The first question that has to be asked is; what does equal mean? Definition below by dictionary.com.
e·qual/ˈēkwəl/adjectiveadjective: equal
- 1.being the same in quantity, size, degree, or value.”add equal amounts of water and flour”synonyms:identical, uniform, alike, like, the same, one and the same, equivalent, indistinguishable; Moreantonyms:unequal, different, more than, less than
- (of people) having the same status, rights, or opportunities.
- uniform in application or effect; without discrimination on any grounds.”a dedicated campaigner for equal rights”synonyms:unbiased, impartial, nonpartisan, fair, fair-minded, just, even-handed, equitable;Moreantonyms:unequal, discriminatory
- evenly or fairly balanced.”it was hardly an equal contest”synonyms:evenly matched, evenly balanced, even, balanced, level, evenly proportioned, well matched, on a par, on an equal footing; Moreantonyms:uneven, unequal
- 2.having the ability or resources to meet (a challenge).”the players proved equal to the task”synonyms:capable of, fit for, up to, good/strong enough for, adequate for, sufficient for, ready for;More
nounnoun: equal; plural noun: equals
- 1.a person or thing considered to be the same as another in status or quality.”we all treat each other as equals”synonyms:equivalent, peer, fellow, coequal, like; Moreantonyms:superior, inferior
verbverb: equal; 3rd person present: equals; past tense: equalled; past participle: equalled; gerund or present participle: equalling; past tense: equaled; past participle: equaled; gerund or present participle: equaling
- 1.be the same as in number or amount.”four plus six divided by two equals five”synonyms:be equal to, be equivalent to, be the same as, correspond to; More
- match or rival in performance or extent.”he equaled the world record of 9.93 seconds”synonyms:match, reach, parallel, come up to, be level with, measure up to, achieve Moreantonyms:lose to, beat
- be equivalent to.”his work is concerned with why private property equals exploitation”synonyms:be equal to, be equivalent to, be the same as, correspond to; More
From the definition above, we see that some of it applies to all humans and animals. But some of it does not apply because of the simple word “same”. We can see that each fearfully and wonderfully made persons, are not the same. Generally speaking, we have the same body parts, as humans. We can obviously tell that all animals are not the same, just by looking. I mean some of the animals that are deep in the sea are very different in appearance. As humans, we have generally the same organs and limbs. But how they present themselves can look different. We have different shapes, different sizes and different colors. Now none of these things as humans make one person better in quality than another.
This is a side note. I don’t understand how some people say they don’t see color in humans. I can plainly see color in humans. When you make the color a quality factor, then that is where we have a problem. If a person has a dark chocolate color, I want to see that beautiful color. If a person has a soft pink color, I want to see that beautiful color. If a person has a caramel color, I want to see that beautiful color. What is life without color? If God didn’t want us to see color, the whole world would look depressing and dull. I personally love all our beautiful colors. Your color does not define who you are. You are beautiful!
Ok, back to the word equal. There is one scripture that usually come to mind when I think about equal.
12 The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. 13 Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles,[e] some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit.[f]
14 Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. 15 If the foot says, “I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,” that does not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,” would that make it any less a part of the body? 17 If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything?
18 But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. 19 How strange a body would be if it had only one part! 20 Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. 21 The eye can never say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you.”
22 In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. 23 And the parts we regard as less honorable are those we clothe with the greatest care. So we carefully protect those parts that should not be seen, 24 while the more honorable parts do not require this special care. So God has put the body together such that extra honor and care are given to those parts that have less dignity. 25 This makes for harmony among the members, so that all the members care for each other. 26 If one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it, and if one part is honored, all the parts are glad.
27 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it.28 Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:
first are apostles,
second are prophets,
third are teachers,
then those who do miracles,
those who have the gift of healing,
those who can help others,
those who have the gift of leadership,
those who speak in unknown languages.29 Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets? Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? 30 Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages? Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not! 31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.
1 Corinthians 12 (NLT)
From the scripture above, we can see that even though it’s talking about spiritual gifts; it also let’s us know that all gifts come from the same Holy Spirit. I think it is safe to say that God made us so diverse, with so many different talents, so we can help each other. Where one person is weak, another person is strong. The two people together can get the job done. Why? The person that is strong in one area, will be weak in another area. Not only does it keep us humble, it’s also the way God orchestrated it. Don’t believe me! Let’s simplify this. Suppose every person in the world was a lawyer, who would they serve? Every one would be arguing for themselves and get nothing done because there is no judge. There are no clients to defend. Not only that, but these lawyers are naked, hungry and poor. There are no seamstress, farmers or miners. That sounds horrible.
Imagine the same thing with animals. If all the animals were elephants, what would it be like? Elephants would over populate. There would be no lions or other predators to keep a balance where no humans are. Elephants would trample and push things over.
I ask God, why am I covering the word equal? God has given me this. Many of us have a misconception of the word equal. Everything that God has made was made for a purpose. Everything has it’s time in the world. Also, many people confuse the word equal with the word authority. In the church we have lost our respect and reverence. When GOD call a pastor, he anoints them as a pastor. He calls the pastor to be a reflection of Jesus. In the aspect of leading, feeding and teaching. Many members in the church think because God says he is no respecter of persons; they take it as, I can on my own will usurp the person God has called for that office. News Flash! That is NOT how it works.
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Romans 2:11,12 (KJV)
When God says he is no respecter of person, it means that you are not better than the next person. We have all sinned and all need Jesus’s blood. God is an unchanging God. When god remade earth, it was a reflection of heaven. Jesus himself says that does what our Father does and say what our Father says. If there is order in heaven, what makes you think on earth confusion is good.
The reason I am bring up authority and tying it to equal because people are confused and mislead. Sadly to say it is also in the church house. That is not good because like Jesus; we are to do what our Father does and say what our Father says. One of the issues is most people do not research what a kingdom is. A kingdom has authority levels and each level answers to a higher level.
Let me simplify it. For every person that works as an employee at a job. Let’s say you work at Walmart stocking shelves. Suppose you have an issue on the job? Question, are you able to skip all the supervisors and managers and go to the CEO. You start yelling and screaming to the CEO. Do you know what would probably happen? You would probably get escorted out and loose your job. The level of God is higher than any CEO level. Respect authority. It does not mean the CEO is better than you. The CEO is also a human.It just means he has a level of authority that you do not have in the company. I don’t want to leave my fellow entrepreneurs out. As a CEO of your own profit company, you have to pay taxes. You decided you’re not paying taxes because the IRS is equal to you. You do not feel like paying and that is the way it is. What do you think would happen? Basically , in the end, you would be in jail.
There is a reason I started talking about humans and animals in this post. Humans have the authority on the earth. Animals are in submission to this authority. Each animal was made intentionally and has its purpose. Humans are to take care of animals and help them.
Pause…. Breath….Deep breath now and relax. I am going to say something that might upset many people.
Good, you took a pause.
Animals are here for a purpose and a reason. When we neglect things, animals will we affected in some way. Now that does not mean that your cat’s life has the same weight as your life. What do I mean by that? Your cat’s life is important, but not as important as a human life. It’s like saying, you have a cat that can not swim. You see someone else child and your cat, drowning in the pool. You are there alone and you do not see the parents of the child. You should not pause and think which to save. The obvious choice, if you can’t save both, is the strangers child. That is what I mean by weight.
I am intentionally stopping here because this is a lot to ingest. Think about it and leave your comments below.
