Redemption and value

No man can by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him -- for the redemption of the soul is costly, and he should cease trying forever -- that he should live on eternally, that he should not undergo decay

Do not be afraid when a man becomes rich, when the glory of his house is increased: for when he dies he will carry nothing away; his glory will not descend after him.

Psalm 49

We are surrounded on all sides by people who think that their wealth will insulate them from trouble. Their concept of value is based on the most commonly accepted unconscious norm of our society: that value, in the sense of human beings, can be measured materially. One person is more valuable than another, based on some sort of material criteria or another. This fallacy ignores the essential truth of the nature of persons: that we are created in the image of God, and therefore valuable for this fact and this fact alone.

The criteria that people use to devalue others may seem obvious. It is not always so. It is easy enough to point at shallow, callous examples such as the conceited billionaire who values people based on the size of their bank accounts, and treats those of lesser economic standing as subhuman. This caricature may ring true in some societies, but a far more common and insidious form of criteria exists today. This is the notion that a person's value is based on their economic utility; in other words, their use to the economic system that we hold so dear. A person who can and does contribute their "fair share" to the system is considered valuable, while one who does not is considered less valuable. The examples of caricatures of these types are legion: the welfare queen, the incorrigable bum, the disability loafer.

Social service agencies and ministries that exist to help these people are accused of enabling self-destructive (and non-productive) behavior. A line is drawn between the deserving and the non-deserving. Only those who are crippled by extraordinary circumstances far beyond their control are given a pass. All others are simply faking it. Conspiracy theories abound regarding these others, who certainly must be lying awake at night dreaming of new ways to bilk the system.

What is the view of humanity suggested in this attitude? It is a view that places the redemption of the soul squarely within the hands of the individual. Value is made, not endowed -- it is earned through effort that accords with the norms of a liberal capitalist society. A person is given absolute free will by their creator, and with that freedom comes responsibility. Failure to live up to the responsibility places one outside of the realm of grace. It is the unforgivable sin, to be non-productive in an ever-producing world.

The Bible speaks differently of redemption. Redemption is the conferring of value, particularly to someone or something that did not have any intrinsic value before. The Hebrew image is one of ransom, of a payment given for the life of a slave or prisoner. It suggests release from a status of worthlessness to a status of value. Of course, in the Bible redemption is always an act of God alone. Man cannot "by any means" provide for his own redemption or that of his brother. The image of the goel, or kinsman redeemer, illustrates God's redemptive relationship with his people. Christ comes to his own, and sacrifices of himself to bestow value on his kin who have been sold as slaves. This redemption is "costly" -- more than any person can pay, with any amount of wealth. Those who feel that accumulation of material assests will save them or even give them value are sorely mistaken. All accumulation, all the hard work we put into glorifying our own houses will not last.

Human value is neither intrinsic nor earned. We are not valuable simply because of something of value in our own natures. If this were the case, then God would be obligated to love us, due to our surpassing worth and beauty. Instead, we are valuable because of God's conscious choice and action, and it is an entirely unconstrained action on his part -- not that we loved him, but that he first loved us. The fact that he loved us while we were yet sinners only makes this love more amazing, and makes our value more pure in comparison with non-value. It also makes our redemption very costly.

To put a spin on Luther's old line: "We are not loved because we are valuable; we are valuable because we are loved."