Just yesterday, I attended the celebration of life service for an infant who didn’t survive the womb. Stillborn. Her life was cut so short that she was alive only in the womb. She died pre-born. Her parents are devastated, to say the least. She was very much wanted by this loving couple. Their first child buried before her due date. That precious life that was cut short before it really began was sacred. That child’s life was determined and ordained by God. Only he knows why her life did not go beyond the womb.
The service was beautiful. The gospel message was shared. Beautiful music filled the sanctuary. Friends and family came to pay their respects to a child they never knew. Many photos of this child were shared. Photos of her alone. And photos with her parents. I must say. Some may have been taken aback by the photo display, but they are a precious memory the parents will savor for a lifetime. Those photos told the story of a life cut far too short. They told the truth of a life not ready to be lived outside her mother’s womb. But that photo montage also told a story of love that those young parents have for their child. A beautiful love that will last a lifetime, but now cemented in death.
Those photos were also the vivid evidence that a pre-born child is fully human. That this pre-born child was fully formed and a person. If anyone had doubts before seeing the photos, there absolutely could be no question now. To say a baby forming in her mother’s womb is not a person is to deny reality. And this display proved it without a doubt.
When the parents, with tears streaming down their faces, carried the casket down the aisle, there was not a dry eye in the church. It was a tender moment to see them to carry their child one last time.
What makes life sacred? What does that sacredness demand? And what are its limits?
What does it mean that God made mankind in his own image? What does that mean for us? Human life has inherent value not because of what a person does, but because of what they are. They are a bearer of God’s image. As image bearers, we are designed to know and love God, as well as live under his rule. We are made to worship God.
Earlier this week, I read of parents in the Netherlands who allowed their nearly two-year old daughter to be euthanized. Why? She was born prematurely and had severe epilepsy, cerebral palsy and brain damage, along with other debilitating conditions. This was not the termination of a pregnancy, mind you. This was the deliberate act of ending the life of a toddler who had no say in the matter. All because of severe disabilities. We shudder at the thought. Don’t we?
Some say this was a grave ethical violation. Many others say it was murder. And still others call it justified.
You must not murder. Exodus 20:13
Earlier this year, a popular YouTuber and his wife proudly and publicly announced the impending birth of their first child. They were excited, to say the least. Then tests showed that the child was to be born with an extra chromosome. Trisomy 21. Downs syndrome. They chose to end the pregnancy. And they’ve staunchly defended their actions. Defiance and pride have somehow allowed them to push aside their joy and excitement of becoming parents. They didn’t want a child who would be totally dependent on them, so they terminated the life growing in the womb.
Isn’t life still sacred even though the body may be disabled or disfigured? Or, if someone is mentally ill or faces lifelong challenges? That body houses a living person with a heartbeat and a soul. So, does life stop being sacred when it doesn’t fit our definition of a full and acceptable life? Have we gotten to the place that life must be easy and convenient in order for it to be good? If someone can’t contribute as we expect them to or be self-sufficient, are they unworthy to live? These lives have value. They are not disposable.
We have forgotten that God knew us in our mother’s womb. He’s ordained each of our days and knows everything about us. Even the disabilities and deformities he knows and allows.
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Psalms 139:13-18
Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.” So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27
We’ve heard of the mother who killed her three young children and then tried to end her own life. Her case ended in a mistrial. The jury couldn’t come to a unanimous decision. One juror wouldn’t be swayed by the bullying of eleven others to declare her not guilty by reason of insanity. He’s now been doxed and threatened because he stood strong on his beliefs. He’s been made to look like the bad guy.
And in a copycat situation, another woman ended the life of her two-year old after becoming invested in the sympathy being shown to the first woman. She’s now charged with murder. Let’s hope and pray that a trend is not on the horizon.
When you make killing children in the womb all the way until birth a religious sacrament, as the Left has, you inevitably slide down the slippery slope. ~Nate Jackson
And another sad reality is that now we’re applauding the murder of people we disagree with. The UnitedHealthcare CEO who was gunned down in broad daylight. The widely known Christian leader murdered in front of a large group of college students. There are those who rally around the killers and applaud their evil act. We’ve lost the ability to have public discourse on highly debatable topics. If we don’t agree, the person must be destroyed in whatever manner deemed appropriate.
If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings in his own image. Genesis 9:6
We have really drifted as a society and have normalized what was not supposed to be normal in the name of acceptance and tolerance. ~Anonymous
We’ve normalized the unthinkable, and we continue to slide down the slippery slope of ethical and moral behavior. The slide may not end, but it will continue to escalate. We have to remember that all humanity is created in the image of God. Murder isn’t just a crime against a person. It’s an assault on the image of God himself.
The sixth commandment is pretty clear and basic. You must not murder. Yet we do it without counting the cost. It’s someone’s life that is ended, due to another person’s anger or selfishness. Jesus raises the bar in the Sermon on the Mount when he says you’re subject to judgment if you’re angry with someone. He doesn’t even mince his words when he calls out people who offend others with only their tongue, let alone if they end someone’s life. All life is precious in the sight of God. Not only should we not end another’s life, but we also shouldn’t speak ill against them. The sacredness of life moves away from the hand and into the heart. Gulp.
Jesus came into the world fully human. It’s because of the Incarnate (Son of God in human form) that makes our humanity so sacred. We are the image and property of God, which means that all of life is sacred.
You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. Matthew 5:21-22
And here’s the kicker. We are capable of so much. God made us as reasonable beings. We’re capable of knowing and loving and serving and enjoying him. He made us different from all of his other creation. He made us to think and to reason and determine right from wrong. And deep down, whether we admit it or not, we know who God is and what he expects of us. We choose to ignore it and follow our hearts, which will lead us far astray. And that’s what has been happening ever since Adam and Eve deliberately chose to eat the fruit that God told them not to eat. We’ve been slowly and steadily sliding down a decaying moral and ethical slope.
Here’s the good news. We can stop the slide. We can halt the decay in our own hearts and lives. We can repent and turn our hearts toward God and choose to serve Him only. We can refuse to sin. As Christians, we must live the alternative to cultural demands and expectations. We must not back away from truth and the belief that all lives have value, even the vulnerable ones. We must stand for life.
