Life Is A Gift, Not A Choice
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Introduction
Introduction
Have you ever noticed that the abortion industry is very careful about the language it uses to refer to it’s values and practices? They don’t say that they’re killing a baby but rather ending a pregnancy. They don’t say that what they are “terminating” is a baby but rather, they call it a fetus. They say that they are providing healthcare rather than convenience and freedom from responsibility. They understand that the language they use is very important and that choosing it carefully can frame the issue in such a way as to make anyone who would opposes them appear to be uncaring and against women and their well-being.
them appear to be uncaring and against women and their well-being.
I think you probably understand that we would be wise to pay attention to language as well. Abortion is not a right. Abortion is not reproductive freedom. Abortion is not healthcare. Abortion is not terminating a pregnancy. Abortion is the murder of unborn children in the womb. It’s time to cut through political rhetoric and obfuscation of the real issues. It is vital that we tell the truth!
As creatures, human beings are made in the image of God, unique to the other creatures that God made to creep and swim across the face of the earth. Both male and female were designed in God’s image, which is to say that man was created for the purpose of reflecting his glory throughout all the earth. In keeping with this concept, one of the ways this is done is through the use of language. From the beginning, the use of language has been fundamental to what it means to be human. Other creatures communicate, but only human beings do so with the intellect, insight, and awareness that expresses the image of God in which he made mankind.
It is only when the church moves to begin changing the conversation by taking back the use of proper language that we will end abortion. Abortion is not a right. Abortion is not reproductive freedom. Abortion is not healthcare. Abortion is not terminating a pregnancy. Abortion is the murder of unborn children in the womb. It’s time to cut through political rhetoric and obfuscation of the real issues. Tell the truth, Christian.
Truth. Truth? What is the truth? How do we know it when we see it? Says who? I’m here today to say,
I’m here today to say that LIFE IS A GIFT, NOT A CHOICE. But there are those who would disagree.
“LIFE IS A GIFT, NOT A CHOICE.”
That raises a more fundamental question.
But there are those who would disagree. That raises a more fundamental question.
This past year, I had the opportunity to attend the Southern Downriver Right to Life Prayer Breakfast. As Joe opened the morning, he said something that stuck with me, something with which I strongly agree. It’s something that I’ve thought to be the case for a very long time.
He said,
“Abortion is not primarily a political issue. Abortion is first a spiritual issue.”
Oddly enough, that understanding of abortion is one reason that I have not been extremely active in the Pro-Life Movement over the years. I’ll explain but, first, let me hasten to clarify that I am very thankful for the work Joe and this group and so many others like it do and have done for decades. I will not be saying today that we shouldn’t be active as many of you are, or that I shouldn’t be more active. But what I do have to say will hopefully help us think about why this issue ultimately matters and how it fits into the bigger picture of what God is doing in his world.
Think about what Joe said. “Abortion is not primarily a political issue. Abortion is first a spiritual issue.” What are some implications of that statement? One implication is that, ultimately, the solution to the problem of abortion is not political but spiritual.
The solution to the problem of abortion is not political but spiritual.
The solution to the problem of abortion is not political but spiritual.
One implication is that, ultimately, the solution to the problem of abortion is not political but rather spiritual. We might one day be able to change the laws in our land so that the gruesome practice of abortion is outlawed; maybe even one day soon. But that doesn’t mean that the problem is ultimately solved.
We might one day be able to change the laws in our land so that the gruesome practice of abortion is outlawed; maybe even one day soon. But that doesn’t mean that the problem is ultimately solved.
The problem is not ultimately that women are killing their unborn children; though that is a problem to be sure. The problem is that, as a society, we are rejecting the God who is the source of life. Our society rejects the God who is the source of life because it is filled with individuals who are cut-off from the author of life, lost and enslaved to sin. The solution to that root problem is not a new law or overturning a Supreme Court ruling. The solution to our root problem, the root problem we all have, is the Gospel. The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus, the promised Messiah, came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves through the sacrifice of himself in our place on the cross.
Our society is filled with individuals who are cut-off from the author of life. The solution to that root problem is not a new law or the overturning of a Supreme Court ruling. The solution to the root problem is the Gospel. The Gospel is the Good News that Jesus the promised Messiah came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves through the sacrifice of himself in our place on the cross.
So today I want to suggest some ways that this truth should impact our message.
The core of our message isn’t biology, history or policy but theology.
The core of our message isn’t biology, history or policy but theology.
Our message presents a worldview based on God’s self-revelation.
Our message presents a worldview based on God’s self-revelation.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Our message
hebrews 1:1-
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.
“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
Our message presents a God-centered view of man. (theocentric anthropology)
Our message presents a God-centered view of man. (theocentric anthropology)
So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God’s Word presents a view of humankind as special creations of the personal Creator from whom all things have come. We are special in that we were created to reflect God back to himself. That’s what it means to be created in his image. In that way, we are different from inanimate objects and also from the other living things that God has made. No other living creature on the face of the earth was created in the image of God. That is why humans are special. That is why human life has innate value.
ILLUSTRATION: God and the Scientist and the contest to see who could create life
Have you ever stopped to consider that an idea like Universal Human Rights is nonsensical if humans are just another animal that evolved on this planet as the result of an endless causal chain of undirected events that had no transcendent purpose for beginning in the first place? If there is no personal creator who made mankind for a purpose... then in the words of that great theologian, Joni Mitchell,
We are stardust, we are golden
We are billion year old carbon
If all we are is matter, then ultimately we don’t really matter. If we are merely stardust, assembled for a short time in this current form, then the value we place on human life (pre- or post-birth) is arbitrary and constitutes no obligation for anyone else to share that value with us. But we know better. We intuitively know there is innate value in human life. We know this because we are God’s image-bearers. That knowledge is a part of the image of God in us. That is why the very next line of that same Joni Mitchell song says,
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden
We are stardust, we are golden
We are billion year old carbon
And we got to get ourselves back to the garden
No matter how determined we are to ignore God’s self-revelation, we cannot escape it. We are stuck living in His world. And we are stuck being made in His image.
And God says that, because we are made in his image, our life is sacred. It is a gift that he has given and we do not have the right to take it based on our own whim or for purely personal reasons. For one image-bearer to, for his own personal reasons, take another image-bearer’s life is to commit what God calls murder. You may recall that this is number Six in The Ten Commandments. Some of you may have learned it in a translation that renders the sixth commandment as “Thou shalt not kill.” However, most modern translations (including the NKJV) help us understand the idea of the word used in the original language that the Bible was written in by translating the commandment as
“You shall not murder.
In fact, to understand the gravity with which God views this commandment, God institutes the harshest of penalties for one who disobeys:
And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.
“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.
“Whoever sheds human blood, by humans shall their blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made mankind.
And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting. I will demand an accounting from every animal. And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.
“Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;
for in the image of God
has God made mankind.
My purpose is not to get into a detailed treatment of capital punishment today. Rather, I want to draw your attention to the value God places on human life and why.
Human life is sacred because he created it in his own image.
This innate value of human life (based on the image of God) survived the marring of God’s image in mankind during the fall of the human race into sin (see ).
This principle is not up for popular vote; God’s image-bearers do not have the right to extinguish the life of other image-bearers for personal reasons (God calls that murder).
God treats the violation of this commandment so seriously that he institutes a penalty that matches the crime. Take a life, you forfeit your own.
Life is a gift from God. He can take it back if he chooses. But he does not leave that choice up to us.
That is quite a paradigm shift from the dominant view of life reigning in our culture today. But the key to effecting lasting change may be different than you think. The key to effecting lasting change isn’t transforming culture but rather individual transformation.
The target audience of our message isn’t society or government but individuals.
The target audience of our message isn’t society or government but individuals.
Society is corrupt.
Society is corrupt.
Please don’t misunderstand. Society is corrupt.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another.
They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.
For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like a mortal human being and birds and animals and reptiles.
Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
romans 3:9-12, 23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
So society certainly is corrupt and the horror of abortion and the other sins that are sources of pride in our culture are certainly the symptoms of that corruption.
But society isn’t some impersonal entity on which we can hang the blame for all that is wrong in the world.
Society is corrupt because people are corrupt.
Society is corrupt because people are corrupt.
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
Well, perhaps you say, “Pastor that’s a pretty bleak picture. Surely it can’t be that bad. I mean, I’m not perfect but I’m not as bad as some people I know.” Or maybe you think, “It’s not like I’m Hitler!” Yep, there’s always Hitler to fall back on if we want to feel better about ourselves.
As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands; there is no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.”
So how can the Bible seriously make us out to seem so bad, yet we think we’re ok? It’s because we’re comparing ourselves to the wrong standard. Your neighbor is not the standard of goodness by which you are to be measured. God is the standard. That is why a few verses later we read:
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
The heart is deceitful above all things
and beyond cure.
Who can understand it?
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written:
“There is no one righteous, not even one;
there is no one who understands;
there is no one who seeks God.
All have turned away,
they have together become worthless;
there is no one who does good,
not even one.”
So what exactly does that mean then? Does that mean we’re in serious need of self-improvement? No doubt there are things about us that need improving but I’m sorry to tell you that it’s much worse than that. The Bible describes us as being dead in our sin.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
My friends, I’m here to tell you that we are not in need of reformation. We need a resurrection!
The Bible says that our corruption is thorough–through and through...
People’s corruption extends to the very core of their being.
People’s corruption extends to the very core of their being.
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
In the Bible, the heart is generally a reference to the inner person, the you inside that thinks and feels and chooses. And here the Bible is telling us that, at our core, we are utterly deceitful and beyond cure. Good grief! It sounds like we need a new heart. Well, that’s exactly what God says we need.
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.
And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.
aaa
ezekiel 36:26-27
This is a promise God made to his people in the first part of your Bible. These are the same people God described as having utterly deceitful hearts that were beyond cure. If it were up to them (and us) to keep God’s Law in order to be accepted by him, none of us would ever be able to do it (remember, “dead in sin”).
The offer of a new heart is the promise at the heart of The Good News.
So God turns it around. While we’re helpless and hopeless, he offers us a new heart. He offers to fundamentally change us. That offer is the goal of our message.
The goal of our message isn’t mere temporal salvation but eternal salvation.
The goal of our message isn’t mere temporal salvation but eternal salvation.
The goal of our message isn’t mere temporal salvation but eternal salvation.
The goal of our message isn’t mere temporal salvation but eternal salvation.
It is a noble endeavor to work to save the lives of the hundreds of thousands of babies who are murdered in abortion clinics in the United States every year. But the mission given to every follower of Jesus is even more urgent than that incredibly important work.
Think about this...Every child that is spared from a brutal death at the hands of an abortion doctor, every mother who is convinced that their baby’s life is worth saving, and even every strident abortion advocate and activist is a human being created in God’s image who will live somewhere forever. Jesus said,
What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?
Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
Saving the lives of the unborn is very important. Spreading the Good News that Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (and remember, we’re all lost), is the very most important thing we will ever do.
I’ve talked a lot about the gift from God that human life is. But remember that the Bible tells us that we are all dead in our sin. Every one of us is in need another gift of life.
God calls this gift that he makes available by grace, through faith in Jesus, eternal life. The Bible says famously in ,
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
So even though we have all sinned and God would be just to condemn us for our sin, God says not only that
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished—
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
Even though we are all naturally dead in our sin...
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins,
in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
ephesians
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
…and deserve God’s wrath
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles—
God is merciful and Jesus has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. The Bible says,
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus,
in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
This is the way to life. This is the message that Life is a Gift that we need to proclaim to the world around us.
Whether we’re at a Pro-Life Rally or having a conversation with our co-workers, or our classmates or our neighbors. This is the Gift of Life that God offers to anyone by faith in Jesus.
As God’s Word, the Bible, says,
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
not by works, so that no one can boast.
Conclusion
Conclusion
I called this message Life Is A Gift, Not A Choice. That statement is certainly true when applied to the practice of abortion. But as we think about this gift of eternal life that I’ve spent so much time talking about today, it may actually be fair to say that Life Is A Gift that God offers to any who will accept it.
Therefore, we should earnestly encourage all those whom God brings into our acquaintance to choose to accept this gift of Life from God. The Bible says,
Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
Have you done that? Have you put your trust in Jesus and become God’s child and received the gift of eternal life? If you haven’t, I encourage you to do that today. If you have, I encourage you to use all the opportunity God affords you to share that Good News with the people around you.