Sanctity of LIfe

Job 10:8-12: "Your hands (O Lord) shaped me and made me . . . . Remember that you molded me like clay . . . . (you) clothed me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews. You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit."


In the politically charged environment in which we live today, one of the hot topics vehemently debated is the sanctity of life. Pro-abortion rights activists propagate the woman's right to exclusive domain over any actions involving her body; and they brazenly proclaim that the child growing in the womb is not a person per se, but a tangled mass of organic material without identity and person hood. These activists use the topics of rape and incest as platforms to inculcate the need for the "victim" (in this case the woman abused) to have self-determination as to how the painful consequences of sexual abuse are remedied. From rallies and marches to hearings before the Supreme Court, these advocates of abortion rights (what they would call "women's rights") are strongly resolved to keep abortion not only legal but culturally acceptable (even desirable).


Rather than catering to our cultural opinions, what we as a nation must do is look to the Scriptures to see the opinion of the Sovereign Lord. In the above mentioned passage, we find that Job, in appealing to God's mercy to deliver him from his physical pain, reaffirmed that the Lord had "shaped (Job) [i.e. his body] . . . molding him like clay . . . clothing him with skin and flesh . . . (and thus) giving to him life." There is no doubt that Job believed that God was directly involved in the physical development of his body while it was being formed in the womb; thus, we find in the divinely inspired Scriptures that God's participation in the development of one's life begins at conception . The fetus developing in the womb is not merely an organic mass without person hood, but as Job states in 10:12, the fetus has a spirit that God watches over while He crafts the body to be introduced into the world.


King David concurs with Job's summation of the status of the unborn child, for in Psalm 139:13, the psalmist says, "For you (O Lord) created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful . . . . My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my uniformed body." There is no doubt that the unborn child is in fact a person, ordained by the One True God with life, identity, and purpose. To take the life of one who was made in the image of the Lord is to invite the wrath of the Almighty, for He tells us in Genesis 9:6: "And from each man I (God) will demand an accounting for the life of his fellow man."


As utterly detestable as rape and incest are, bringing great violation to the person being abused, these extreme instances do not provide license to excuse the further violation of life by terminating the life of the one who has not had any verbal say in the matter. God does not condone the further degradation of the situation by permitting the conceived child to be destroyed. Tragically, these scenarios are the ones most propagated by abortion rights activists; however, the more prevalent cases of abortion involve women who do not want to live with the consequences of their consensual sexual behavior. Their decision to abort their child is to avoid the added responsibility that the child would bring into their lives; for many, the child represents an added "inconvenience" that must be eliminated.



Job tells us that God watches over all of mankind and will "not let (the) offense (of sin) go unpunished" (Job 10:14). Those contemplating abortion need to examine not their personal preference in the matter, but what God's ultimate will is . . . and we know from Scripture that God desires that the child LIVE! Preservation of life is a non-negotiable to the Lord, for He has a purpose for each life created; and that purpose is to see him rise up and praise the Lord for His "glorious splendor and meditate on His wonderful works" (see Malachi 2:15 & Psalm 145:5).



Be warned! Job tells us how to identify the "wicked" in the world. They "shake (their) fists at God and vaunt (themselves) against the Almighty" (Job 15:25). If you are seeking your "rights" or personal preferences rather than surrendering to the Lord, you are in danger of His eternal judgment. For Scripture tells us that the wicked "will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God's mouth will carry him away." Don't demand your will over the One True God; rather, submit to His will and follow Him as Lord.