The value of a soul

“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8 ESV).

World news is dominated by the invasion of the Ukraine by Russian troops. As I write this article this war is approximately six weeks old and shows no signs of abating soon. World leaders, especially those of Europe and America, are loudly condemning Russia’s actions and calling for them to withdraw and for investigation of possible “War Crimes” to be conducted.

Yet, despite the great outrage, there are clear, definable limits to what those leaders and their nations are willing to do to protect and defend innocent Ukrainians from aggression. Since the Ukraine is not a part of NATO and lacks other treaty commitments with its neighbors, all of those outspoken leaders have made it clear that they will not take up arms against Russia for the sake of Ukraine.

I do not mean this to sound judgmental; I am simply stating the facts as reported frequently by news agencies. But it seems justified to analyze this position by stating, in the eyes of world leaders, one small, unaffiliated nation is not worth risking an outbreak of a World War, with possible deployment of nuclear weapons.

In contrast we are taught in the Bible, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Unlike humans, God gave everything so that even one person might be saved from eternal destruction in Hell because of sin.

The contrast is amazing. God loves so much more, so much better, than do humans. He gave his most precious possession to spare sinners from punishment which they deserve. Alliances with friends, family, or nations may disappoint us. Trust in God will never fail. He cannot lie (Titus 1:2) therefore we believe and depend upon his promises. He knows our needs (Matthew 6:32) and wants what is best for us (1 Timothy 2:1-4).

The caution of world leaders in the face of threat is understandable. Many of us probably agree with their positions and decisions in this regard. God’s level of love doesn’t really make sense to logical people. Why would he do so much for those who have rejected him and defied his authority? Are immoral persons, drug traffickers, thieves, and murderers really worth such concern? Speaking as humans, probably not. But God views them differently.

God is their creator who brought them into the world and “determined . . . allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place” (Acts 17:26). He is their Father, not spiritually so long as they remain in sin, but as the source of their being. He longs for their return to fellowship, for the opportunity to grant them redemption and adoption back into his family. And he has shown the lengths to which he will go to make that happen.

“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his only Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10).