Wednesday-Equality

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;

2 Peter 2:4,5

Equality is the word for our time. It’s flashed across the news and social media sites. Protesters all around the world demand equality. The call is that everyone deserves to be treated equally. Equality when it comes to opportunities. Equality when it comes to jobs and advancement.

And I’m all for equality. But to a point. There are times when the call for equality needs to be set aside. For example, Mary Ann tutors first graders who need extra help with reading. Only certain kids get this special help.

Sometimes one of the kids not getting this help comes up to Mary Ann and asks to be part of her group. To get extra help too. But it’s not available to everyone. A choice is made based on need and those in need get the help they need.

It may sound hard and harsh, but this is an example of inequality. A few people receive special treatment while the others don’t. They can only look in. If everyone was equal, and got all the same thing, then these kids might be forever behind in their reading.

Here’s another example. When we’ve been walking through a plant nursery and it comes time to check out, I only buy the plants and fertilizers we want. The ones we’ve picked out. I’m not going to pay for something I don’t want, or for someone else. I’m making a choice of where I’m going to spend my time and money.

Peter brings up two examples of how God is both equal and not equal at the same time. If you’re like me, I was brought up to believe that if anyone was equal and fair that it was God. It’s taken a long while and a lot of thinking to come to the conclusion that God shows both equality and inequality.

It may sound like some kind of spiritual double-talk but stick with Peter and me for a few minutes. Please read and think about this carefully before you block me from any future communication.

In these two verses, Peter talks about two different groups. Angels and people. They do the same thing, but God treats them very differently. They both sin but their punishments are not just different, but wildly different.

• Angels. They are spirit creatures created by God who are his messengers. Some of them crossed a line that God had commanded them about, so he put them in a spiritual jail until they would be judged and punished once and for all[1].

• People. The world had become so wicked that people did anything and everything that was evil[2]. God brought a flood as a punishment that would kill off everyone. But God didn’t stop there. He chose Noah and his family to be safe through the flood and to rebuild the world[3].

God treated angels and people both equally and unequally. Both got punishment for their rebellion against God because they deserved it. But when it came to people, God showed mercy. He spoke to Noah and told him how to build a boat and to bring animals into it.

I’ll tell you one other thing that God did for Noah that he didn’t do for angels. God gave Noah time. Time to get the materials. Time to build that boat. Time to put plenty of food in the ark. Time to bring all the animals in and to close the door.

But God’s lovingkindness didn’t start here with Noah. It began in the garden where God put Adam and Eve. After they sinned, God could have just wiped them out. But he did something very special. He had made a promise that a savior would come and defeat our enemy[4].

All the stories and prophecies in the Bible are part of God’s amazing story of salvation through grace. Salvation is when God takes on himself what we deserve and treats us just like Jesus his son deserves.

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

2 Corinthians 5:21

This makes God’s story so special. Everyone else thinks that we have to pay for our sins and then do a whole lot of extra credit stuff to earn God’s love. But God knows that there’s no way for us to save ourselves. To do enough good stuff to make up for all our sins is beyond possible. That’s why God's Son, Jesus, had to pay the price for our sins and he made us free. Yes, God has forgiven us[5]. Isn’t this the inequality we all want?

Noodling Questions

• Describe a time when you weren’t treated equally with everyone else.

• What feeling comes when we’re not treated equally? Describe.

• How does God treating you special through Jesus change everything?

[1] Genesis 6:1,2 Jude 1:6

[2] Genesis 6:5,11

[3] Genesis 6:13,14

[4] Genesis 3:15

[5] Colossians 1:14 EASY