The Reason for the Sanctity of Human Life

This weekend churches across the nation will be recognizing Sanctity of Human Life Sunday – and, oh, what a time of awareness-raising it will be! Our same culture which legalized, then normalized, and now – God have mercy – actually celebrates the killing of unborn children… this same culture of death is now entertaining similar arguments to justify the mistreatment and murder of other people-groups in our society: the elderly, people with disabilities, the chronically ill, and those with mental illness.

Yes, this disregard for human life breaks one of the Ten Commandments, “Thou shalt not kill.” But in fact, God gave orders against taking human life long before Moses hewed out those Ten Commandments on the stone tablets. Long before Moses’ time, back in Genesis 9, God decreed that there would be serious consequences for taking the life of another human, all because that individual is made in the image of God.

But what exactly does that mean?

To get to the bottom of that question, I spoke with our Director of Academic Engagement in our Christian Institute on Disability, Dr. Ben Rhodes. Dr. Ben, as I call him, has degrees in both philosophy and theology and I was so blessed by his comments, I had to pass them on to you.

Now, you might find this surprising, but for centuries, theologians have disagreed about what it means that humans are made in the image of God. Some thought it was our ability to reason, others argued it had to do with our ability to be in relationship, or even the ability to stand upright! Dr. Ben explained that many attempts to discern the meaning of “image of God” leave out people with disabilities… even Christians who think they are solid biblical apologists can, unconsciously, assume that people with disabilities are somehow less than human.

But – and here’s where it gets interesting – in ancient times, the term “image of God” was used to describe kings and their authority to rule; a king was seen as God’s representative on earth. Yet in the creation story, God says that all humankind is made in the image of God. We are all representatives of God on earth.

That’s why human life is sacred. And that’s why you and I must be bold to affirm the value of all human life: born or unborn, high IQ or low, healthy or ill, walking or wheeling, young or old.

If you’d like to deepen your understanding of the term “image of God” and how it can influence your day-to-day life, take a few minutes to learn more about our online coursework available through our Christian Institute on Disability.

Friends, our culture needs to hear that all human life has value. Even our Christian brothers and sisters need to hear it. So, if this topic energizes you, spread the word about what it means to be created in the image of God.

–Joni Eareckson Tada