Dignity and the Unborn

Recently I stood with about 250 other people on Sunrise Boulevard in Roseville, CA.  We were there to protest Planned Parenthood.  Over the last few months a series of videos have been released by the Center for Medical Progress documenting what the organization has been doing with aborted babies.  The videos are appalling and watching them physically made me sick.  The main reason why I was so appalled was the attitude hidden behind the work.  One leader sipped her wine and ate her salad and was totally unphased by what she was describing (which I will not share here, but would encourage you to watch the videos yourself).  It was frightening to watch and it deeply concerned me.  Have we become so callous and hard hearted in our country that such things no longer bother us?     

The Bible says we are made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27; 9:6), thus all human life is valued and comes with an inherited dignity.  Dignity being “the state or quality of being worthy of honor or respect”, we have this quality because we are a reflection of God.  No other creature on earth or in heaven is made in the image of God.  We hold a special place in creation and this goes for all human beings—born or unborn.   At the fall we also know sin entered the world and has corrupted what once was perfect and God is working to restore what was lost.  Thus we now live in the already and not yet.  We know God will restore everything to himself through Jesus Christ and we long for the day when we will spend eternity in his presence.   Until that time we are to be share Christ with the world—to build his kingdom and we are do this until Christ returns or we are called home.    

Because of the value of human life and the obligation we have as citizens of the kingdom we have the scared duty to defend and protect, provide for and care for those who are defenseless, broken and in need.  The orphan and the widow are to hold a special place in our hearts, we are commanded to love one another and we are to share that love with the world.  These are not just buzz words for the follower of Christ to banter around on Sunday morning to make us feel better about what we are not doing.  They are descriptive and are to define in essence who we are.  This is because they are the reflective attributes of God himself—who is in us. 

Who will stand up for the one who cannot speak on their own behalf?  Who will be the voice that pushes back the darkness and holds up the light for other to see?  I’m reminded of Paul’s words to the church in Philippi “Do everything without grumbling and arguing, so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world. Hold firmly to the message of life.” (Php 2:14-16a)  We are to shine like stars in the culture, holding firmly to the message of life that is found in Jesus Christ alone.  We shine so that those who are lost may be guided back to the source of hope and peace, grace and mercy, love and forgiveness.  Let us encourage each other to stand for truth, to expose evil and live the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Pray for God to close Planned Parenthood.  Pray for those who work in the clinics.  Pray for the young ladies who visit and pray for the unborn.  May God have mercy upon us all.