An Equal Opportunity Savior and Redeemer

There’s much talk these days about equality and equity. In the minds of some, the two words are interchangeable. However, most people would agree they are different terms. Opinions vary, but here’s my take: Equality is the effort to offer equal access and opportunity. Equity, on the other hand, typically focuses more on equality of outcomes or results.

 

There’s the story of the college professor who announced a major exam well in advance. He administered the test two weeks later. Each student had the same opportunity to study. Some did so, diligently. Others barely studied their notes or cracked the textbook, if at all. They apparently felt they had more important things to do.

 

Predictably, when results from the exam were tabulated, the students who had studied and prepared for it scored well. Those who failed to prepare did poorly; some failed. That, the professor pointed out, was an example of equality. They all had equal opportunity – only some took advantage of it.

 

But he didn’t leave it at that. He then announced, in the name of ‘fairness,’ he was going to add all the exam scores together, divide that total by the number of students, and then assign everyone the average score. That, he said, demonstrated equity.

 

“Not fair!” complained the students who had worked hard and knew they deserved their A’s. Why should they be penalized because of those who chose not to study and prepare themselves for the exam?

 

Perhaps the best example of the difference between equality and equity is found in Jesus Christ. In fact, we might correctly call Him an “equal opportunity Savior and Redeemer.”

 

One of the best-known verses in the entire Bible is John 3:16, in which Jesus declares, “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” This is an open opportunity, available to all who will believe – that is, place their faith and trust in Christ.

 

Elsewhere the apostle Peter stated, “The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. Instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). Doesn’t this sound like equality?

 

However, the Bible does not teach equity – at least as it’s currently being perceived – regarding a saving, eternal relationship with Christ. For instance, we read in Matthew 7:21 that Jesus declared, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”

 

Another passage asserts, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved” (Romans 10:9-10,16). A response on our part is required. The gift of salvation and eternal life God offers must be received.

 

The Scriptures also teach equality as it relates to ethnic and cultural differences. In God’s point of view, all are equally valued and accepted.

 

Years ago, I was meeting with Rhon, a young African-American man, in a discipling relationship. One afternoon he looked at me and asked, “Bob, if Jesus were to stand in front of me, would he see me as a black man?” I responded with two verses that applied directly to his question.

 

In 1 Samuel 16:7, as the prophet Samuel was seeking to identify the successor to King Saul of Israel, God told him, “for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” I assured Rhon that what Jesus would see foremost was a man whose heart was being drawn to Him.

 

The other passage related to differences of culture, ethnicity, and status. As the apostle Paul wrote in Galatians 3:26, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” He doesn’t make the external distinctions that we typically make.

 

The truth that Jesus is an equal opportunity Savior and Redeemer is communicated in many other passages. One in particular tells of the apostle Peter coming to the realization that Jesus was the Messiah not just for the Jews but for all people. In Acts 10:34 we read, “Opening his mouth, Peter said: ‘I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the one who fears Him and does what is right is acceptable to Him.’”

This is the truly Good News that, “He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again” (2 Corinthians 5:15). Male or female, black or white, rich or poor, corporate executive or janitor, all are equal in the sight of God. 

All Are Created Equal – But Not Identical

There’s a lot being said these days about equality and “equity.” I used to think the latter term was referring to the amount of money my house would be worth if I sold it. That’s the thing about language; it’s dynamic and always taking on new meanings and uses.

 

When I think of equality, the words from the Declaration of Independence come to mind; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among them are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness….”

Unfortunately, in my opinion, the term “equality” has been hijacked and given a sense very different from what our Founding Fathers intended. I believe the words “created equal” related to being afforded equal opportunity. For some, however, they understand those words now to mean equal outcomes – something very different.

 

Consider this: At a university, one student attends every class, completes every assignment, studies diligently for all of the quizzes, tests and exams, and earns an A-plus. Another student goes to class occasionally, when she doesn’t find any more appealing options. She only does some of the assignments – you need time for fun, right? Once in a while she crams for a test, but for the most part presumes she can get by with only a minimum of effort. As a result, she is awarded with a C-minus.

 

Both students had the same opportunity, but only one took full advantage of it. Would it be fair to give both students an A? Or what if the fruits of their labor – or lack of it – were averaged together and both were given a final grade of B? Would that be fair?

 

That, I believe, is the difference between equality and equity. Both being given equal opportunity, but neither being guaranteed an equal outcome. “Pursuit” of happiness does not promise achieving it.

 

Where does the whole notion of being “created equal” come from, anyway? Throughout human history there have been the haves and the have-nots: caste systems, such as exist to this day in some nations; feudalism, in which the nobility (lords) ruled over the peasants (serfs); slavery, in which one group – even of the same race and color – owns and controls members of another group. Something that exists to this day in some parts of the world.

 

Many students of history point out that the idea of equality, as it’s traditionally understood, was born out of Christianity and Judeo-Christian thought. For instance, the oft-quoted Psalm 139:14-16 declares, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well…. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”

 

This passage states we indeed were created by God, planned and formed in the womb, but also implies a uniqueness. That we created equally by the Lord, but not identical. In fact, Isaiah 64:8 says, “But now, Lord, You are our Father; we are the clay, and You are our potter, and all of us are the work of Your hand.” 

 

Just as a potter using clay doesn’t always create the same pot over and over, our heavenly Father molds and fashions us into unique, special creations for His divine purposes. That’s why some people have wonderful singing voices or resonant speaking voices; some are gifted artists or writers, while others are mechanically inclined; some are drawn to the field of medicine, while others are accountants, teachers, law enforcement officers, or entrepreneurs.

 

Growing up in New Jersey, I was a New York Yankees fan and used to daydream about becoming the next Mickey Mantle or Yogi Berra. The only problem was, I wasn’t fast or quick, not especially strong, couldn’t hit a baseball well, was only average in catching it, and was very lacking in other important athletic attributes. No matter how hard I might have tried, I never would have made it to center field or behind home plate at Yankee Stadium. It just wasn’t in God’s plan for me.

 

The challenge is trying to discover who we are – who God created us to be – and to learn to be the very best we can be at that. No sense in arguing, saying, “Why couldn’t that be me, Lord?” As the apostle Paul admonished in Romans 9:20-21, “But who are you, O man, to talk back to God? Shall what is formed say to him who formed it, ‘Why did you make me like this?’ Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for noble purposes and some for common use?”

So, I see no point in begrudging the fact that I’m not rich like Bill Gates or Elon Musk, musically talented like Paul McCartney or a gifted actor like Denzel Washington. God created me to be me, to do those things He intended only for me, and to do the best at those that I possibly can. Just as He created you to be you. In the Lord’s sight, we’re equal to anyone else – but not identical. We’re the clay; He’s the potter.