to pray for your enemies and do good to those who are against you. And be assured, if you pray for good things for those who despise you, your attitude will change. You will at the very least experience a calming change of mind toward them—and God may even cause your situation to change in ways you cannot now imagine!
Are you struggling with marital or family discord? Are you contending with a Church member—even a minister—whom you believe does not respect or value you? Are people persecuting you? Pray for them! Speak well of them, and notice what God will do in your mind. This is God’s solution, and will bring you peace of mind.