LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for January 18: Whose life is important?

Most Christians identify themselves as being “pro-life.” That label primarily is used in the debate over abortion, particularly when that practice is used as a means of birth control. In common conversation, the default meaning of  “pro-life” is to be opposed to the practice of abortion.

I think we would be on safe ground to say that God is “pro-life,” and that is good reason for us to be as well. But at the same time, I am convinced we need to broaden our understanding of that term to where it includes not only life which is conceived but unborn, but also life which has left the womb and entered the world.

A pro-life ethic rests on the foundation of the biblical concept of justice; but once again we run up against a word whose meaning we might have placed limitations around in our minds. Our notion of “justice” might mean simply that a person receives the full measure of what he deserves, based on the seriousness of his deeds.

For example, if someone robs a bank and is convicted of and imprisoned for that crime, we might say justice has been served. On the other hand, if that bank robber gets off scot free, we might say it was a miscarriage of justice.

Scripture gives us a much wider perspective on the meaning of “justice.” While the Bible does not specifically define the word, its use in Scripture seems to mean all individuals ought to be treated in accordance with their status as persons created in God’s image.

In other words, acting justly means we protect and defend the rights people have, simply by virtue of the fact they are human beings. Likewise, justice is perverted when human life is devalued or treated with cruel disregard (as in the case of murder), as well as when persons are defrauded, mistreated or taken advantage of simply because they are weak and cannot defend themselves. (I encourage you to get out your concordance and do a thorough study of the word “justice” as it is used throughout the Bible.)

Although our study passages do not use that word, they nonetheless point us in that direction. Those texts might be examined under two headings:

Value and protect all human life (Exodus 20:13, 21:22-25; Matthew 5:21-22)

There can be no question about how God feels about the destruction of human life (Exodus 20:13). An attack on a human being is an attack on the crowning glory of God’s creation, made in God’s own image. But a truly pro-life ethic demands we not only avoid the unjust taking of a human life, but also that we turn away from thoughts and attitudes which degrade one’s image of another person.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus extended the thought of murder to include hateful thoughts and actions. The word “raca” in Matthew 5:22 was an expression of contempt which literally meant “empty,” and reflects an attitude which holds another person to be worthless or without value. 

The subject of the life in the womb is addressed in Exodus 21:22-25. This passage is the only place where the Bible speaks specifically to the issue of harm done to an unborn person, though the Scripture contains other references to human life in the womb and the value God places on that unborn life (Psalm 139:13-14, Jeremiah 1:5, Luke 1:41).

This passage in Exodus 21 envisions men who recklessly cause harm to a pregnant woman, and thus to her unborn child. Gestational human life, like all other human life, is sacred and ought to be valued and protected.

Protect and provide for the helpless and vulnerable (Exodus 22:21-24; Deuteronomy 24:19; Luke 20:47)

There always have been certain groups of people who make easy targets for injustice. Scripture makes clear all of us who identify ourselves as God’s people have the responsibility to protect, defend and provide for those vulnerable and defenseless members of society. Among these are widows and orphans, who might be insecure because they lack family members who can stand up for them. Also included in these texts are aliens, strangers from foreign lands who speak different languages and act according to different customs, and who thus are vulnerable to mistreatment.
 
The subject of immigration—legal and otherwise—is a hot-button topic among Americans, and most people have strong opinions about the issue. This is understandable; but we must strive to see that our opinions are informed by biblical truth rather than raw emotion or resentment. Obedience to the laws of our land is important for maintaining an orderly society (Romans 13:1-7, 1 Peter 2:13-17), but God holds us accountable for how we treat those persons once they arrive in our midst.  Our highest law in this regard is that which Christ gave us in Matthew 7:12 and Luke 10:27.

Scripture also commands us to value the lives of the poor, who lack the resources to provide for themselves and their families.

A few years ago, I went to South Africa with some of our church members to do evangelistic work among the poor who lived in the shanty towns of the Northern Cape province of that country. We met people who had gone days without a bite of nourishment, and one member of our team snapped a picture of a little girl, no more than 4 years old, digging through a pile of moldering garbage looking for something to eat.

And you do not have to travel around the world to find hungry people; chances are, there are some in your own town. Can we honestly call ourselves “pro-life” if we do not help feed the hungry and clothe the naked (James 2:15-17)?

The title of this lesson asks an important question: “Whose life is important?” The correct answer, of course, is that everyone’s life is important. It is important to God, and so ought to be important to us as well. May we all commit to be truly “pro-life” in every sense of that term.