The Sanctity Of Human Life

Title: The Sanctity of Human Life

In the Southern Baptist Convention, today is Sanctity of Human Life Day, and that is the subject of our Bible study.

It’s sad that not all people believe that human life is precious. Suicide bombers, terrorists and murders have no regard for human life. Abortion mills and men like Dr. Jack Kevorkian (known as Dr. Death), do not respect human life. A few years ago, we became aware of the Washington DC snipers (John Malvo and John Mohammed) who killed for no apparent reason—men, women and they even shot a child. Sadam Hussein killed thousands of his own people with poison gas. Hitler and the Nazis killed millions of Jews and other races who they said were not human, and last summer the “Arab Spring” began with citizens of the Middle Eastern nations in revolt against their governments; it’s still going on, and thousands have been killed on both sides. We could go on and on recounting examples of people and regimes that had such a low opinion of human life that they would snuff out a life without a thought.

But let me give you some statistics about our main theme; abortion.

• Since 1973, one of every three babies conceived in the United States have been aborted.

• 49% of American pregnancies are unintended.

• 52% of all abortions performed in America are on women 24 and younger.

• 53% of American women will have at least one abortion by the time they are 45.

• 66% of women who obtain abortions have never been married.

These are startling figures and I wouldn’t believe them, except they came right out of my quarterly.

What do you think are some of the reasons that women give for having abortions?

• Children would inconvenience them, interfere with their lifestyles, or cause financial hardship.

• They don’t want to be single parents.

• They are having problems with husbands or partners.

• The largest percentage says that having children is just too inconvenient.

Our first scripture is Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.”

People have various reasons for respecting and protecting human life. They respect and protect their families and want to see them safe. They may feel the same way about their neighbors and support actions that protect the neighborhood. Human compassion makes us all sad when a life is lost through illness or tragedy. However, believers have an important additional reason for respecting and protecting human life. Human life is sacred because God created man and woman in His own image and gave them life. Therefore, Christians should value and protect human life for the Lord’s sake.

Every human being is special because each person is the specific and purposeful creation of God. God created people in His own image. Chapters 1 and 2 of Genesis record nothing else that was created in God’s image.

What then does it mean to say that people are created in the image of God? We know that “God is Spirit” (John 4:24), therefore he doesn’t have a physical body so what do you say it means?

The quarterly gave these meanings for the “image of God.”

• The moral, intellectual, and personality characteristics that God gave to people. One aspect of God’s image in persons has been identified as dominion or rulership. God created people to responsibly rule over the lower orders of His creation.

• The ability of humans to reason and make moral choices.

• The ability to enjoy fellowship with God.

• Probably it’s all of the above.

We are God’s highest and most unique creation and are to be respected appropriately.

God created both male and female. Both came equally from the hand of God. Each person, whether male or female, boy or girl has equal worth before God, since all are created in His image. But I saw something on TV last week that disturbed me. I was watching a documentary on India which was about the difficulties facing women there. They said that in many locals girl babies are just set outside to die; they never have a chance at life. And they went on to say that in some places women must live their whole lives with the possibility that they will be killed if the family faces great hardship. There is a very low value placed on woman in India.

But because God created people in His image, we should hold all human life as sacred.

Deuteronomy 18:10 says, “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire…”

This verse is from Moses’ farewell address to the people of Israel as they prepare to enter the Promised Land. Remember, Moses wasn’t allowed to enter the land because of an act of disobedience. In his speech, Moses gave them God’s requirements for entry; there were certain things that they were to do, but there were also some things which they were not to do.