The Economy of the Infinite

Economist and writer Thomas Sowell once wrote, “The first lesson of economics is scarcity: There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it.” While I’m confident Dr. Sowell knows a great deal more about economics than I could ever hope to possess, I cannot completely agree with him on this point. That scarcity is the first lesson of economics, I wouldn’t know. Sounds plausible. And the earth’s limit of “goods, services, and resources” also seems to be quite logical. But there is one exception.

Let me preface my thoughts by saying that I in no way intend to attack Dr. Sowell. I assume he wrote the above in the context of finite economics –those we grudgingly learned about in grade school. That financial system which affects the cost of gas and the price of wheat. Supply. Demand. Opportunity cost. Inflation. In that context, Dr. Sowell’s assertion seems true –even wise. But I want to introduce another economic system. It is both infinite and infinitely important. So I only want to use Sowell’s quote to draw a comparison and put an unconventional spin on the “old, old story.”

The idea first came to me as I was listening to R.C. Sproul preach a sermon from 1 Peter 1:18-19 on Christ’s “precious blood.” Precious, timios, isn’t just an aesthetic adjective Peter picked to add some pizzazz to his writing. It is a powerful, intentional descriptor to convey the value of Christ’s blood. Sproul defines the precious as that which is “not common…extraordinary.” So what’s so remarkable about the blood of Christ? Peter says we are to know “that [we] were ransomed from [unrighteousness], not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” Contrasted with perishable, though “precious” metals, here we see a picture of the perfection of our Savior. And therein lies our answer.

No man, woman, or child who ever walked the face of the earth lived a perfect life. And no one is living such a life. And no one ever will. But then there’s Jesus –tempted in every way and without sin. Blameless. Righteous. The life of Christ was “without blemish or spot.”

I’ll come back to that; but, first, the issue of blood. One might wonder why blood is such a big deal. Some may think such an emphasis a bit violent or morbid or savage. The answer starts back in the Old Testament. The Lord, in His sovereign work of redemption, instituted a precedent, which became a foreshadowing to its fulfillment in Christ. The sacrificial system. In this system, blood was sacred. God said, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it for you on the altar to make atonement for your souls, for it is the blood that makes atonement by the life” (Leviticus 17:11). The blood of the Israelites’ sacrifices was their atonement, their reconciliation to God. We’ve already established no one is perfect. From the moment of Adam and Eve’s sin in the Garden of Eden, man has lived saturated in the muck of sin. It is our nature. We cannot escape. So as the Israelites needed the sacrifice of blood, life, to be right with God; so we all need the sacrifice of blood to be right with Him. And it can’t be a drop or a pint. It must be “the blood that makes atonement by the life.” He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed (1 Peter 2:24).

Let’s connect the dots. Christ’s life was perfect. The only life ever to be perfect. So His blood, His life, is one-of-a-kind. Rarest of the rare. Most precious. As Sproul said, “Scarcity drives value.” The blood of Christ is the most valuable commodity, if you will, in the history of the planet. But scarcity isn’t the only factor of this infinite economy. Demand. Whether people admit it or not, they need the blood of Christ. They need atonement by it. I need atonement by it. In fact, it is the only genuine need I have. Everything else is dispensable. Nothing else is eternal. What is needed by every person on the face of the earth? All 6.8 billion of us? What was needed by the billions who lived before us and what will be needed by the billions who live after us? The blood of Jesus. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. So Christ’s blood is not only the most scarce, it is in highest demand. If the blood of our Savior is not precious, nothing is precious.

Going back to our dear Dr. Sowell – “There is never enough of anything to satisfy all those who want it.” Again, in Christ we see the exception. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13). In Christ alone am I completely satisfied. Even when the road is long and hard, I can be filled in no one or nothing else. There is no substitute for Reality.

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God.

1 Peter 3:18

This is the economy of the infinite. It is the economy of your soul.

Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Hebrews 13:20-21

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I realize there are more illustrations to be made between the finite economy and the infinite economy. But I will endeavor to make them another day. Stay tuned for opportunity cost…

VERSE REFERENCES
Our sin: Psalm 14:1-3; Romans 3:23
Christ’s perfection: Hebrews 4:15; Hebrews 7:26; 1 Peter 2:22; 1 John 3:5
Christ’s provision: Psalm 23:1; John 4:1-45; 2 Corinthians 9:8; Philippians 4:19

[Read and/or listen to Sproul’s sermon here: http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?SID=427082318128.]