INTRODUCTION
Today we come to the first in a series on Hard Questions. The question we’re asking this morning is this, “Are abortion, suicide and euthanasia option for the Christian?”
1. Abortion
Abortion is an emotional issue and even Christians are divided on how to handle it. But nevertheless we can’t back away from the issues just because they’re difficult and divisive. So the first question we ask today is this, is abortion an option for the Christian?
There are no examples in the bible that support the practice of abortion. Neither Jesus nor any of the first Christians spoke about it – they certainly never practiced it. However, throughout the bible we do see that people are extremely important to God. Every individual is important to him.
Perhaps the closest account is the story of King Manasseh in 2 Chronicles 33 Manasseh is considered to be the most wicked of all Israel’s kings. We are told that he allowed children to be sacrificed to the God of Molech. He even sacrificed his own sons (2 Chron 33:6). In these sacrifices to the god of Molech, children up to the age of four were presented as an offering in order to gain some benefit. The offerer may have sought a little more money, better health or a better job. Whatever the reason these parents obviously thought the personal benefit for them far outweighed the life of their child.
This unthinkable horror is not unlike our modern situation. Some people today are motivated by much the same reasons. A baby will cost too much money. A baby now will spoil my plans. A baby now will tie me to my house. A baby now will ruin my career. A baby now would be inconvenient – so I’ll exchange the baby for what I hope will be a better life for me.
The belief that human life is sacred is made clear in Genesis 9 and in the ten commandments. Genesis 9:6 says,
“Whoever sheds the blood of a man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God created man.”
The bible clearly states that life comes from God. It’s his gift, and we are answerable to him for what we do with our own lives and with other people’s lives.
But with abortion there are some really sticky questions. Like, “What about pregnancy as a result of rape?” Or “What about children with defects?”
One very important aspect to keep in mind here is this:
c. What about children with defects?
•We live in an imperfect world – we may have to choose the lesser of two evils.
•We are all created in the image and likeness of God. However, the only example of God’s perfect image is Jesus Christ – all others are flawed in some way.
My pastoral view is that we should take every individual case by itself – we can’t make a blanket statement. We have to acknowledge that God is in control. In prayer we have to seek to know his will in every case. We have to trust that ultimately God knows what’s best for all of us. So in every case of an unexpected pregnancy we need to ask, “What is God doing here?”
Forgiveness
When we think about the issue of abortion or discuss it with others, we should also seek to be reminded of God’s love, and his overwhelming willingness to forgive and transform us. 1 John 1:9 is such a powerful reminder of this:
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
Not only is God willing to remove the debt of our sin, but this verse says that he will “purify us from all unrighteousness.” God promises to remove the stain of sin. We don’t have to carry the weight of guilt anymore. If abortion has left a scar in your heart and life – then confess it and God will make you whole again. He will forgive you and he will purify you. Isn’t that just the most wonderful news?
2. Suicide
“To be or not to be?” That’s the way Shakespeare framed our next question, which is this – is suicide an option for the Christian?
Next weekend marks the 15th anniversary of the suicide death of a good schoolmate of mine. Peter was fun to be with. One of his favorite jokes was this – “Did you ever hear the one about the Afghan camel driver?” That was it! No punch line. We worked together baking bread on Saturday mornings, part time while we were at school. Another favorite trick was to put your sugar coated doughnut in the salt bin while you weren’t looking.
But it was Easter 1986 when Peter was having a rough time of it – we never knew anything about his troubles. And being the Easter weekend none of Pete’s friends were around to talk. We know he called some of us, because he left messages. His was the first funeral I ever attended.
The statistics on suicide are so high that probably everyone one of us could tell a story like that. The World Health Organization estimates that 3-400,000 people suicide around the world annually – and they admit that this is grossly underestimated. Many suicide deaths are not reported.
There is little in the Bible concerning the morality of suicide. In fact the word doesn’t even appear. There are certainly examples of suicide in the bible, but there’s no moral comment made. There’s king Saul and his armour-bearer (1 Sa 31:4-5), Ahithophel (2 Sa 17:23), and Zimri (1 Ki 16:18) in the OT. In the NT the only example is Judas Iscariot (Mt 27:5). All of these appear with no comment on the rightness or immorality of the act of suicide.
Right from the earliest days though, Christians have viewed suicide as like murdering oneself. So in that view suicide is outlawed under the sixth commandment “You shall not kill.” As early as 413AD Augustine argued that suicide is a sin. And that it would be pretty hard to repent of that sin after committing it.
Later on Christian thinkers like John Donne in the 17th century challenged the view of Augustine. He said that it places limits on God’s grace. In other words God can forgive the victim of suicide.
The predominant Christian view today, is that suicide is morally wrong and is a rebellion against the sovereign right of God to give life and take it away.
The apostle Paul faced death many times. One time he was in jail and wrote to the Christians in Phillipi:
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain, and I will continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that through my being with you again your joy in Christ Jesus will overflow on account of me.(Phillipians 1:21-26).
Paul knows that death is a doorway to God’s presence (Phil 3:10). He can face death; he doesn’t fear it; he can even choose it (Phil 1:20-24)! But he doesn’t look for it. Paul is not close to suicide – he has Christ to live for, even in the apparent hopelessness of imprisonment.
Is suicide an option for the Christian? No way. It’s a rebellious act against a creature of God made in his image and likeness – it’s an act of violence against God. How can we condone that? Can God forgive those who commit suicide? Of course he can - absolutely. Will he? I don’t know and I’m not prepared to try him.
Probably the one single factor that is common to many suicides is the lack of a sense of hope – and that’s one area that the Christian faith is strong on. We have the ultimate hope. Like Paul, we have Christ to live for. When we live for Christ life is a blessing despite the hardships.
3. Euthanasia
Finally, what about euthanasia? Is euthanasia an option for the Christian?
First let me clarify what we’re talking about here. What we’re not talking about is the turning off of life support machines to let “nature take its course.” That is something totally different – and we’re not addressing that issue here today.
Euthanasia, on the other hand, is the intentional killing of someone whose life is deemed not worth living. Another common term used to describe euthanasia is “mercy killing.”
One of the facts often overlooked in the heated debate over euthanasia is that very few people choose it. Surprisingly those who do, according to an American survey, are males aged 18-24. Even
in Holland, where euthanasia is legal, fewer than 3% ask for assistance to die – a statistic, which includes the terminally ill.
Nevertheless, euthanasia is a hot topic of conversation, so we should be able to articulate a Christian view clearly. And once again we have to acknowledge that the practice of euthanasia has no precedent set by Jesus or the first Christians. In fact Jesus went about healing the ill and raising the dead to life. And in the book of Acts we see the early church go out of their way to provide and care for the elderly and disadvantaged. And, like suicide, euthanasia is a rebellious act against a creature of God, made in his image and likeness – it’s an act of violence against God. And Christians can’t condone that?
So while we may understand those who advocate euthanasia Christians cannot approve of it. When it comes to human life the Lord gives it and the Lord takes it away. The church has never accepted suicide or murder, and euthanasia is only suicide or murder by a different name.
Euthanasia is not an option for the Christian.
CONCLUSION
When we began this series on Hard Questions we looked at the fact that “man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deut 8:3; Mt 4:4). So often it’s the case that humanity in it’s desperate search for answers comes to its own conclusions without any reference to God. Every time we see this, we see the breakdown of the harmony of life.
Yet in Jesus Christ, we see the answer to all of life. And by trusting him the harmony of life is restored. Next weekend, at Easter, we will be reminded of just how valuable we all are to our loving heavenly Father. We will be reminded of the lengths to which God has already gone to restore peace, harmony and wholeness to each one of us.
We don’t live by bread alone – that’s only the physical source of life. We also live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord – and to our topic today the mouth of the Lord says this (in Deut 30:19),
This day I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).
