Whatever Happened to Human Life?

Whatever Happened to Human Life?

Zoë, a three year old girl had a pet turtle whom she really loved. She would play with him the whole day. One day her father returned home to find a crisis at hand. The turtle had died and Zoë was crying her heart out. Her father tried his best to calm her, he even suggested that they buy a new pet turtle, but Zoë would not be comforted. Suddenly Zoë’s father had a brilliant idea; he turned to Zoë and said “I tell you what; we'll have a funeral for the turtle.” Being three years old, she didn't know what a funeral was. So, he quickly proceeded to expand on the theme. "A funeral," he explained, "is a great festival in HONOR of someone." Well, she didn't know what a festival was either so he explained further. "Actually," he said, "a funeral is like a BIRTHDAY PARTY! We'll have ice cream and cake and lemonade and balloons, and all the children in the neighborhood will come over to our house to play." [According to customs in the West when friends and relatives visit the grieving family, they are offered snacks]

Well this tactic worked! Zoë’s tears began to dry, and she quickly returned to her happy, smiling self again. She was very excited at the prospect of all that was going to happen—a party with all the trimmings, all because the turtle had died. This was great! Then, an utterly unforeseen thing happened. They looked down, and lo and behold, the turtle began to move. It wasn't dead after all! In a matter of seconds, it was crawling away as lively as ever. The father was dumbstruck not knowing how to respond to this new development, but Zoë appraised the situation perfectly. With all the innocence of her tender years, she looked up at her father and said, "Daddy, let's kill it."

So often our society responds to its troubles much like little Zoë did that day. When a life interferes with our pleasures and plans, the most popular solution these days is to simply end that life. If a woman is pregnant and it is not convenient for her to give birth....our society says she can deal with that problem by killing the unborn child. These days when people are frustrated with the way the world treats them, many decide to get even by purchasing a hand gun...and then they go on a shooting spree. The Virginia killing that took place in the month of April, 2007 where a young man went on a shooting rampage killing 32 people is an example of how recklessly life is treated. Add to this scenario the problem of suicide, euthanasia, and acts of terrorism, where human life is ended without a second thought. All this goes to say that many people in our society are like little Zoë in that, when a life becomes inconvenient they feel that the best thing to do is to end that life.

What has gone wrong with the world? Why is ‘Life’, God’s most precious gift, treated so carelessly? Primarily there are three things that have caused people to view life in an impetuous way.

· Sanctity of life is lost.
· Purpose in life is lost.
· Significance in life is lost.

The only way we can live life to its fullest as Jesus promised in John 10:10, is by recovering what has been lost. This recovery begins by aligning our worldview with the biblical view. Without a biblical view there is no way to say what the value of a human life is? Who defines it? Who says how it ought to be treated? Without a biblical view it is impossible to understand human life, its worth and its significance. So we turn to the Bible to recover what it means to live an abundant life.

Created in the Image of God

Scripture tells us that “God created man in his own image… male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27). This is a breathtaking assertion. Humans actually reflect the character of the ultimate source of the universe. Out of all the things that are created in this world, humans alone mirror a part of God’s character. The Psalmist in Psalm 8:3-4 says “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him?” This question expresses surprise, even incredulity, that God should pay so much attention to his human creation, for we are insignificant in comparison to the vastness of the universe, and impure in contrast to the brightness of the stars. Yet we are the crown jewel of God’s creation. When we turn to the creation account in Genesis 1 it is fascinating to read that at the end of each day God would remark about his creation as “…it is good”, but when God created man and woman, the scripture says He saw that as “…very good”.

Evolutionists on the other hand not only deny that God has created us, but also deny that we as humans have any unique quality that sets us apart from the rest of the creation. Going by their logic we are a result of matter + time + chance; which means humans beings are nothing more than over grown germs, since everything in this world has come from a single primordial cell? There is nothing special that can be attributed to the human race or human life. Ingrid Newkrik, founder and director of People for Ethical Treatment of Animals. (PETA) once said “When it comes to feeling, a rat is a pig, a pig is dog, and a dog is a boy. They are all mammals. They all feel pain. There is no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights…six million people died in concentration camp, six billion chickens will die this year in slaughterhouses”. With God out of the picture it is but natural that human life is denigrated in an effort to make human species equal with all others.

Sanctity of life can be understood only when we see ourselves and others as people created in the image of God. Only the Christian worldview gives a strong basis for human dignity. When the Christian worldview is negated, the result is a shift from ‘sanctity of life’ to ‘quality of life’. As a result humanness is defined more in terms of what we have, rather than who we intrinsically are. Human life is scared because it alone is stamped with the image of the Creator. Sanctity of life is a forgotten truth in our society; as a result life is treated carelessly. This truth can be grasped only when we see ourselves and others as created in the Image of God.

Created for a Relationship with God

C.S. Lewis once said that “when a ship is out on open waters, there are three questions it must ask itself - How do I keep from sinking? How do I keep from bumping into other ships? And most importantly, what am I doing out here in the first place?” The first question deals with personal ethics, the second with social ethics, but the third and the most important question deals with normative ethics. What am I doing here in this world? Our purpose in life will determine how we live and also influence the way we relate to others. So for a meaningful life one needs to have purpose in life. The fact is men and women cannot live without purpose. Pleasure, freedom, happiness, prosperity-none of these is ultimately fulfilling because none can answer the ultimate question of purpose.

The Bible gives us a clear cut answer to why we are created. Paul in Colossians 1:16 writes “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” The scriptures very clearly tell us that we are created for God, created to have a relationship with him. Man’s primary purpose is to know God. The Westminster Shorter Catechism asks: “What is the chief end of man?” and the answer given is “To glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” It’s a staggering thought that we can know and glorify and enjoy the sovereign God, fulfilling His purpose through our lives. It is this all-consuming purpose that gives life meaning and direction in all circumstances. True satisfaction comes only as we transcend our personal pleasure, happiness and prosperity and seek to fulfill God’s purpose for our life.

No wonder then, that even though Paul was in prison he was able to write “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4) It seems strange that a man in prison would tell a church to rejoice. Being imprisoned would cause many people to become bitter and to give up, but Paul saw it as one more opportunity to spread the good news of Christ. His purpose in life was to live for Christ. And it did not matter where he was, what his circumstances were, or what hardships he had to undergo. For Paul, even his chains became an opportunity for rejoicing because as he writes in Philippians1:12 ‘…what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel.’ Paul’s relationship with Christ enabled him to see beyond his dire circumstances and focus on the bigger picture. His motto in life was “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain” (Philippians 1:20) Knowing that we are fulfilling God’s purpose is the only thing that really gives rest to the restless human heart. As Augustine has rightly said “You made us for Yourself, and our hearts find no peace until they rest in You”

Created as God’s Workmanship

H. L. Mencken said “the problem with life is not that it's a tragedy, but that it's a bore. A child who is filled with wonder is also filled with a sense of enchantment, a sense of significance, a sense of meaning. When wonder ceases, boredom and emptiness begin to stalk existence.” Notice a child at work or play, no matter how trivial the task may be the child puts in its heart, soul and mind to what ever he/she does. It may be as simple as painting a picture or as complex as building a toy airplane, but everything it does needs to be done in the best possible manner. After the task is complete, the child shows it to everyone with a great sense of pride. Unfortunately, as we grow older our ability to be enchanted by small things diminishes, but the hunger for that sense of wonder remains in us. To satisfy this hunger, many turn to sex, drugs and other cheap thrills, only to find that nothing can satisfy. King Solomon in the Bible was one such man, who tried everything that the world had to offer, sensual pleasure, knowledge, work; you name it and he had done it. Yet his journal, as recorded in the book of Ecclesiastics is punctuated by this remark “Meaningless everything under the sun is meaningless”
All of us want to make a difference; we want more than just a good job with lots of money. We want our lives to be significant in the larger arena of life. How can what we do today, impact eternity?

Paul in Eph 2:10 said “For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The context of this verse is about salvation that comes to us as a result of God’s grace. What Paul is saying in these verses is that one of the effects of having come into a right relationship with Christ is that our entire life is infused with meaning and significance because God is now a part of it. Our work that we would consider trivial and meaningless now becomes an act of worship for God. We are God’s workmanship in our offices, in our schools, in our homes and in every other place where God has placed us. Dr. Ravi Zacharias in his book ‘Can Man Live Without God’, shares a story about Eric Liddell from the movie Chariots of Fire. At one point in the film Eric is reprimanded by his sister, Jenny, for trying too hard in his effort to win the gold medal, thus neglecting things of greater importance. His answer to her reveals the profound connection of all of life’s pursuit for him. He says, “Jenny, God has made me for a purpose- for China. But He has also made me fast. And when I run, I feel His pleasure.” For Eric Liddell whether it was running or going as a missionary to China, it had to be in line with God’s pleasure. He was God’s workmanship on the track and in the mission field.

Jesus said in John 15:5 “I am the vine you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing” In this world there are a lot of things that we can do without Christ, but nothing of eternal significance. It is only when we see ourselves as God’s workmanship, men and women created in Christ, that our mundane life is transformed into a significant life.

Touch of the Maker

There’s a story about an auction taking place. A number of beautiful and exotic items were being auctioned, each being sold at a very high price. Towards the end, an old, worn out violin was brought to be auctioned. The starting bid was a mere Rs.100, but even at such a low cost there were no bidders. The auctioneer encouraged the audience to bid by telling them that the violin was made of the finest wood and that great artist’s had played this piece of instrument but, still, there were no takers. An old man from the audience got up, walked to the podium, picked up the violin, cleaned it, tuned it and played a very beautiful tune and then returned the violin and walked off. Immediately after that the bidding for the violin started to pick up and the violin was sold for a sum that was ten times it’s original bidding price.

Now, there were two men sitting in the first row. One of them turned to the other and asked, “How is it that, all of a sudden, this useless piece of musical instrument is now sold for such a high price?” The other man replied, “The old man who cleaned the violin, tuned it and played it, was it’s maker.”
It is the touch of the Maker that makes all the difference.

No matter how badly messed up our lives are, when God cleans us, tunes us to His will and plays us for his glory, it makes all the difference in the world. Sanctity, Significance and Purpose of human life is found only in Jesus Christ.

Rev. Paras Tayade