The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty
gives me life. God creates and fashions life within the womb Job 33:4
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday 2013, coming up this
Sunday, commemorates 40 years of “abortion rights.” Roe v. Wade, the infamous
U.S. Supreme Court decision took place on January 22, 1973. This ruling, along
with Doe v. Bolton, legalized abortion on demand in our country and since then, more than 54 million abortions
have occurred in the United States.
Every day in the state of Texas 220 lives are taken by abortion.
Although abortion is the first thing that comes to our
mind when we talk about the Sanctity of Human life, there is more to it. It also includes euthanasia, discrimination
of the physically or mentally handicapped, religious discrimination and the
mistreatment of the elderly. There are
those who believe that these lives are less valuable and can be easily
discarded. But God believes that all life
is sacred. He is the giver of life and
any conflict with His opinion of the value of a life is wrong. He is the creator of the universe, the King
of Kings! If He values every life so
much that He sacrificed His son for ALL who would receive, shouldn’t we value
life the same way?
The image of God in humans provides direction and
guidance regarding how we treat one another. Men, women and children created in God’s image
should be respected, regardless of their mental capacity, physical ability,
faith (or absence of faith) or social position. Characteristics we attribute to God
(benevolence, love and creativity) may or may not be evident in every person. The recognizable presence or absence of such
desired characteristics does not determine the worth of the individual. The value of each person is firmly established
on the basis of the nature of God, who is the quintessence of dignity and
holiness. Unlike the Christian experience of being indwelled by the Holy Spirit
of God, the sacredness of human life is not based on accepting Jesus Christ as
Savior. Every human life, Christian or
not, is sacred and of inestimable value because each life is created in the
image of God.
Even as Christians, we fail to comprehend the value of every human life
because we cease to look at each other in awe. We fail to recognize that each person with
whom we have contact bears the image of God.
We no longer view one another as breathtaking creatures, embodying a
touch of the Creator Himself.
What can we do?
- We should examine our hearts for attitudes toward our fellow humans that violate the spirit of the Sanctity of Human Life ethic.
- We must struggle against the subtle
ways we dishonor or fail to acknowledge the intrinsic worth of each
individual.
- We need to teach the next generation a respect for all human life:
parents teaching children through word and deed, and churches instructing
children through explicitly pro-life curriculum and Bible study.
- Spiritual leaders should make the
subject of life a prominent part of church activities and teaching.
- The affirmation of life can also be
modeled through church support of pro-life pregnancy resource centers and
hospices.
- Finally, we must continue to support
public policy that protects human life and oppose legislation that
threatens it.
This Sunday at NSBC we will have a special presentation of 220 used
children’s shoes to represent the 220 lives claimed by abortion in Texas every
day. Come see this dramatic illustration
and hear what God has to say about the Sanctity of Human Life
Focus on the Family’s Fourth
Guiding Principle:
We believe that human life is of inestimable
worth and significance in all its dimensions, including the unborn, the aged,
the widowed, the mentally handicapped, the unattractive, the physically
challenged and every other condition in which humanness is expressed from
conception to the grave.
Scripture to Claim:
So God created man in His own image; in the image of God
He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:27
Some content adapted from Focus on the Family.
