Sanctity of Human Life

God values human life. After narrating God’s creation of a world teeming with life, the Bible’s first chapter climaxes with God’s first recorded words. God proclaims His intention to create a final creature “in our image” and “after our likeness” (Gen. 1:26). The crowning act of creation follows. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). The chapter concludes with God’s verdict on His creation. “And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31).

The theme of God valuing human life is found throughout the Bible. He values human life at its beginning. He values human life at its end. And God demonstrates that He values human life in the humanity of His Son.

GOD VALUES HUMAN LIFE AT ITS END.
The Bible depicts human life as inviolable not only in its origins, but also in its termination. Death is a wretched and abnormal condition resulting from man’s rebellion against his Creator. The Bible consistently views death as a consequence of sin, and greatest curse upon the human condition. Death is inevitable, but not desirable.

The Bible teaches that God determines the limits of human life. The book of Job states, “[Man’s] days are determined, and the number of his months is with You, and You have appointed his limits that he cannot pass” (Job 14:5). Solomon affirms that for each person, God determines “a time to be born, and a time to die” (Ecc. 3:2). Hebrews 9:27 speaks of God’s appointing man’s death and subsequent judgment. The Bible denies man the prerogative to terminate life apart from God’s intent or independent of His timing. Exodus 20:13 declares, “You shall not murder.” In only three specific cases does God permit humans to terminate the lives of other humans; in cases of capital punishment, in war, and in self-defense (Gen. 9:6; Deu. 7:1–2; Ex. 22:2–3).

Rather than facilitating the death of the elderly, the Bible instructs the younger to value their wisdom and discretion (Lev. 19:32; Prov. 16:31). This instruction applies especially to children respecting their parents. “Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old” (Prov. 23:22). The Scripture does not recognize as legitimate several contemporary justifications for euthanasia, including the right to die with dignity, the relief of financial strains on the family, the relief of burdensomeness to society, or the relief of suffering.

We may not understand why God permits indefinite suffering on the part of the dying, or why he allows the elderly to become enduring burdens to their families. But we are certain that God permits trials for the sake of perfecting the Christian’s faith (James 1:2–4). Job suffered severely, but he recognized that his suffering was appointed for him by God, and Job did not arbitrarily terminate his life (Job 23:10, 14).

GOD VALUES HUMAN LIFE IN THE HUMANITY OF HIS SON.
The Old Testament begins with the creation of man in God’s image. The New Testament begins with the birth of God in man’s image. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ, his experience of human sorrow and suffering, his vicarious atonement, and his sacrificial death on a cruel instrument of torture compellingly demonstrate that God values human life. But God’s love for humanity is not merely temporal, it is eternal. In the resurrected body of Jesus Christ, God permanently assumed the human condition.

Christ’s bodily resurrection emphatically reiterates God’s original assessment of His creation. “And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good” (Gen. 1:31). The bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ is the first act in God’s restoration of the whole creation to its original pre-fallen condition (Isa. 65:17; Romans 8:22-23; Rev. 21:1–5). Creation fell in the first Adam; in the second Adam (Jesus) creation is restored (Romans 5:12–17). Christ’s death reversed the verdict of death that fell upon the human race subsequent to Adam’s sin. Christ’s resurrection offers resurrection life to all who believe (1 Cor. 15:3–4, 12–23).

The Bible is a book about life and death. God values all created life. God especially values human life. And God offers eternal life through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

IBMGLOBAL APPLICATIONS
We believe that followers of Jesus Christ who are governed by the Bible are ethically obligated to preserve, promote, and defend the sanctity of life.

We believe that whenever there is an ethical dilemma the default position should always be to protect life, including the unborn (Prov. 24:11–12). Jesus teaches this principle of carefulness in the Sermon on the Mount when He instructs His followers not only to avoid killing, but to cease from any activity or passion that increases one’s proclivity toward murder (Matt 5.21-22).

Because we believe that the Bible consistently depicts life in the womb as both personal and human, we oppose the practice of abortion on the grounds that it involves the intentional, purposeful, and direct ending of a human life (person) that began at conception. In the event that a situation arises where the mother’s physical life would be endangered, it would be morally and ethically reasonable to deliver the baby and allocate life-saving resources for both the baby and the mother, rather than risk the loss of both mother and child.