The Right To Life

“The Right to Life”

Job 1:21

Job 1:21 And said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

Wednesday night I announced that this Sunday was Right to Life emphasis day and that I would be speaking on the subject of abortion and what is going on in this country and how God would surely judge America for its part in taking the lives of the unborn or preborn as these children are sometimes called. Some of you probably expected me to rail on the injustice of abortion and condemn abortion providers and supporters. As I thought about this message I asked myself why we have abortion on demand in this country today in the first place and I concluded that like a lot of other moral issues in our culture the church is at least partially responsible for abortion. Why? I believe it is because of our low view of God. We can learn some valuable lessons from Job’s statement about God uttered after the loss of his possessions and his children.

First: Who is the source of life?

I. Job Recognizes the Power of God – “…the LORD gave…”

A. The state of man – “…Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither…”

Here Job uses a figure of speech (my mother’s womb) which is often used to refer to the earth and he is basically saying that I came out of the earth and I will return to the earth. He points out that when we were born we were absolutely helpless and hapless and that when we come to the end we will be helpless as well. We are destitute when we are arrive and we will be destitute when we depart! Solomon uses a similar figure of speech in Ecclesiastes.

Ecclesiastes 5:15 As he came forth of his mother's womb, naked shall he return to go as he came, and shall take nothing of his labour, which he may carry away in his hand.

There is an old cliché’ that says that “…you can’t take it with you!” and this is exactly what Solomon says!

B. The singularity of God – “…the LORD…”

Job’s use of the article here should serve to remind us that He stands alone in the entire universe. He is unique and transcendent.

God’s Transcendence

Although some define God as a supreme being, unlimited in scope, He is not a being as humans are. We are finite beings, God is not. He says in Isaiah 55:8-9,

8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

But, He is self-consciousness and has a will. He not only is capable of feeling and choosing but of having a reciprocal relationship with other persons. He has names, which demonstrates that he is not an abstract, unknowable being, or a nameless force.

It is impossible to define God. He is in all things, but not equated with all that is. He can never be fully grasped with our finite minds and experiences. Isaiah speaks of this when he writes, “Who hath directed the Spirit of the LORD, or being his counselor hath taught him? 18 To whom then will ye liken God? or what likeness will ye compare unto him?” Isaiah 40:13, 18 God is a spirit; He is not composed of matter and does not possess a physical nature. Therefore, He is considered transcendent to man!

God is, nonetheless, alive. He is characterized by life and is the vital force, the very basis of life. John writes, “For as the Father hath life in himself… John 5:26 He does not derive his life from any external source. He can continue to exist independently of everything else, and, as a matter of fact, there was never a time when He did not exist. He is eternal, even named the Eternal God in Genesis 21:33. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End of all time. In His eternal nature there has never been any quantitative or qualitative change in Him. God said in Malachi 3:6 “For I am the LORD, I change not…”

He is infinite in relationship to time and He is infinite in terms of space. He is omnipresent; there is nowhere where He is not found. That concept is impossible for man, who is localized to particular places at particular times, to understand. The psalmist reflects on this trait in Psalm 139:

7 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?