The Value of Human Life
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Pastor Scott L. Harris
Grace Bible Church, NY
The Value of Human Life
Selected Scriptures
Introduction
This morning, in keeping with the theme set in Sunday School and in the special presentation by Deborah Townsend from the Care Net Pregnancy Center, I want to talk with you about the value of Human Life. I have spoken on related topics in years past including abortion, infanticide & euthanasia, medical care and capital punishment. This morning I want to concentrate on the more general topic of why human life has value and its ramifications.
The Value of Human Life
There are a variety of reasons that people present to try and give value to human life, but unless those reasons are grounded in something that is both intrinsic to every human and superior to human ability, then either the reasons will collapse or be safely ignored. There are many arguments against abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia which are very logically presented to persuade a person that these practices are not good and should be stopped, but because they are based in human reasoning alone, the arguments collapse.
Fore example, there are those that reason that abortion is bad because there is a negative economic impact of having 40+ million fewer consumers. Others argue that abortion is bad because abortion providers are an evil big business. (The emphasis being it is evil because it big business making multiple millions of dollars per year). However, if human life is put into simple economic terms, then strong arguments can be made that society is better off killing its nonproductive members. It is cheaper for the government to pay for an abortion than for it to pay all the welfare costs in raising a child to adulthood. It is less expensive to kill an handicapped child than it is to pay for medical and rehabilitation costs associated with helping such a child. Vast amounts of money could be saved in medical costs alone if active euthanasia was practiced on those who are old and sick. As harsh as this sounds to us, there are those in our society that advocate them, and they win the economic argument.
Some people argue that human life is valuable simply because it is human, but immediately the question arises about why human life should be valued more than other types of life. There are many in our society that believe human life is no more valuable than any other type of animal life, with some seemingly valuing animal life more than human life. The foundation of this belief is an evolutionary philosophy. If humans are simply evolved animals, then there is nothing to say that mankind is intrinsically more important than any other life form.
There are those that would then argue that humans are valuable because they possess certain qualities that other animals do not have. That opens the door wide for quality of life arguments, for if the worth of an individual is based on certain qualities, then if those qualities are lost, then so is their value. Ultimately this is the basis for the current case concerning Terri Schindler-Schiavo in Florida. Her husband, Michael, does not think her quality of life is high enough to justify the care being given to her. He wants to all treatment including food and water to be withheld which would result in her starving to death. Personally, I find it hard to believe that he has any real concern about Terri's wishes since he has had an ongoing affair with another woman and will gain several hundred thousand dollars when Terri dies. He is using the money granted to Terri for rehabilitation to pay lawyers in his effort to kill her.
If the superior qualities of human life are not what make men valuable, then what does? Why should humans be considered more valuable than animals? Why shouldn't economics be the deciding factor of who lives and who dies? Why shouldn't abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia be practiced? What basis is there for believing that human life has intrinsic value?
The answer is not found in man himself, but in the God who created him. Turn to Genesis 1:26.
The Uniqueness of Man
On the 6th day of creation God made each of the beasts of the earth and the creeping things after their own kind. He also made man, but we find man is made differently than the animals. In verse 26, God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth." 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." We find additional detail concerning this in chapter 2:7 which says, "Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." Later that day God took a rib from Adam and from it fashioned Eve.
Like the animals, man was made from the dust of the earth (except for Eve who was made from Adam's rib -- she is refined dirt). Because of that, man shares many common characteristics with animals in our physical body makeup. However, regardless of any physical similarities, man is very different from animals. Man had the breath of life breathed into him by God himself and became a living soul which means he has been given an eternal nature. That makes man very unlike the animals. Also unlike the animals, man was made in the image and likeness of God. Man is a reflection of his Creator. These are the facts that separate man from the animals and give him an intrinsic value greater than just having life itself and more value than animals or any other part of Creation.
Made in the Image of God
What gives man his greatest value is that he is made in the image of God. This is brought out in Genesis 9 when God institutes capital punishment for the murder of a man. When Noah comes out of the Ark, God includes in his diet not only the green plants but also animals (vs. 3) with the restriction that he may not eat its blood. In verse 5 God commands what is to happen to an animal or man that murders a man. "And surely I will require your life blood; from every beast I will require it. And from every man, from every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed, for in the image of God He made man."
The issue of capital punishment for those who murder is not about the value of life itself, but rather the value of that human life created as a reflection of God. Murder is actually a rebellious action against God. The main reason for capital punishment is not determent, retribution or human justice, even as important as those issues are. The main reason for capital punishment is God's holiness. Some people accuse those who advocate the right to life as being inconsistent on this point. They say that if a person truly valued human life they would be against capital punishment. However, the same reason that makes man's life valuable to save from abortion, infanticide or euthanasia is the same reason that demands capital punishment for murder. Man is made in the image of God. The inconsistency is with so many of the abortion and euthanasia advocates who stand against capital punishment. They value the life of a murderer for whatever reason in defiance of what God says, but they do not value the life of an unborn baby or those whose quality of life is below their standard.
Advocates of abortion, infanticide and euthanasia do not value human life because they reject what God says about human life. Certainly there are religious people that advocate these evils, but they do so in contradiction to what God reveals about Himself and His will in the Bible. Whether they admit it or not, what they are doing is trying to play God, and in doing so they blaspheme and offend the God that made them. The offense is obvious in that they disobey God's commands, and their advocacy to destroy a creature that is made in God's image is blasphemy against Him. These are serious sins that have brought God's judgement upon individuals and societies in the past. Part of the reason for the destruction of the Canaanites was their practice of infanticide as part of their worship of Molech (Lev. 20:2; Deut. 12:31; 18:10-13). The lack of justice, including for those murdered, was a reason for the oppression and eventual deportation that came upon Israel & Judah (Deut. 28:15f; cf Isaiah 5; Ezek. 22, etc.). As a nation, we should not assume God will continue to be as longsuffering as He currently has been with us. His judgement will surely come unless there is repentance.
Man wants to think of himself as autonomous, but he is not, for we are all absolutely dependent on God for it is in Him that we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28), and it is His hand that holds all things together (Col. 1:17). Man would like to be a free moral agent that determines right and wrong for himself, but he is not, for we are created beings that will be held accountable by our Creator for how we lived (Rev. 20:12). Man would like to decide what is important or not by his own wisdom, but man cannot for two reasons. First, man's does not have enough wisdom to accomplish that task for even the wisest man is a foolish imbecile before God (1 Cor. 1:18-31). Second, the value of something is determined by its owner, not someone else. Man belongs to the God that Created him, not himself, and God places value on man because He made man in His own image. That is why all men, regardless of their intelligence, physical abilities or social standing have intrinsic value.
Loved by God
There is another reason that man has intrinsic value, and it is also related to God. All humans break God's commandments, and their personal sin places them under God' just condemnation. In addition, man has no means within himself by which he can appease his Creator which he has so offended. All of man's attempts at righteous deeds are filthy before our Holy Creator (Isa. 64:6). God would be perfectly just and righteous to toss every man, woman, boy and girl into everlasting hell right now. Yet despite man's willful disobedience, God loves mankind and provided a way of salvation from sin and its consequences through the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is God in human flesh. Jesus paid the price necessary to redeem man from sin by dying on the cross in our place. He suffered and died so that you could be forgiven and have eternal life. The value of man is the value of the price God paid to redeem him from his sin. Tell me, what is the value of Jesus' life? At minimum, it is great enough to save everyone who will come and believe in Him.
It is important to emphasize this truth. God values you so much that Jesus, the second person of the triune Godhead, set aside the glories of heaven that belong to Him and became a man and humbled Himself to the point of death on the cross (Phil. 2:5-8). God did not do this because of anything in you, but because of His own character of love (Romans 5:8). The value of human life is based on what God declares it to be, which in this case is the value of the life of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and that is infinite.
Think about what these truths mean in your own life. Your value is not based in how well you perform in school, or what you scored on an intelligence test, or on what you can do physically, or how well you fit into societies concept of beauty, or how well you behave, or on your family background, ethnic heritage, or social class, or in what other people think of you, good, bad or indifferent. It is not even based in what you think of yourself. Your value is based in God creating you in His image and in His declared love for you proven in Jesus Christ. That gives you a foundation of comfort, hope and security by which you can face any of the nonsense that society throws at you in trying to bring you down to its level and conform you into its image (Rom. 12:2). I like how Elias Carrero responds to life's difficulties or when people treat him wrongly. He simply says, "I know that Jesus loves me, so its okay."
These truths also mean that abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and failure to carry out capital punishment on murderers are all fundamentally wrong because they fail to recognize and respect the proper value God has given to every human. But there are also more specific commands and Biblical principles that prove each of these are evil. I have already commented about capital punishment, so lets quickly look at abortion, infanticide and euthanasia.
Abortion
Many people are simply confused when it comes to abortion. It has become a political football between those who believe in the right to life and those affected by feminist philosophy that believe abortion is a right of a women to control her own body. Many churches are confused about when a child becomes human - at conception? 10 weeks? 6 months? birth? only if it breaths?
How do we respond to the arguments for abortion such as: "We must protect a woman's right to choose." "Without legal abortion women will die at the hands of back alley butchers." "Abortion helps every child be a wanted child." "Abortion protects people from experiencing the pain of having a quality of life not worth living." "It would be cruel to make women who were pregnant by rape or incest bear that child." "Don't force your morality on others by making abortion illegal."
Our quest is to know what God says about it, for until we know what He says we are only ignorant people adding our opinions to the discussion. Once we know what God has said, then we can respond appropriately and speak authoritatively to the issue. But what has God said about abortion? Even here there is confusion because of the senseless talk of people claiming to speak for God. Remember, there are many false prophets and deceived people out there who promote falsehood and foolishness. Consider the letter to "Dear Abby" by a fellow who signed it "Bible Student."
Dear Abby - "A woman has the right to abort an accidental pregnancy if she so chooses. The fetus is not a living soul, but a living organism. It is part of the mother's body - connected by the umbilical cord. The fetus is no human soul until the umbilical cord is severed and the fetus takes its first breath of air, and is able to survive on its own outside its mother's body. The Bible clearly states, "God breathed into Adam's nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul (Gen. 2:7). - Bible Student
The erroneous conclusion of this self proclaimed "Bible student" points out the great confusion we find in the issue of abortion.
I have already pointed out from Genesis that God is the creator of all life. He created Adam from the dust of the ground, and then Eve from one of Adam's ribs (Gen. 1:27; 2:22). Jesus makes the same claim in Matthew 19:5 as does Paul in 1 Corinthians 11:8,9. To deny that God created man and woman is to deny the writings of Moses, the Apostle Paul, and the words of Jesus Christ.
But more important to our discussion about abortion than the general fact that God created human life is that God controls the creation of each individual human life. The life that is in the womb is not just the product of an act of two humans, but also involves the action of God. Human life comes from the hand of God both generally and specifically. Let me give you just a couple of quick examples.
1) Sarah - the wife of Abraham
In Genesis 16:1,2 Sarai tells Abram, "Now behold the Lord has prevented me from bearing children." She understands that it is the Lord that opens or closes the womb. In Genesis 17:16 the Lord says, "I will bless her and indeed I will give you a son by her." It is the Lord that will give Abraham the son through Sarah. That is emphasized again in verse 19. "No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son." It would be the Lord that would accomplish this. In Genesis 21:2 - the promise is fulfilled, "and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him."
2) Hannah - 1 Samuel 1:5
In verse 5 we find "...but the Lord had closed her womb." In verse 11 Hannah prays that the Lord would give her a son. In verse 19,20 we find, "And Elkanah knew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her and it came about in due time, after Hannah had conceived, that she gave birth to a son; and she named him Samuel, 'Because I have asked him from the Lord."
3) The testimony of the Psalms.
Psalm 100:3, "Know that the LORD, Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture."
Psalm 127:3, "Behold, children are a gift of the LORD; The fruit of the womb is a reward."
Psalm 139:13-16, "For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them."
God opens or closes the womb and He forms the individual in the womb. A child in the womb is not just the "product of conception" as euphemistically referred to during abortions. He or she is a unique individual formed by God. The argument that the un-born child is part of the woman's body is totally false both in terms of its spiritual identity before God and its physical/genetic makeup. Physically, the child is separate from but totally dependent upon the mother. Genetically the child is a mixture of her chromosomes and that of the father and thereby a unique individual. A woman does not have a right to terminate the life growing within her, instead she has a responsibility to protect and nurture the baby in her.
Let me add that the claim that a woman has a right over her own body is also erroneous. If she is married, she belongs to her husband, just as he belongs to her (1 Cor. 7:4). But married or not and regardless of her own beliefs, her body belongs to the Lord who created her (1 Cor 6:13). We humans are not as autonomous as we would like to think.
But what about the argument that the unborn child is not human until it is outside the womb and breathing on its own? The Scriptures we have examined have already hinted at the Biblical concept that a child is fully human at conception, but lets look further.
1) Luke 1:39-45
"Now at this time Mary arose and went with hast to the hill country, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it came about that when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice, and said, 'Blessed among women are you, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.
The unborn infant John the Baptist responded to the presence of the unborn infant Jesus because the both were already human. Before he was born, John already possessed a soul that recognized the Messiah
"Now the Word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."
The question of when a human becomes a true human in terms of "potentiality" or its ability to survive outside the womb is a non issue because the word of God is clear that at conception a human life is created and that he or she has a soul. To end that life by abortion is nothing less than the willful taking of a human life which is murder. That is the choice that pro-choice people talk about. They want freedom to murder.
Infanticide and Euthanasia
Everything the Bible says about murder also applies to infanticide and euthanasia. There is no question about a baby that is already born being human. The major reason for infanticide and euthanasia is that it makes life easier for the survivors. Those that advocate so called "mercy killing" for those who are severely handicapped in some way or are old and sick are wrong for two reasons.
First, in Exodus 4:11 God makes it clear to Moses that He makes the dumb, the deaf, the seeing, and the blind. Moses could not speak eloquently, but God would use the handicapped to glorify Himself. Also, there is no right to health, that comes as a mercy from God. In John 9, Jesus pointed out a particular man who was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed in him. He then healed the man. It is not up to the individual or others to decide the value of life based on some judgment of its quality. All people are created for God's glory. It is up to God to determine how He will use the individual.
Second, it is not up to man to decide when he will die. The timing of a person's death is also up to God (Job 14:5; 30:23; Ps 89:46-48; Heb. 9:27). For someone else to play God and purposely take a life is murder. For a person to play God and purposely take their own life is suicide - self-murder. Suicide is always presented as a negative in Scripture. Like Paul in Philippians 1, the Christian may long for Heaven which is very much better than life here, but we remain in the flesh for the sake of others and let God determine when we go home. Infanticide, euthanasia and suicide are all acts of selfishness.
Responding Properly
What is our responsibility toward these issues?
First, we need to respond with the message of hope, the gospel. The people involved in abortion, infanticide and the euthanasia movement are dupes of the devil, blinded by the god of this age. Even the most evil abortionist in really nothing more than a pawn of Satan. Women more often feel the guilt of the sin, but the men involved are just as responsible and guilty before God. We need to let them know that God can and will forgive them if they will ask. Jesus came to die on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins - all of them. Abortion can be forgiven. Our first response needs to be the offer of the hope of the gospel to guilt ridden people.
Second, we need to be informed about the issues involved, what occurs in abortions, the laws that pertain to these issues and the activities of organizations that are striving to stem the tide of blood. I have literature on the back table about these issues.
Third, we need to pray. I put this after being informed because we need to be informed in order to pray intelligently and specifically. Prayer needs to be more than just saying, "God, do something about all this killing." We need informed, fervent prayer such as: "Lord God, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and suicide are all abominations before you and an attack against you. Show me how I can help prevent them. Give me opportunity to share the hope of the gospel to those who are hurting because of these great sins. Give me opportunity to share your truths with those who may be considering them. Lord, direct our leaders in dealing with these issues. May your Holy Spirit bring conviction upon their souls and change their hearts and minds and conform them to your will. Remove as you see fit those who oppose your law, etc.".
Fourth, Financial support. Again, there are many organizations fighting these evils. Each one has a different mission. Some are primarily educational, some political, some activist, some provide personal care to those considering abortion - crises pregnancy counselling, homes for unwed mothers, adoption agencies. All of them can use financial support. Check some of them out to see if the Lord would want you involved on this level.
Fifth, get personally involved. Maybe you can be involved in some of the political ramifications - write letters to / call on your representatives. Maybe you can be a pro-life speaker going to schools, clubs, and other organizations to present the truth about the infant in the womb. Maybe you can take time to be involved with a Life Savers or the Care Net Pregnancy Center. Or perhaps you could even provide a home for a pregnant woman who is in difficult circumstances and share the love of Christ with them. Even if you can not provide a home, you can provide friendship and emotional support. The brochure included in the bulletin even tells you how to help extend someone's life through donation of your own organs and tissues when you die. I would personally encourage you to enroll on the New York State Organ and Tissue Donor Registry. Perhaps the Lord might use a body part you no longer need because you are with Him to extend the life of another Christian, or extend the life of a non-Christian that they may yet hear the gospel and be saved.
Pray and let God show you how and at what level He would want you involved, and then do it.
Sermon Study Sheets
KIDS CORNER
Parents, you are responsible to apply God's Word to your children's lives. Here is some help.
Young Children - draw a picture about something you hear during the sermon. Explain your picture(s) to your parents at lunch. Older Children - Do one or more of the following: 1) Write down all the verses mentioned in the sermon and look them up later. 2) Count how many times the word "life" is said. Talk with your parents about the value of human life, and what you can do to help protect it.
THINK ABOUT IT!
Questions to consider in discussing the sermon with others.
Why are economics / human ability a poor argument against abortion, infanticide, euthanasia? What separates mankind from all animals? Why is this important? What is the biblical basis for capital punishment? What is the importance of man being made in the image of God? How has God responded in the past to those that do not value human life? What price did God pay to redeem mankind? What is the value of that price? How has politics confused the abortion debate? What are the primary pro-life argument? What are the primary pro-abortion argument? What is God's involvement in human life both generally and specifically? Does a woman have a right over her body? Why or why not? Is a baby part of that body? Why or why not? When does a human life receive personhood/a soul? Explain each of the following and the primary motivations for them: abortion, infanticide, euthanasia? What biblical principles apply to these? What is wrong with "mercy killing"? What is the Christian's responsibility toward all these issues? What is your involvement with these issues? Should you do more? If so, what?
ORGANIZATIONS
The National Right to Life Committee. (I; PA), 419 7th St. N.W. #500, Washington, DC 2004, www.NLRC.org
New York State Right To Life Committee, Inc. (I; PA), 41 State Street, Albany, NY 12207 518-434-1293, www.nysrighttolife.org
Life Saver Ministries (CPC; H), 1863 County Highway 107, Amsterdam, NY 12010-9229 1-800-648-HELP
Care Net Pregnancy Center (CPC), 226 Church St., Poughkeepsie, NY 12601 818/471-9284, www.carenethudsonvalley.com
Stop Planned Parenthood, Inc (I; A), P.O. Box 8, LaGrangeville, NY 12540
Focus on the Family , family.org (I., PA, S)
afterabortion.org (I, S)
National Council for Adoption, ncfa-usa.org (I, S)
Lifeissues.net (I)
(I = Informational. PA = Political Action. A = Activist. CPC = Crisis Pregnancy Center. S = Support services. H = Home for crisis pregnancy mothers)
Sermon Notes - 3/20/05 a.m.
The Value of Human Life
Introduction
The Uniqueness of Man
Made in the Image of God
Loved by God
Abortion
Who makes man?
1. Genesis 16:1,2; 17:15-19
3. Testimony of the Psalms: Psalms 100:3; 127:3; 139:13-16
Individuality of the Unborn Baby
Whose Body is it?
When Human Life Begins
Infanticide and Euthanasia
Job 14:5; 30:23; Ps 89:46-48; Heb. 9:27
Responding
A. The Gospel
B. Be Informed
C. Pray
D. Financial Support
E. Personal Involvement
