The Sacredness of Life

The fact that the lives of unborn children have become a political football is surely a scar the history of America will never be able to cover. I would not be surprised if future generations look back on our generation with the same shamed bewilderment we have when we look back the generations who owned slaves. Will we feel the same deep wound as when we look back on the Holocaust? Or when we think about the genocide in Rwanda? We should.

The Bible tells us that humanity was the crowning point of God’s creation. God made Adam and Eve “a little lower than the angels” (Ps. 8:5). Humans, because we were created in the image of God, are separate and distinct from the animal kingdom. No animal was created in God’s image. As such, followers of God have always considered human life to be sacred.

The writer of Psalm 139 perhaps said it best:

“For it was You who created my inward parts; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. I will praise You because I have been remarkably and wonderfully made. Your works are wonderful, and I know this very well. My bones were not hidden from You when I was made in secret, when I was formed in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw me when I was formless; all my days were written in Your book and planned before a single one of them began” (vs. 13-16, HCSB).

In this beautiful poetry, we see the heart of God revealed. Humans have His eye even before we are born. How captivating! How humbling!

And how saddening that so many have so little respect for the unborn.

Satan quickly enticed violence

Not long after entering the human story, Satan enticed one to murder. Cain slew Abel (Genesis 4:1-9) and set the whole course of humanity on a murderous slaughter. If history has revealed anything, it is that humanity knows no limit of violence and carnage.

Murder of our fellow humans, child sacrifice in pagan religions, abandonment, human trafficking, modern day slavery, and myriad other abuses plague our race. It seems there is no lack of people willing to abuse other people for power or the almighty dollar.

Perhaps it has never been more important for God’s people to exemplify what it means for life to be sacred. Culture will not discover God’s passion for humanity without the light of the gospel.

It is up to us

Demonstrating love within our own families, caring for unwed mothers, leading them toward preserving human life, caring for orphans, ministering to war refugees; it’s all speaking for those who can’t speak for themselves. “Speak up for those who have no voice, for the justice of all who are dispossessed. Speak up, judge righteously, and defend the cause of the oppressed and needy” (Proverbs 31:8, 9, HCSB).

Recognizing and standing for the sacredness of life can be costly. Humanity gone astray, convinced that humans are equal to animals and as expendable as last week’s trash, will not lightly accept the biblical message of humanity’s innate worth. However, faithfulness to stand is what God demands.

Yours for the Great Commission,

Ronnie W. Floyd

Senior Pastor, Cross Church

General Editor, Bible Studies for Life