Sean Johnson - Intentionally - The Education of Sean Johnson

Imagine a trial in which a serial killer was convicted. Before the judge handed down the sentence (which would surely be death,) someone ran into the courtroom and said they wanted to take the man’s place. Though they didn’t know the man, they wanted the man to be able to go free and they to suffer for his crimes.

What would the perception of the general public be? My guess would be shock, dismay, perhaps even anger. Would this person be called heroic for taking the place of the murderer? Would this person be called idiotic? Crazy?

I personally can’t imagine the reaction of the masses to such an event.

Maybe that’s why there aren’t that many devoted Christians.

We fail to recognize that Christ died for sinners, not for good people. Moreover, Christianity claims that we are all sinners. In fact, according to the Christian worldview, our value is exactly the same as the serial murderer.

It makes us uncomfortable to be lumped in with a group of criminals. But we can take heart. Because while our value as people is exactly the same as the convicted murderers of the world, it is also exactly the same as the most upstanding citizens, the wealthiest magistrates.

And that value? Zero.

Apart from God, the Christian worldview would assert, our value is negligible. It doesn’t matter how bad or good we’ve been. Without God serving as the centerpiece of our lives, there is in fact no good. There are certainly things considered by the world to be good, but actions, thoughts and deeds don’t make us good. They don’t create our value.

If we’re using our goodness as a measurement of value (a claim that most people wouldn’t naturally assert and yet one our hearts demonstrate when thinking of ourselves in relation to the serial murderer,) then our value is nothing. We get no goodness except from the goodness given to us by God, and that goodness only comes by our willingness to trust in his promises.

Many people in history have died courageously and with bravery. These people died saving the lives of people deemed good by the world, and therein lies much of their value.

But how many people have been celebrated by running into the courtroom and offering their life instead of the serial murderers of the world?

I can only think of one.