Worms Don’t Go to Heaven
There is a powerful and unbiblical theology that states human beings are nothing more than “worms.” This same theology claims that humanity is totally depraved–a word which could easily be synonymous with “worthless.”
You know this theology, or at least the consequences of it. It comes out in our religious language and actions:
- Insisting after every compliment, “Oh no, it wasn’t me–it was all God!”
- A faithful person is asked to lead a Bible study and they reply with, “Who, me? I’m not good enough to lead a Bible study!”
- Relentless and obsessive Bible study, memorization and frantic prayer.
- People plainly stating, “I’m not good enough to go to church.” (Do you realize the rich irony in that statement?)
God’s Anthropology vs. Humanity’s Theology
The only problem with this theology (theo = God; -ology = study; literally “study of God”) is that God seems to think much differently about his creation. In fact, he has a much higher view of humanity than we often have of ourselves! The Psalmist writes:
What are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God and crowned them with glory and honor.
Isn’t that great news? If you are a human being (and I suspect that you are), the crown you wear on your head is not despair and depravity, but glory and honor. I don’t know about you, but that frames my whole day differently. It frames the way that I see others differently. Most importantly, it frames the way I see God differently.
A.W. Tozer famously wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” I would tweak it to read, “What comes into our minds when we think about what God thinks about us is pretty important, too.” If I believe that God sees me as worm-like and worthless, chances are I’m going to act out of that belief in some way. On the other hand, if I believe that I (and by implication, you) am honored and cherished by God, I’m going to live out of that reality.
Worms Don’t Go to Heaven
There’s more at stake than what we think about ourselves and others. Salvation’s at stake. Yes, that’s right–eternal salvation. Don’t believe me? Paul writes in Acts 13:
It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews. But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.
Simply put: You do not get to judge who is and is not worthy of eternal life–and that includes yourself! God does.
The Jews did not consider themselves worthy of eternal life, so God went elsewhere. He went to the one group that any good Jew could not possibly imagine God going to: The Gentiles. To even say the name ‘Gentile’ was like cursing your mother. But yet, God had no problems extending salvation to them. Why? Because his chosen people saw themselves as less than–as worms. They couldn’t get past the fact that the salvation God was offering wasn’t up to them–it was a free gift of God’s grace, offered in spite of their best efforts at “being worthy”.
Don’t Wormy, Be Holy
If you’re a fan of Worm Theology, this passage should frighten you to your core. There will be people in hell who cannot get past the fact that salvation has nothing to do with their own efforts. Their false humility will lead to their damnation. They will be like Etienne Javert in Les MÃÂs, where breaking the law becomes worse than death itself. The thought of receiving grace becomes toxic.
You are not a worm. You are the bearer of God’s divine and holy image. You are crowned with honor and glory from on high, one step below the angels of heaven. For God’s sake, believe it.
Gotta say Justin, this is a great post. I love the metaphorical/Biblical use of worms and really challenges you to see yourself as God made you. I don't even know how this would be controversial because it is flat out truth.
Thanks for writing this.
well said Justin…well said.
The point of the post is fine and good, so I won't quibble there, however, I do think you need to revisit the theological position you espouse for the Jews. I don't even think I need to fortify my argument by stating that I am a Jew, I need only to point to the Scripture you use to both – note the internal contradiction of your post and to illustrate your misuse/mis-read of the text.
First, the internal contradiction. You state that the Jews saw themselves as worms and that they've judged themselves as not worthy, using Scripture as your backstop. Unfortunately, you decided to use Scripture from the Tanak to show how we, the Jews, saw ourselves as one step below G-d. But, instead of allowing this Scripture to inform your perspective of Jewish thought, you choose another section of Scripture. You then use Acts 13, from the “other side” of the book, where Paul states that we've judged ourselves. When culling out the theological stance of the Jews, I would trust David over Paul, as he informed Jewish culture and thought to a far greater extent than Paul ever did. As well, David's Scripture is housed in the Tanak, which Jews embrace and not in Acts which Jews do not.
As well, Acts 13 is not intended to mean that they had low self-esteem and so they couldn't fathom a G-d who longed to be in relationship with them but rather that their actions and beliefs have brought judgment upon themselves (they didn't embrace Moshiach). This is somewhat a succinct paraphrase of Yeshua's words in John 5 when discussing the words of Moses and the Law and where the Pharisees/Jewish nation placed their hope. He states that He need not judge them for they stand judged already, as where they place their hope there is no hope – it's as though they are grasping at the air.
Your reading of it twists the text to fit your theological position but is not true to Paul's words or the entirety of Scripture.
I would also point out that the Jews were literally waiting (and still are) for G-d to send a saviour. This again, stands in contradiction to your perspective of Jewish thought.
Good stuff, JW – I'm enjoying the theology of positive thinking!
When we realize that God values his creation, we can know that value in ourselves, and reflect that to others too!
From 1 Peter 3: 14-15
Do not fear what they fear; do not be frightened.”But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.
From Acts 17:28
'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.'
So while we know that there is no good in us except that which is the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we must accept grace, and for some that is hard to do.
James Henley Thornwell writes:
Every Scripture which teaches that his understanding is blinded by sin, that his mind is darkness, that he needs a special illumination of the Spirit of God in order to be able to cognize Divine things, teaches most explicitly that in his natural condition he is destitute of the lowest germ of holiness. If he cannot see he surely cannot relish beauty.
Knowing that the spirit must open the heart to know Christ, what role can we have in helping others ACCEPT God's grace?
I have to say that you are a very interesting poster in this blog forum. It's not everyday that I get to speak to Jew waiting for his Messiah. I have no agenda to convince you that you are wrong in your assertions, but I have this question I have always wanted to ask someone like yourself. What is it about the historical person of Jesus that makes him non-messiah worthy? He seems pretty worthy to me so that's why I trust him. From your well of knowledge of understanding, what am I missing here?
Didn't mean to imply that you are not a follower of Jesus. If you are great. Still want to know from a Jewish perspective what makes Jesus non-messiah worthy for those who are waiting.
Mike… I'm interested in what you're saying, but I want to fully
grasp it.
Say what you said in one sentence, please. Boil it down to its essence.
Isn't that precisly the point?
I think Mike is a Messianic Jew, is that correct?
Crudely put, Messianic Jews are Jewish people who recognize Jesus as
Messiah but still hold to cultural Judaism.
for the most part, for the same reason anyone who doesn't believe in Him – it's a spiritual truth not yet embraced.
Given the cultural background, the competing messiahs and the various interpretations of prophecy regarding messiah, it's not really an intellectual truth you can be convinced of (and if you are, you may actually want to re-think your belief). you see Yeshua as worthy b/c you believe it to be so, so that sets the filter through which you interpret all things – in your reality, they all point to Him as Moshiach and you fail to see anything else that might say otherwise. (i say “you” generally not specifically). so inversely, to those who do not believe, they do not see Him as worthy and nothing apart from a spiritual reckoning will move them.
to that point, being the practical expression and manifestation of G-d's love is the only thing that will transform…
David, being the King of the Jews, set the tone for Jewish thought and culture with his words which you referenced – this is the paradigm through which the Jewish people should be referenced.
The Scripture you cite from Paul does not mean what you say it means. It is not a reference to their self-esteem but rather the result of their disbelief and outright rejection of G-d's true salvation.
You keep referencing self-esteem. If I communicated that the Jews had low self-esteem, forgive me. My point was to highlight the pride (false humility) that keeps people from receiving the salvation set aside for them.
I think the Jews of Paul's day had the same stumbling block…. Pride. The Messiah of God did not match the standards the Pharisees had. Simply put, Jesus wasn't good enough for them.
Again, if I gave the impression that salvation has something to do with self-esteem, forgive me!
First, I used the phrase “self-esteem” somewhat tongue-in-cheek but at the same time, it most succinctly sums up what you are pointing to in your post. You keep referring to how we see ourselves and how we see ourselves is reflected in our self-esteem.
You Said: “The Jews did not consider themselves worthy of eternal life…” <– what do you mean by this if not referring to their own view of themselves (or as I put it, self-esteem)? I don't think the Jews considered themselves lowly beings or not worthy of salvation should G-d choose them (and He did since they were His Chosen People).
You Said: “…Because his chosen people saw themselves as less than–as worms.” <– did they actually see themselves as less than worms? Again, this is a value statement placed on their own self-perception (or as I half-jokingly said, self-esteem). This seems to stand in direct defiance to the earlier Scripture you stated from David.
Did they see themselves as less than worms or did they see themselves standing just below the celestial beings? I think the latter rather than the former.
Romans 4:16 That is why it depends on faith, in order that the promise may rest on grace and be guaranteed to all his offspringâ€â€not only to the adherent of the law but also to THE ONE WHO SHARES THE FAITH OF ABRAHAM, who is the father of us all,
Genesis 18:27 Abraham answered and said, “Behold, I have undertaken to speak to the Lord, I who AM but DIRT and ashes.
James 4:6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.â€Â
James 4:9 Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.
Justin : “There is a powerful and unbiblical theology that states human beings are nothing more than “worms.†This same theology claims that humanity is totally depraved–a word which could easily be synonymous with “worthless.—
Josh: “There is a powerful and unbiblical theology that states human beings are special and must be positive and focus on self esteem.†This same theology claims that humanity is not depraved – which could cause sinners to think that they have some kind of divine worth or right to exist before the king of the universe who they have committed treason against.”
Justin, Because of my relationship with Jesus Christ, I am a 'new creature' and a 'holy people' but that is the point. It is BECAUSE of my relationship in Christ that I have this standing. God may think highly of us as his creation, but that doesn't change the fact that we are sinful, mortal beings. Yet, we are not defined by what we were (the old man) but by what we have become (the new man).
But what would you say about the Genesis (1 or 2) account of creation? Before sin entered the picture, God declared humanity to be very good.
This “very good” is the truest part about us, scripturally speaking. In order to re-deem humanity, God had to deem it worthy in the first place.
Those are wonderful Scripture verses. What was your intent in sharing them here?
Those are wonderful Scripture verses. What was your intent in sharing them here?