Is Life Defined By Who Kills It? – Part 0

What does it say about us when whether or not someone is alive is defined by how that possible/potential life was terminated? Is life defined by who kills it? And by how it’s killed?

 I just watched the news and saw an attorney argue that when someone murders a pregnant woman, that person should not also be charged with the murder of the unborn baby.  He says this because it’s legal for the woman to terminate the pregnancy – and she would not be charged with murder.  So the person who kills her shouldn’t be charged with murder either.

Where does this madness end?

Now that assisted suicide is legal in more and more states, does that mean it’s OK to kill anyone in that state who is old / sick / depressed – anyone who may also be considering assisted suicide?  Is the analogy any different?

The death penalty in criminal cases can be viewed as legalized murder.  Assisted suicide is much the same in some states – legalized murder.  

But abortion doesn’t have that status.  In the case of abortion – proponents argue that the fetus isn’t a person.  
On that grounds – one could, from a very legalistic point of view – agree with the attorney.
How can one be guilty of killing a person – when the law doesn’t consider the fetus a person?

Again – Where does this madness end?

Life is precious.
Human life starts with a breath from God.
We all are His children.

Killing one of His children – 
children defined by His rules – not ours – 
is murder.
It’s a crime not only against the person who was killed –
It’s also a crime against God.

When will the madness end?

In the end. When God takes His vengeance.

Dropping down to verse 43, the Old Testament view of all this is –

However – for Christians – we live under the New Covenant, in the New Testament –

Yes – God will still have His vengeance on those who murder – yes, murder – His children.

We, however, are called to love everyone.  We are called to pray for our enemies.  That includes those who murder God’s children – could potentially murder one of us – and may have already murdered one of our friends or loved ones.    As much as we don’t want to – as hard as it is – we are called to do that.  We are called to be like Him – because right up to the moment of the murderers’ death – the murderer is also loved by God – and has a chance for forgiveness.

When will the madness end?

Not until The End.

But until The End – we still pray for each person who is involved in the madness to turn to God – so they may not be the target of His vengeance.

i also pray for those who find it so hard to pray for the murderers.  As I have trouble myself, often times.  Because if we do not forgive – neither will we be forgiven.

It’s hard to be a light to the world – when we want to follow the ways of darkness.
But we must accept His help – and either stay – or get back in – the light.

Life is not defined by the person who kills it.

Life is defined by the One who created it.  God.

What’s coming in the series?

At this time, I have a plan on where the series will go. But then, circumstances, news, God, come in sometimes and plans change. So, at this time, here’s what’s in the plan for examining this very messy question of: “Is Life Defined By Who Kills It?”

Yes, at the core, abortion is a main issue. And yet, that’s also part of the problem. Abortion is at the core, but it’s not the only issue at that core.

It reminds me of something Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy. We all think we know what it says. But do we? Check this out carefully:

Do you see the problem?

It’s this: most people think it says money is the root of all evil. Again – money is the root of all evil.

The thing is, it doesn’t say that!

It says, “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil”. There are several differences between what we think the Bible says and what it actually says.

• Money itself is neither good not bad. The determination of whether money is good or bad, so to speak, comes from things like:
  • what did we do to get the money?
  • what did we do with the money?
  • what could we have been doing instead of going after the money? At what point was it not worth it, and even was very costly, from a Biblical point of view?
  • what other moral costs did we suffer in order to either get the money or in the process of spending it?
• The passage calls out the love of money – not the money itself. That follows pretty obviously after reflecting on the previous points.
• Money isn’t the root of all evil. Truth be told, that should also flow more or less directly after reflecting on the love of money.
  • Think about someone who makes billions of dollars by making people work in horrible conditions, paying them very little, and living a life of luxury. That’s part of money being the root of all evil.
  • Now, think of someone else, let’s say the dictator of a country. In order to stay in power, he sets up armed militias to control the people. Makes the existing armed forces do things that are illegal and/or immoral. And yet, there are still things he wants done, but those folks won’t do it. So, he sets up what amounts to his personal goon squad to do those things, paying with bounties and other rewards for overriding someone’s conscience. That’s a lust for power that’s the root of that particular evil.

However, it doesn’t end there. The passage concludes with: Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

Both money and power drive people from the faith. We can’t just point to money.

In the same token, we should not / cannot talk about abortion without considering all the other issues around it. And, if we’re Christians, we must include faith issues as well.

If we don’t consider faith concerns along with the abortion issue, then we’ve already started to wander away from our faith. Maybe not because of what we did – but because of what we didn’t do. And then, before we know it, abortion has become the same sort of problem as the love of money and the lust for power.

This series isn’t the last word, and it isn’t meant to be a rigid checklist. Faith is lived by real people with real stories, and the Spirit often leads us through nuance rather than formulas. What follows is a guide—a way to think through the issue with Scripture, mercy, and humility.

Part 1: Who does life belong to?

Part 2: Who is the judge of what’s moral?

Part 3: What are the dangers of improper judgment?

Part 4: What else should we consider along with abortion?

Part 5: A look at how messy the abortion issue really is.

Part 6: How do we put all of this together?

— ✏️ This series is currently in progress.

I’ll add links here as the individual Parts are published.

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