Equal with God

Equal with God

The word equal means being the same in value, importance, or status as someone else.

I still remember my older son asking why we seemed to be easier on his younger brother than we had been on him. His question reminded me of my own childhood, when I asked my mother something similar about my sister.

Like many siblings, we compared the way we were treated. We assumed that because we belonged to the same family, we should always receive exactly the same treatment. But we overlooked an important truth: although we were siblings, we had different personalities, made different choices, and faced different challenges. We each responded to life according to our own desires and motivations.

The Bible presents a relationship that is truly equal in nature and perfectly united in purpose.

Jesus once said, "My Father is always at work, and I am working too." By calling God His Father in this way, He was claiming to share God's very nature and authority. The religious leaders understood exactly what He meant, and His claim led to fierce opposition. 

Yet Jesus also explained that He did only what He saw His Father doing. The Father loved the Son, and the Son loved the Father. They were never in competition with one another. Instead, they were perfectly united in purpose. Everything Jesus did reflected the Father's character and His will.

Our comparisons with others are very different. They often begin with self—our desires, our expectations, and our sense of what is fair. We are far from being united in character and purpose with the people around us.

If there is one way in which we are all truly equal, it is that none of us lives up to God's perfect standard. We all fall short. No one is better than anyone else in that respect.

The good news is that God does not leave us there. He invites us to look to Jesus—not only as our Savior, but also as our example. As we learn from Him, our hearts begin to change. Instead of insisting on our own way, we can begin to pray as Jesus prayed: "Not my will, but Yours be done." That is the mind of Christ—a heart that delights to do the Father's will rather than its own.