God
of Life, Now and Forever
by Rev.
Edward Fehskens
“I believe in God, the Father
almighty, maker of heaven and earth.”
“What
is meant by these words, ‘I believe in God the Father almighty, maker,’
etc.? Answer: I hold and believe that I am a creature of God; that is, that He
has given and constantly sustains my body, soul, and life, my members great and
small, all the faculties of my mind, my reason and understanding, and so forth;
my food and drink, clothing, means of support, wife and child, servants, house
and home, etc. Besides, He makes all creation help provide the comforts and necessities
of life—sun, moon, and stars in the heavens, day and night, air, fire, water,
the earth and all that it brings forth, birds and fish, beasts, grain and all
kinds of produce. Moreover, He gives all physical and temporal blessings—good
government, peace, security. Thus we learn from this article that none of us
has his life of himself, or anything else that has been mentioned here.”
(Dr. Martin Luther, The Large Catechism)
Often when we
examine “life issues” such as abortion, infanticide, and euthanasia,
we do so from human experience and perspective—through human eyes and reason.
Does
one human being’s life have value only because other people say it does?
Or is each individual life valuable because God says it is? What has God said
and done which demonstrates how precious He considers each person’s life?
In this study we will examine these questions through the eyes and revelation
of God.
I.
God is Sovereign of Life
A. God Creates
Life
So far we have seen that God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—has
manifested His infinite love for us as the Maker, Redeemer, and Sustainer of life.
His greatest desire for each individual is eternal life—the fullness of life
in Jesus Christ (Ezekiel 33:11). However, some would deny that God’s Sovereignty
of life embraces each one of us from the moment of conception when human life
begins to natural death when life departs. Indeed, God knew us as persons before
we were born (Jeremiah 1:5) and cherished us from before time, so great is His
love (Jeremiah 31:3)!
Consequently, language such as “lacking
sufficient quality of life, tragic circumstances, unwanted, unloved, burdensome,
vegetable, product of conception, fetal tissue, potential life, potential person,
uterine contents, devoid of meaningful life,” and so forth is often used
to depersonalize individuals or whole classes of human beings. Thus depersonalized,
people may then be seen as burdens or problems, not as human beings made in
the image of God. And what does natural man do with burdens or problems? Get
rid of them! No one denies a fetus is alive; only their personhood (and the inalienable
right to life of a person) is disputed.
No one denies that
a comatose, senile, or terminally ill person or person with a disability
is alive; only the question whether they have sufficient “quality of life”
or potential for leading a “meaningful” life is disputed.
The
devaluation that follows depersonalization enables us to see others
as less than human due to age, health, or condition of dependency. What may follow
then is denial of the most fundamental of all human rights—the right to life.
II. God is the Defender
of Life
In the following passages,
are these unborn individuals regarded as persons in the eyes of God? Psalm 22:6-10;
51:5; 71:5-6; 139:13-16; Isaiah 46:3-4; 49:1-2, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 1:18-25;
Luke 1:39-45; Romans 9:10-13.
How does God regard the weaker,
sickly, dependent, or disabled among us? As less than persons? As less valuable?
As less worthy of life?
Read Isaiah 45:9-12.
Do
the passages cited inform our response to those who would advocate abortion, infanticide,
or euthanasia as an acceptable, logical, or moral response to human beings who
are imperfect, unwanted, disabled, comatose, or ill?
III.
What is to be our attitude and response?
When
God looked at the same world we live in, He chose life: to save it and not destroy
it. God now gives us the responsibility to protect, sustain, and nurture human
life because He works through us. When difficult or tragic physical, mental, or
societal circumstances accompany a person’s entrance into, passage through,
or exit from this life—how are we to respond?
Read
Deuteronomy 30:15 20 and Matthew 22:37 40
“Instead
of removing poor conditions to improve lives, we are asked to remove poor lives
to improve conditions.” Unholy Sacrifices of the New Age
IV. What are some other
things we can do?
A. Learn.
See Proverbs 4:1-7.
B. Speak/Educate.
See 1 Peter 4:11.
C. Act. See James 2:17.
What are some actions you or your congregation can take?
What organizations or community resources are available?
D. Instruct One Another. See Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16.
E. Bear One Another’s Burdens. See Galatians 6:2.
F. Pray. See Ephesians 6:18,19; 1 Timothy 2:1-4.
G. The Older Help The Younger. See Titus 2:2-5.
Can you think of others?
“The
question . . . is not whether the pro-life or the pro-choice side should prevail,
nor is the question how to split the difference between them in order to maintain
a modicum of institutional peace. The question is what, on the basis of the Word
of God, does the Church believe, and what are the moral implications of that belief?”
Pastor Richard John Neuhaus
