No One for Whom Christ Died Is Worthless

By A. W. Tozer

Pride disgusts the Lord. Take my word for it
 – proud men shall be punished.
                                                           –  Proverbs 16:5

    Contempt for another human being is an affront to
God almost as grave as idolatry, for while idolatry is
disrespect for God Himself, contempt is disrespect for
the being He made in His own image.

    Contempt says of a man, "Raca! Fool! This fellow is
of no worth. I attach to his person no value whatsoever!"
The person guilty of thus appraising a human being is
thoroughly bad. The gravity of the situation lies not in
the fact that a man can cry "Fool!" but that he can
entertain in his heart the contempt which the word
expresses.

    Contempt is an emotion possible only where there is
great pride.  The error in moral judgment that under-
values another always springs out of the error that
overvalues one's self. The contemptuous man esteems
himself too highly, and for reasons that are invalid. His
high opinion of himself is not based upon his position as
a being made in God's image;  he esteems himself for
fancied virtues which he does not possess. The error in
his judgment is moral, not intellectual.

    Here is our warning: the Christian believer's disap-
probation of the evil ways of men and women must not
betray him into contempt for them as human beings! He
must reverence the humanity of every man – for no one
for whom Christ died can be common or worthless. To
esteem anyone worthless who wears the form of a man
is to be guilty of an affront to the Son of Man!  We are to
hate sin in ourselves and in all men, but never under-
value the man in whom the sin is found.
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Yours in Christ,
Paul N. F.