The Value of Human Life
2021-12-30
What is the value of human life? What gives human life value? As we have seen previously, our being created in the image of God gives us that value. His creation was declared repeatedly good throughout the creation process, but it was not declared very good or finished until human beings were made (Genesis 1:31).
Even when human beings rebelled, God told them that one day a Savior would come and deliver them from their sin, Satan, and the lake of fire (Genesis 3:15). More on this in a moment.
God ordained the death penalty for intentionally taking another’s life:
And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. (Genesis 9:5-6)
What was the reason given? “...for in the image of God made he man.”
It is no coincidence also that the second greatest commandment was given on how we treat other people:
Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart: thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him. Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:17-18)
We should not even hate other people, but love them, even our enemies:
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven (Matthew 5:44-45)
Why do we do that? “That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven.” God loved His enemies. We were enemies by our rebellion against Him. He loved us anyway.
We love others because God created them in His image. However, this bond led His Son Jesus Christ to leave His abode in heaven and die for our sins. This does not mean that we are more valuable than Him, for we altogether are not worth the blood of the Son of God. However, we were important enough to Him for Him to do that for us.
He reigns in heaven today, to return to earth one day. On that day, we will be more the image of God than we ever have been, and not the marred image we have been our entire lives.