“Then God said, `Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness …” (Genesis 1:26). “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being” (Genesis 2:7). “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him…” (Genesis 1:27). God imagined man, incorporated him, and imbued him with life. On the day of man’s making, God blessed the capstone of His creation (Genesis 1:28), teaching us that He who “…forms the spirit of man within him” (Zechariah 12:1) counts His creation valuable. This truth was further communicated in His declaration to Noah: “Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of 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” (Genesis 9:5-6). Clearly then, life is sacred, and its taking no small thing.
The world has forgotten that. “…[E]ven as they [do] not like to retain God in their knowledge, God [has given] them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness…full of murder…” (Romans 1:28-29). According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, over 1,200,000 unborn children were murdered in the United States just in 1995 (and that number represents only the reported instances!) (p. 4). Since 1977, over a million such murders have taken place each year in this country (p. 4). Mothers who ought to love their children are killing them. Did not the Scripture rightly say that “…in the last days …men shall be …without natural affection” (2 Timothy 3:1, 3)?
Abortion (a euphemism, by the way) is justified by some of its adherents by asserting that human life is not being taken, because human life does not yet exist. Yet, in 1981, after an eight-day hearing concerning the “Human Life Bill” in which 57 expert witnesses gave testimony, the final report made by the Senate Subcommittee read: “Physicians, biologists, and other scientists agree that conception marks the beginning of the life of a human being–a being that is alive …There is overwhelming agreement on this point in countless medical, biological, and scientific writings” (p. 4).
But abortion is only one part of the whole. Were no more unborn children ever murdered, man’s hands would still be covered in violence, for suicide (self-murder) plagues our culture, as well. 30,575 Americans murdered themselves in 1998. “On average, eighteen elderly Americans take their own lives each day.” “…[In 1998] the [Center for Disease Control] reported that there were 1.7 times as many suicides as homicides.” In the United States more people die from suicide than from homicide. These statistics will only grow worse as we begin to feel the full force of decisions like the one made in Oregon in 1994, to legalize assisted suicide (p.10).
Worthy of mention, as well, is the acceptance that euthanasia (literally, “good death”)–the practice of killing those who are by the judgment of the physician, family, or state, no longer fit to live (with or without the patient’s approval)–has received in Holland. “One study reported that euthanasia in the Netherlands continued to increase, and that now doctors not only are killing the terminally ill, but also those with chronic, non-life-threatening conditions …As late as 1995, 1 in 42 deaths in Holland was determined to be an assisted suicide. Even more alarming is the fact that 1 in 4 doctors admits to killing patients without the patient’s request or approval” (p.10). Life that was not in their power to give, doctors have now decided is within their right to take.
What drives these people “…who practice such things (that) are deserving of death…” and “…approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:32)? The answer may be found above: “they [do] not like to retain God in their knowledge ….” (Romans 1:28). Choosing to believe that we are the product of cosmic chance, rather than the creation of God, they have in their own minds done away with the intrinsic value of life. As Robert Reilly stated: “The problem is that, by denying the possibility of a relationship between God and man, atheism also denies the possibility of a just relationship between men …Human life is sacred only if there is a God to sanctify it. Otherwise man is just another collection of atoms and can be treated as such” (p. 11).
(Many thanks to Brad Harrub, Ph.D. of Reason and Revelation for his article, “The Inherent Value of Human Life”, containing research which was liberally used in the above.)
I have often been in studies where we covered II Kings. When we reach chapter 17, our reactions are nearly always the same; outrage, disgust, and loathing for the children of Israel. (II Kings 17:17 “And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.”) We condemn the children of Israel as being deplorably evil, and yet doesn’t our society practice the same? We offer our children on the altar of vanity. We kill the unborn, and the elderly out of convenience. We end the lives of those who need and deserve our compassion. We don’t worship Baal, we worship ourselves. So I wonder, how long before the Lord calls our nation to give an account?
Rev 20:7-8 … Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations… We are living in this time. The deception is called Socialism. Socialism means that mankind will decide what is right, wrong and equal. In all Socialist societies God is supressed in the cause of equality, fairness and the advancement of science. Deu 30:19 19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, [that] I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: We kill our children and allow murderers to live and go unpunished and in many cases make heroes out of these butchers. Satan = Socialism
I am often drawn to this and similar passages:”And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience,among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” (Eph.2:103)
In light of this, we dare not forget where we came from. The promise and hope of repentance is still relevant for this dark world.
Thank you all for the comments!
@ Richard: Your comparison between the sacrifice of children to an idol and the present-day sacrifice of children to vanity/self is a fair one…and sobering. I had never thought of it that way.
@ Rick: I wonder about Rev. 20 from time-to-time. You may be right that we are living in those times. Good reason to be sober and watchful in our prayers.
Concerning systems of social organization, we can be sure that any societal structure which exalts man and not God will find itself on the road to depravity and destruction.
@ Louis: Thank you for the reminder. God is not willing that any should perish, and our sentiments ought to be the same. God be thanked that the children of wrath can yet become the children of God!
If I come across as hard I apologize. I travel a lot and what I hear preached in many CofC’s disturbs me greatly. Abortion is an issue that gets me fired up. The common excuses for Abortion (rape, incest and the health of the mother) are not really excuses but attempts to justify this ungodly practice. How does killing the developing child wash away the sin that caused the pregnancy? With c-sections the health of the mother is not an issue either. The child can be born and cared for by someone who will cherish it. There is no valid excuse for any abortion proceedure that guarantees the death of the developing child. The Life is in the Blood. Once the developing child has its own or feeds off of the blood of the mother we must allow the process to continue. IMO and I think the Lord would agree.
Everyone in the world needs the mercy of God, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all sin and need the mercy of God. Paul tells us in II Corinthians 7:10 “For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation.” Society wants us to believe that there is no sin in abortion. That a mother destroying her unborn offspring is as natural as breathing. This is really disheartening, because only through an acknowledgement of guilt can we be reconciled with God. Let us pray that the heart of the nation will be turned to God.
Well, yeah. We’re people. We make the societies… out of people. We make governances for our societies… out of people. All of our product is of our collective self. If we constantly fail, we should expect our inventions to fail as well. The burden is in understanding all of that. If everything we create is meant to fail, then what’s the point? That was Solomon’s wisdom from God. We fail. So how about relying on someone that cannot?
Jesus likened it to incorruptible treasure stored in and an incorruptible place. A treasure not of our invention in a place we didn’t build.
The that we all sin is one thing, but what we teach is another. I have been in churches of Christ (including those we fellowship) where the three excuses (rape, incest, and the health of the mother) were being taught from the pulpit as valid excusals for abortion. This concerns me greatly. Am I right for speaking and teaching against this policy, even though I am not a member? I think not. The truth must stand even if some will be offended. We should try our best to be loving in our correction but IMO correct we must.