“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.

Read Genesis 1:26-28; 2:4-9.

How is human life different from animal life? What is special about human life? How does this affect how we treat other human beings? Cite some examples that come to mind.

Read Acts 17:24-25 and Matthew 6:9; 23:9.

What does God mean when He says He is our Father?

Read Colossians 1:16-22.

How has God demonstrated how much he values each individual (especially in view of vs. 21)?

How does this fact influence how we should value each person?
 

Read Ephesians 2:10 and 2 Timothy 1:9.

We’ve seen that people are precious because God made and redeemed us. Does the fact God has purpose for each person give us a deeper appreciation of the value of each human life?

Read Psalm 145:13-20 and Matthew 5:45; 6:25-33.

God sustains earthly life. Does He offer—and desire—more for humanity than mere physical existence?
 

Read and discuss John 6:49-51, 63; John 10:10; 1 Corinthians 6:19.

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.