The Value Of Life
God values life, so how can we not? What should a Christian's attitude be toward abortion? When does life begin? Is it right to shed innocent blood?
Christians know that life is precious, for Scripture tells us as much. However, are there any instances in Scripture where we read that God has directly or indirectly killed people?
GOD’S JUDGMENT IN SCRIPTURE
We do have, in fact, many instances in Scripture where God tells us to kill, and in some instances, He killed people Himself. Every single person on the planet, except for eight people, was killed because sin was rampant in those times. We are told in 2 Peter 2:5:
and [God] did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a preacher of righteousness, with seven others, when He brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly.
You could argue that God Himself killed people with hailstones (Joshua 10:11), or that He sent an angel to kill 185,000 people in a single night (2 Kings 19:35), or this and that, and yet, it all pales in comparison to the fact that 99.99% of all living creatures died during the Flood.
I always find it a little funny when people’s argument to turn me away from God is, “Your God killed people.” Yes, I know that. I know He commanded the killing of countless people, many by His own hands, not to mention nearly the entire planet. So what?
As Job said, “The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away. Blessed be the name of the LORD.”
GOD’S HEART FOR REPENTANCE
God doesn’t rejoice in the death of men. As Ezekiel 33:11 tells us:
Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure at all in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways!’
God would much rather see us repent and be saved than see us dead in our sins. It truly does break His heart (Genesis 6:6) to see us go astray.
JUSTICE AND GRACE IN GOD’S CHARACTER
God is love, but He is also just. The “world of the ungodly” deserves punishment, and we see plenty of that in the Old Testament. But now, under the age of grace, the sentence that should be against us has been placed on His Son, Jesus Christ, and those who repent of their sins and believe in the Gospel are saved and spared from the wrath that should be upon them.
Those who are saved are not saved because of their own works, but are saved by the works of Christ. Unless someone repents and believes in the gospel (Mark 1:15), they will perish (Luke 13:3); we are under a new covenant (Hebrews 8:6-13).
THE REALITY OF HUMAN SIN
What to make of the little babies that died during the Flood, or the “children slaughtered” along with the “pregnant women ripped open” (Hosea 13:16)—which was a punishment for their rebellion against God? And all the other instances cited in the Old Testament? Consider what Genesis 8:21 tells us: “the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.”
As noted by D.B. Harrison: “the Hebrew noun ‘youth’ literally translates to mean from our earliest childhood. Sin is so pervasive, it is so universal, that even the cutest, the most adorable infant that is born into the world, enters this world with a heart that is an abyss of sin and evil and is in desperate need of regeneration by the power and Spirit of God.1”
There truly is no one who is good (Ecclesiastes 7:20; Romans 3:10). We are all deserving of hell, and it’s by the grace of God alone that a few are saved.
THE CONSISTENCY OF CHRIST’S DIVINITY
On a side note, it is worth noting that the New Testament isn’t a book attempting to apologize for what happened in the Old Testament. The Christ who forgives is the God who punished all the wicked in the Old Testament. I like how pastor Voddie Baucham put it:
“We do think of Jesus as the God who comes along on the right side of the Bible to apologize for what the Guy did on the left side. We see Him as a kinder, gentler administration… in doing this we divorce Jesus from the rest of the Bible… You can’t divorce Him from the rest of the Bible. You can’t do that… Jesus is a member of the Godhead. Jesus has existed eternally in perfect union with the Father and the Spirit, which means when rocks of fire and brimstone were coming down on Sodom and Gomorrah, He was not absent nor was He in disagreement… He is a member of the Godhead… He is a member of the Trinity, and as such, you can’t divorce Him from the God on the left side of the Book because He is the God on the left side of the Book!2”
THE SANCTITY OF LIFE
We know that God hates the death of the innocent, for Scripture tells us that God hates the “hands that shed innocent blood” (Proverbs 6:17). We also know, “The LORD abhors the man of bloodshed” (Psalm 5:6). The death of the innocent isn’t something the Lord takes lightly. In fact, we are told we must “Open your mouth for the people who cannot speak, For the rights of all the unfortunate” (Proverbs 31:8)—we have an obligation to speak against the slaughter of the innocent.
Christians understand the value of life, and that’s why we are so adamant in our fight against abortion—they are innocent who are being murdered by evil individuals.
Just think of how David, a man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14), wasn’t allowed to build the temple because of the blood he spilled (1 Chronicles 22:8). Yet, countless people, even so-called Christians, think it’s okay to commit infanticide. No human can shed the blood of the innocent, for Scripture tells us: “Whoever sheds man’s blood, By man his blood shall be shed, For in the image of God He made man” (Genesis 9:6).
How can we say we are against the murder of innocent babies if we are against the punishment for those who murder them? Mothers who murder their babies in the womb would be eligible for a death sentence; that’s the entire role of the government: protect the innocent and punish (if needed) to death those who commit evil (Romans 13:3-4).
Abortion isn’t just immoral, it’s a crime—whether human laws say it’s a crime or not, it’s of little importance, for it is an offense against God according to Scripture.
LIFE BEGINS AT CONCEPTION
Scripture tells us that life begins at conception, which is not a subjective matter. It is objectively stated in the Bible that life begins at conception. Consider the following verses:
Numbers 5:28
But if the woman has not defiled herself and is clean, she will be immune and conceive childrenMatthew 1:20
But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit’Luke 1:36
And behold, even your relative Elizabeth herself has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called infertile is now in her sixth month.
All these verses have one thing in common, but I’ll refer to verse 28 of Numbers 5 here. That passage indicates two things: 1) she had not conceived before this trial, 2) life begins at conception: “conceive children.”
Consider Luke 1:41-42, which tells us: “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And she cried out with a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!’” Even in the womb, one baby (John the Baptist) recognized the other baby (Jesus) also in the womb, and he was filled with joy.
As Psalm 127:3 says, “The fruit of the womb is a reward,” and it is indeed a cause for celebration.
When we say “life begins at conception,” we simply mean that’s when a person becomes a person. We have value from the moment we come to be. Each and every person in the womb—whether the person is one day old or just one second prior to birth—is a human being for whom Christ died on the cross. Our value doesn’t begin when we merely breathe air for the first time.
How can we read Psalm 139:13-16 and not recognize the value of life? It says: “For You created my innermost parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, because I am awesomely and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You When I was made in secret, And skillfully formed in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my formless substance; And in Your book were written All the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.”
He made us, and He knows us well, even while we were “formless” in the womb. We are loved by God, from the moment of conception.
CONCLUSION
Scripture reveals a God who is both just and loving, punishing sin while yearning for repentance. From the Flood to the cross, His actions reflect a consistent character, not a divided one. Life, from conception, holds sacred value, demanding our protection against evils like abortion. May we come to value life as much as He does. Let us align our hearts with His, defending the innocent and proclaiming His grace.
“Racial Reconciliation?,” https://justthinking.me/ep-092-racial-reconciliation
https://g3min.org/archives/2014/the-modern-churchs-sissified-jesus-a-need-for-proper-christology-in-our-ecclesiology