Tuesday, October 28, 2014

THE STORY, Week #7, "The Bloodline of Jesus"

"The Bloodline of Jesus"

It has been forty years since the people Israel witnessed the plagues imposed upon the people of Egypt by the Lord God; forty years since they passed through the Red Sea; forty years since they became completely reliant upon God for their daily sustenance of manna and quail, forty years since they received the Law of God on the Mountain of God; forty years since they built the tabernacle and constructed the Ark of the Covenant; forty years since Moses spent twelve spies into the Promised Land; and forty years since the people refused to enter it.

Forty years is a long time...That's the equivalent of: ten presidential elections, twenty congressional
elections (Lord help us all!), ten Olympic Games, and the vast duration of my life (I am forty-two years old).

For the past forty years the people of Israel have essentially been waiting as their older generations died off due to God's promise that no one over the age of twenty would enter into the Promised Land due to their disobedience when the spies had reported back to Moses (Joshua and Caleb were exempted).  Everyone had died among the people, even Moses' own sister Miriam and his brother Aaron.  In the closing words of Deuteronomy we read that Moses, too, has died.  But, before his death, he passed his divine mantle of leadership onto Joshua, the son of Nun.  We read in the opening lines of Joshua, "After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, the LORD said to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, 'Moses my servant is dead.  Now, therefore arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, into the Land that I am giving to them, to the people of Israel.  Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I will give you, just as I promised Moses.'" (ESV)

God then gives Joshua a prescription for how to take and enter into the Promised Land.  A prescription is a certified document, signed by a doctor, that allows us to purchase protected medicines that will hopefully restore us to health.  God's commands to Joshua act as a prescription when he tells Joshua, "Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you.  Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.  This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:7-10 ESV)

Jericho today
Joshua turns his attention to the work at hand and sends two spies across the Jordan River to check out the Promised Land in general, and the city of Jericho, in particular. Jericho was a very important city for a number of reasons:

  1. It is believed to be the oldest continually inhabited city in the world.  Archeologist have been able to date pottery and carbon date other materials to nearly 9,000 B.C.  It is also believed to be the lowest city in the world, sitting at nearly 800' below sea level.
  2. There is a fresh water oasis at Jericho along with a large grove of palm and fig trees.  Fresh water and foot sources were very desirable in the ancient world (and today!).
  3. A major highway passed by Jericho giving the city access to trade and wealth.
  4. The city had walls that were nearly 13' tall and 6' wide sitting on a tell close to 40' high.  This would have been a formidable defense of the fresh water and food source.  That is, the people of Jericho had learned how to defend what was theirs.
  5. Jericho, with her strong defenses, dominated the entryway from the east into Canaan.  The people of Israel were going to have to defeat the people of Jericho in order to claim their inheritance in the Promised Land.
The spies sent by Joshua enter  Jericho, not realizing that spies from Jericho were onto them from the beginning.  The men seek shelter in the home of Rahab the prostitute.  Surprisingly, Rahab chooses to help these men rather than turn them in.  She lies to her own people and confesses to the Israelite spies that, "I know that the LORD has given you the land, and that the fear of you has fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land melt away before you.  For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you devoted to destruction.  And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath..." (2:9b-11). After this amazing revelation, Rahab goes on to ask for safety and deliverance for her and her family if she helps the men, and so, the entire nation of Israel.

Canaan (the Promised Land) was a dark, dark, spiritual place in the ancient world.  Jericho was actually known as the "moon city" because of its worship of the moon god.  We also know from both archeology and extra biblical literature that Canaan was full of pagan worship, dark magic, and human sacrifice--especially the sacrifice of children.  This was all an abomination before the Lord God.

The people's hearts in Canaan were hardened against the Lord God due to their deep seated, evil worship of false gods.  It is interesting that Rahab, a prostitute, the lowest in her social order, recognized who God was and sought out life through him.  While God was not going to allow these false religions to stand in the way of his people coming into the Promised Land, God does exercise great grace to those who turn from their evil ways and worship him.

For many years I have been deeply troubled by the book of Joshua in the Bible because of its storyline of the destruction of entire peoples: men, women, children, and their livestock.  I now see God's grace actively at work in this book.  One way to understand grace is to think of it as not getting what we do deserve.  It is the very opposite of justice.  In chapter 9 the Gibeonites, though using deception, submit to God's mercy and are spared.  In fact, every person and people group that submits to God is spared and shown mercy--yet those who harden their hearts to the will of God are dealt with severely.

Rahab is mentioned three times in the New Testament.  In Hebrews 11 she makes an appearance in the "Roll call of the saints," being commended for her great faith.  In James 2 she is lifted up as a person to emulate regarding her good works.  Rahab also makes an appearance in Matthew chapter 1, which is an amazing text;  she actually shows up in the genealogy of the Lord Jesus.  In fact, there are four women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah the Hittite (Bath Sheba--she is not named directly) who make an appearance in Jesus' bloodline.  Each of these women were from outside of the covenant family of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; yet God essentially adopted them into the family tree of Israel, and so the bloodline of Jesus.

This is good news!  This lesson of God's mercy and grace in the Old Testament is only amplified in the new as we learn that all who believe and trust in Jesus as both Lord and Savior have also been adopted into the family of God, the people Israel.  One of the hard truths of Scripture is that God does not grade on a curve. That is, my sin is not better than my neighbors sin.  In God's eyes sin is sin is sin is sin.  We are all guilty and all under the same judgment of death.  The story of Rahab (along with Tamar, Ruth,  and the wife of Uriah the Hittite) teaches us that regardless of our sin, or nation or origin, or color, or creed...that God desires to welcome us into his family, to adopt us as his own--claiming us in the blood and the bodily resurrection of the Lord Jesus.  For that we should be very thankful.

Soli Deo Gloria!  To God alone be all the glory!

Thursday, October 23, 2014

THE STORY, Week #6, "Moses Strikes the Rock"

"Moses Strikes the Rock"
Numbers 20:1-13; Deuteronomy 34:1-8

It has been at least forty long years since Moses stood in the presence of the LORD God at the burning bush (Exodus 3) and heeded God's call for him to return to Egypt and lead the Hebrew people out of bondage to slavery.  It has been forty long years since the plagues devastated the people of Egypt (Exodus 7-11); forty long years since the first Passover (Exodus 12); forty long years since the miraculous parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14); forty long years since Moses led the people into the wilderness (Exodus 15); forty years since they received the Law of God at the Mountain of God (Exodus 19) ; forty long years since they began relying on God completely for their daily sustenance through manna and quail (Exodus 16); forty long years since they came to the edge of the Promised Land (Numbers 14), yet turned away in fear; forty long years...


Now, all of the people of Israel over twenty years of age at the time of their refusal to enter the Promised Land have died.  A new, younger Israel, was preparing to claim their inheritance.  They had endured tent living in the desert for four decades...they were ready.  Once again, Moses has brought them up to the edge of the Promised Land, he was 120 year old.  Surely, he must have been thinking to himself, the people are ready for this next stage in their life.  Surely they will enthusiastically take to the mission at hand.  Surely they will be ready to endure the rigors of taking the land. Yet what did the people do?  Yet again, they complained.  Verse 3 reads, "Would that we had perished before the LORD!  Why have you brought the assembly of the LORD into this wilderness, that we should die here, both we and our cattle?  And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place?  It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink."

Moses and his brother Aaron, the High Priest of God's people, took this concern/complaint to the LORD by prostrating themselves at the door to the Tent of Meeting.  Remarkably, God does not seem angry or upset with his people.  He instructs Moses and Aaron not to punish the people, but rather, to gather the people, speak to the rock, and water will come out for the people and their livestock.

Moses and Aaron dutifully do as God has commanded and call the people together--but when he looks at them, he becomes overcome with emotion.  Moses doesn't like God being gentle with the people after their complaints.  For forty years he has been living with their verbal abuse, their condescension towards him, their unfaithfulness to both God and his leadership, their multiple attempts to overthrow him, and their refusal to trust God fully for their daily provision.  On top of that, we read in Verse 1 that Moses and Aaron's sister Miriam has just died. Along with Moses' anger, we can infer, is grief.  A grief, and maybe even anger, that his sister would not make it to the Promised Land.

Rather than speaking to the rock, Moses loses focus, due to his anger at the people, for a short time and strikes the rock.  This is in direct violation of what God expected from him.  Despite not following the Lord's instructions, water is allowed to come from the rock, but not without repercussions.  In Verse 12 we read, "And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 'Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.'"

Wow.  For many years this passage REALLY bothered me.  Moses has done his best for over forty years to be faithful to God in leading God's people to freedom.  He didn't want the job in the first place, but Moses did his best--despite overwhelming opposition from the people at times--to lead the people in a godly manner.  He made one mistake; just one mistake--and now the thing he has been most looking forward to for all of these years has been taken away from him.  It just doesn't seem fair.

In Number 12 we read that Moses is among the most humble of men in all of the earth, and as we continue to read in Numbers after the "striking the rock" incident, Moses accepts his punishment with grace.  Many people if they had received a punishment like Moses would have given up.  They would have quit, or perhaps resigned.  But Moses does no such thin.  Rather, he continues to lead the people to the Promised Land.  He continues to intercede for them to the Lord at the Tent of Meeting.  He continues to follow God's instructions for his people Israel.  He transfers Aaron's office of High Priest to Aaron's son Eleazor, and then buries his brother.

I knew a lady at the first church I pastored who was over 100 years old.  I asked her once what was the hardest aspect of aging.  She told me it was seeing her husband, her friends, her siblings, her cousins, and even her children die before her...

Moses had seen a lot of death in his 120 years.  He had watched an entire generation die in the desert,
and he had buried his sister Miriam and brother Aaron.  He was old. He was tired.  He was ready to die.  In Deuteronomy 34 we read that God had Moses walk up to the top of Mt. Nebo, in the modern country of Jordan, where he was shown the entirety of the Promised Land by God.  And there, on that mountain, Moses died.

What I once thought was a punishment beyond comprehension for Moses, I now understand as a great act of love and devotion by God.  Moses' personal actions prevented him from entering into the physical, temporary Promised Land of Canaan...just as our own personal actions often prevent us from outcomes that we desire, yet God did welcome Moses into THE Promised Land at the end of his life.

How do I know this?  In the Gospels we read that when Jesus ascended the Mountain of Transfiguration, along with Peter, James, and John, that he was visited by two Old Testament  figures: Elijah and Moses.  Moses didn't march with the people of Israel into the physical land that God had promised Abraham centuries before, but God did welcome Moses into THE Promised Land. Perhaps when Moses closed his eyes on earth for the last time he heard God welcome him home, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
Soli Deo Gloria! To God Alone Be All the Glory!


Friday, October 17, 2014

Really Good Books I Have Read So Far in 2014 and Commend to the Greater Public


For as far back as I can remember I have always loved to read.  When I was young I devoured the "Hardy Boys" books and "The Three Investigators" series.  I loved the excitement of reading--of magically placing myself into exciting situations in foreign places. My parents, to their credit, were very good about taking me to the library and local book stores to feed my constant hunger.

I developed a taste for nonfiction books in junior high, with a particular hunger for anything pertaining to United States history.  That hunger continued to grow through high school and then college where I majored in history and minored in political science. My interests now are primarily nonfiction in nature, although I do love a great novel every now and then!

I was recently browsing through the books that I have read in 2014 and realized how blessed I was to have read them.  They each helped me to grow as a person, as a husband, as a father, and as a Christian.  Some of them are fiction and they helped to shape my imagination, while others are more academic in nature and they helped to develop my mind.  Others still, are emotional reads, and they helped me to shed a quiet tear of sadness.

Below, in no particular order, are books I have read this year and commend to you.  I would love to read any thoughts you have toward any of the selections.


The Little Way of Way of Ruthie Lemming: A Southern Girl, A Small Town, and the Secret of a Good Life by Rod Dreher











The Creedal Imperative by Carl Trueman












The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name by Sally Lloyd-Jones












How to Read a Book:The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading by Mortimer J. Adler











The Lost Soul of American Protestantism by D.G. Hart












Surprised by Oxford: A Memoir by Carolyn Weber












The God Who Makes Himself Known: The Missionary Heart of the Book of Exodus (New Studies in Biblical Theology Series) by W. Ross Blackburn











Presbyterians and American Culture: A History by Bradley J. Longfield












Republocrat: Confessions of a Liberal Conservative by Carl Trueman












In Search of Deep Faith: A Pilgrimage into the Beauty, Goodness, and Heart of Christianity by Jim Belcher











Voyage to Alpha Centauri by Michael D. O'Brien












The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas












Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

Monday, October 13, 2014

THE STORY, Week 5, "At the Foot of the Mountain: God's Preamble to His Constitution"

Exodus 19:1-6

On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.  2 They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain,  3 while Moses went up to God. The LORD called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:  4 You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.  5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;  6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”  



We read in this text that it has been three months since the people of Israel had gone up out of the land of Egypt.  It had been three months since they experienced the wonder of the first Passover; three months since they had miraculously passed through the Red Sea to freedom; and three months since Pharaoh's army was drowned by that same water as it came down over them.  For three months they had been living on a sticky, bread like substance called "manna"...and for three months they had been wandering through the desert wilderness of the Sinai Peninsula.

The arrival of the people Israel at the Mountain of God was a fulfillment of the promise that God had made to Moses back in Exodus 3:12.  As God was speaking to Moses through the burning bush, God proclaimed and promised, "But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain." (ESV)  The arrival of Israel here at this mountain is one of the high points in the book of Exodus.  It marks the achievement of God's plan to save a people for his glory.

This isn't just any people group.  This is a people to whom God has solemnly swore an oath to
The Sixth Day of Creation
through their ancestor Abraham (Genesis 22).  God loves his people, and will use them to bring his plan for creation to fruition.  That is, when creation was finished at the end of the sixth day (Genesis 1), God looked at all he had created, and behold, it was "very good"--it was perfect. God's vision for humanity and his plan for his creation had been put into place.  The willful sin of our first parents, Adam and Eve, put God's plan and vision into jeopardy--but God would not be thwarted.  He promised that through a child of Eve redemption would come (Genesis 3:15).  This promise was carried through her son Seth, protected by Noah in the flood, and then though reconfirmed by God through promises made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

As the people Israel were languishing for centuries as slaves in Egypt they would have orally passed down from generation to generation the great promise of God to their ancestor Abraham to bring them to a Promised Land.  Now, freed from slavery at the hands of the Egyptian oppressors, the people Israel were brought by God to this mountain where he would establish a new covenant relationship with his people.

Philip Ryken writes, "It was at the base of this mountain of God where the people of Israel pitched their tents and looked up at the rugged, rocky cliffs pushing out of the desert.  At the base of the mountain they would remain for the remainder of the book of Exodus (about one year).  First they would receive the Law, then they would build the tabernacle--and it was here, in that lonely desolate place that the people would meet the living God."


I once had a Bible teacher teach me that the gathering of the people of Israel at the foot of the Mountain of God was similar to the Constitutional Congress that met in Philadelphia from May-September 1787 to draft our national constitution. I think that is a pretty good analogy to work with.  I remember in 8th grade Civics class that Mrs. Megowan had us memorize the Preamble to the US Constitution.  I can still recite it today, "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."  Exodus 19:1-6 is the preamble to God's Constitution which will be given in the upcoming chapters.  

There are some notable differences between the US version and God's.  The US's preamble is FROM the people and FOR the people.  The preamble delivered in this pericope is FROM God and FOR God. In this passage God first makes himself known to the people Israel by what he has done to Egypt--both their first-born and the defeat-by-drowning of Pharaoh's army in the waters of the Red Sea.

Eagles saving Sam and Frodo. (Ted Nasmith)
Next, God states that he bore the people on eagles wings and brought them to himself. Eagles are fierce birds of pray as well as being used literarily as great protectors.  The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings have multiple examples of great eagles coming to the aid of dwarves, hobbits, and others.  We know that eagles typically nest at high altitudes and keep their baby eaglets in the nest for protection for roughly 100 days. At that time the mother will nudge the baby's out of the nest.  She watches the eaglet carefully--if the baby doesn't spread her wings and fly on her own, the mother quickly descends and catches the eaglet on her back and bears her to safety.  This is the same way that God cares for and protects his chosen people Israel.

Finally, God brought the people Israel out of Egypt to the mountain where they would worship himself.  The exodus from Egypt was not about getting the people safely aware from their taskmasters.  If that was the case, God would have safely brought them through the Red Sea and then turned them loose.  Rather, the exodus was about God bringing the people of Israel to this mountain, where he would covenant with them--and they would worship and glorify him!

Notice that God saves the people first, and then gives them the Law (their constitution). Freedom wasn't a result of following the rules, rather, the Law was a result of freedom.  The same is true in the Christian Faith today.  FIRST God saves us; THEN he teaches us how to live for his glory.  If personal obedience was the requirement for salvation none would be saved.

In this preamble, God tells the people what kind of God he is--a God who saves and protects his people.  Then he tells them who they are supposed to be--a precious people with a specific purpose. The Hebrew word "Segullah" is translated in V. 5 as "treasured possession."  This word refers to the personal, most-prized royal possession of a king.  Israel was God's royal property, his most prized possession.

The response to being God's treasured possession is to live as a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. That is, to live lives set apart from the rest of the pagan world.  To live as a beacon of God's light, not to scare people away from God, but to draw them to God.  How were they to live that life of holiness?  Where would they learn how to live in that manner?  The answer to both questions is the Law.  The Law of God is the constituting document where God binds himself not simply to a man (Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob) but to an entire people.  Israel was now a nation--the people of God, and God desired for them to follow his law not out of obligation--but out of thanksgiving; as a response to the freedom and protection that God had given to them.

We know that the people would fail in this calling, but God's vision for his creation would not be abated.  In the fullness of time he sent Christ Jesus into the world--the fulfillment of the Law, the embodiment of the people Israel.  He would be the carrier of the promise.  He would share the love of God with a dark world.  He would be the one to atone for the peoples' sins and make reconciliation with God.  It is in Jesus that the promise made to Abraham to bless all of the peoples of the world would be fulfilled (Genesis 12).  It was in Jesus that the head of the serpent would be crushed (Genesis 3).

Next week, THE STORY brings us to the forty year desert wanderings of Israel for her lack of faith and disobedience.

Friday, October 10, 2014

Promoting a Culture of Life: A Brief Rebuttal of the "Death With Dignity" Euthanasia Argument

The online news media has been busy in recent days sharing the story of Brittany Maynard, a twenty-nine year old married woman who is going to end her life on November 1, 2014 because she has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer.  Here is a link to her story on cnn.com.  She doesn't want to experience, nor does she want her family to endure, the suffering that will accompany her diagnosis. She wants to "die with dignity" and is using the media to draw attention to doctor assisted suicide, which is currently legal only in the states of Oregon, Washington, Montana, and Vermont.

Another high profile case from a year ago dealing with voluntary euthanasia focused on twin forty-five year old brothers from Belgium.  These brothers were born deaf and were going blind.  They chose death over potentially not being able to see one another in the future. Here is a link to the USA Today story.

I believe that the "Death with Dignity" argument is one that is gaining strength and sympathy within the greater American culture, and will be a tremendous challenge for Christans to contend with.  The primary argument used for doctor assisted euthanasia/suicide is that our bodies are our own--that they belong to us--and we can do with them what we want.  As Christians we should all quickly understand that we do not belong to ourselves; that we belong to the Lord God, the Creator of heaven and earth--who purchased us by paying a tremendous price.  We were purchased by the blood of Christ Jesus, and our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Apostle Paul writes,  "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.  So glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)  As a people of faith, we must be able and willing to have honest conversations with people about identity; that is, who are we? and to whom do we belong?

Dad and I just before the disease ravaged his body
This is a sensitive subject for many people who either have terminal illnesses, or have family members or loved ones terminally ill.  The Christian response must be loving, compassionate, and pastoral in nature.  As a pastor, I have had the privilege of walking with many individuals and families through the dying process.  I believe stronger today than ever before that the "Death with Dignity" argument is an egregious lie that promotes a culture of death rather than a culture of life that glorifies God. My own father was diagnosed with a terminal illness that took nearly a decade to claim his life.  Dad knew who he was and to whom he belonged.  His conviction to respect life, even a life that was slowly slipping away, was rooted in his very identity as a child of God.  I wrote about my dad a few weeks ago here if anyone would care to read more about him and his life.

I am blessed to be a minister-member (Teaching Elder) in the Evangelical Presbyterian Church.  The EPC is a faith family and tradition
that values life and truly appreciates it as a gift from the One, True, Living God.  They have drafted a position paper that pastorally covers this very subject.  It takes about ten minutes to read, but if you are interested in this subject I encourage you to take a few minutes to peruse it.  You can find the online version, along with other position papers here.  

There is no need for me to spending hours typing out what has already been beautifully written below.  Please read the position paper with an open mind, and then feel free to leave comments.  If you comment, please be nice.  Feel free to disagree, but please be nice.






POSITION PAPER ON THE PROBLEMS OF SUFFERING, DEATH AND DYING
Evangelical Presbyterian Church

SYNOPSIS

The fundamental biblical principle that man is made in the image of God establishes the profound value and sanctity of human life. Because of the Fall, all humans are subject to suffering and death. While suffering is an intrusion into life, it is not without divine purpose, for it provides the opportunity for Christian witness, service and godly character development as we share in the sufferings of Christ.

Advances in medical science have greatly improved healing and relieved suffering, but have also presented many new dilemmas for patients and their families which must be faced in the light of God’s Word.

Because of the value and sanctity of human life, we stand against any effort such as suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia which seek to terminate innocent human life outside natural processes, even though the motive for such efforts may be a misdirected kindness. When faced with medical situations that could call for heroic measures, Christians should make a distinction between treatment that may prolong life in hoes of recovery and that which will only prolong the dying process. As Christians deal with difficult choices surrounding life and death, they should seek the support and counsel of the Church that should reach out with compassion and the truth
of God’s Word.

I. INTRODUCTION
We live in a day of profound ethical dilemmas as we consider such issues as suicide, assisted suicide, euthanasia, abortion, reproductive technology, and capital punishment. The view one holds regarding the value and dignity of human life will determine where he stands on all of these issues. It is imperative that we fully understand the biblical principles that establish an ethical framework that will enable us to have confidence that we are following God’s direction as we encounter these dilemmas.

We bear a tremendous responsibility to make biblically informed choices under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. One day ‘we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” (II Cor. 5:10) since we must all answer to God for the decisions we make concerning these life and death matters, we dare not act autonomously or base our decisions on what we think is right independently of God. (Isa. 55:8KJV, “’For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ saith the Lord.”)

II. BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES

A. The Image of God (Imago Dei): The stamp of the image and likeness of God has set apart human life as unique, distinctive and profoundly valuable. God demands that we preserve human life because it is the only form of life that He created in His own image. “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness…” (Genesis 1:26,27 NIV) Only human life can walk, talk and fellowship with the Creator, because it is the only life that possesses the image of God. This is the source of man’s great value and dignity, made astonishingly “a little lower than God and crowned with glory and honor.” (Psalm 8:5 NAS)

The value that we place on human life cannot be determined by one’s productiveness to society or by any other arbitrary standard set by man. The tendency of a technological culture to as-sign value to an individual based on his or her function (what he or she can do, rather than who he or she is) is totally unacceptable. We must look to our Creator’s declaration in Gen. 1:31 (NAS) “God saw all that He had made and behold, it was very good.”

God reaffirms the value and dignity of all human life through the incarnation of Jesus Christ “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil. 2:6-8) The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on behalf of His people and the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit who now abides within all Christians also attest to the supreme value God has placed on human life. Can anyone doubt the dignity God has bestowed on human life, since He declares that the human body of believers is actually the dwelling place of God the Holy Spirit? (I Cor. 6:19-20 NAS “…your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God…you were bought with a price…”)

B. The Right of God as Creator to Rule Over Life and Death: God, as our Creator, is the giver and sustainer of all life. Since God is the giver of life, He reserves to Himself along the right to take it: ‘It is I who put to death and give life.” (Deuteronomy 32:39) “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away.” (Job 1:21) In Psalm 139:13 & 16 (NAS), David acknowledged the sovereignty of God in numbering the days of his life: “For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb…in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them”

Former Surgeon General Dr. C. Everett Koop sums up the problem of a culture which no longer looks to the Bible for its values: “Our society, having lost its understanding of the sanctity of human life, is pushing the medical profession into assuming one of God’s prerogatives, namely, deciding what life shall be born and when life should end.”1 The eternal Word of God declares that life is a sacred and priceless gift, beyond the purview of mere human beings to decide its beginning or end.

God, as our Creator, has given life to us as a gift and a sacred trust. Therefore, it should be deceived with thanksgiving and protected from those who would seek to usurp God’s control of life and death through abortion, suicide, assisted suicide and active euthanasia.

C. The Prohibition of God: “You shall not murder.” (Ex. 20:13 NAS): Question and answer 136 of the Westminster Larger Catechism points out our obligations in fulfilling the Sixth Commandment:
Q. What are the sins forbidden in the Sixth Commandment?
A. The sins forbidden in the Sixth commandment are: all taking away the life of ourselves, or of others, except in case of public justice, lawful war, or necessary defense; the neglecting or withdrawing the lawful or necessary means of preservation of life; …and whatsoever else tends to the destruction of the life of any.2

The Sixth Commandment clearly rules out the lawfulness of suicide, assisted suicide and active euthanasia. Suicide is the direct and intentional taking of one’s life: murder of self.Assisted suicide is the enabling of one to take his own life and is considered assisted murder. Active euthanasia is the willful and active taking of someone’s life and is clearly a violation of this commandment.

D. The Problems of Suffering, Death and Dying: Some argue that the motive of alleviating suffering justifies suicide, assisted suicide or euthanasia. But we can never justify the taking of life on the basis of suffering. The church must oppose any effort to terminate innocent life outside the natural process even though the motive may be a misdirected kindness.

Because we live in a fallen world (Gen. 3), suffering is a harsh reality. But as we examine the healing ministry of our Lord Jesus, we can only conclude that God is on the side of healing. We have a God-given drive to resist suffering and death and to seek to alleviate physical and emotional pain. It is right to seek to lessen the sting of suffering through pain-killing medications which help make those who are suffering as comfortable as possible. It is permissible in the case of terminal illness to use painkillers which carry the risk of shortening life, so long as the intent is to relieve pain effectively rather than to cause death. (Prov. 31:6 “Give strong drink to him
who is perishing.”) The proper application of medical science, as demonstrated by much of our hospital and hospice care, can in most cases enable patients to live and die without extreme suffering.

Hope and meaning in life are possible even in times of great suffering. As Christians, we must entrust our lives to a wise, king and loving heavenly Father who has promised that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” (Rom. 8:28) While suffering is an intrusion into our lives, it is not without divine purpose; for it provides the opportunity for Christian witness, service, and godly character development as we share in the sufferings of Christ. (I Peter 4:12-13 & Philippians 3:10). Suffering often becomes the means by which Christians demonstrate to others the sufficiency of God’s grace. (II Cor. 12:9 NIV “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.”)

When death is likely to occur within a short period of time, we can look to the example of the patriarchs. When Jacob saw that he was in the dying process, he gathered his sons around him to deliver his final blessings and instructions (Gen. 49: 1-33). When Joseph was about to die, he also called for his brothers and reminded them of God’s promises (Gen. 50: 24-26).

It is rare in our times to witness this kind of deathbed gathering. Why? Because in the United States today, three out of four people die in a hospital or a nursing home surrounded by strangers. Technological intervention in the process of dying could very easily undermine important ministerial functions of the terminally ill in a misguided zeal to prolong life at all costs. One of the great fears of dying patients is their being left alone or neglected. The environment of noisy machines and blinking lights of intensive care units is often substituted for the intimacy of loved ones.4

Since past generations did not have the technology to keep people alive artificially, most deaths occurred at home. Surrounded by family and friends, dying people were invited to repent of their sins, bless their children, ask forgiveness, bid farewell, and make recommendations. Of course, death remained then, as now, the most stressful of human events, but it “occurred as a natural experience, expected and understood.”5

Even though we now have the technological means to make dying easier, our society is increasingly seeking to make active euthanasia more palatable. Euthanasia, until recently, was commonly understood to refer to the practice of passively allowing the dying process to take place. Today, proponents of the “Right to Die” movement seek to differentiate euthanasia by blurring the distinction between “passive” and “active.” Passive euthanasia has never really been a moral problem, for it is simply allowing the process of dying to take its natural course as the medical team seeks to provide adequate pain management. Active euthanasia, on the other hand, means intervention that would hasten the patient’s death. The church must speak out against active euthanasia as it rapidly gains popular approval.

Advocates of active euthanasia, suicide, and assisted suicide continue to point to man’s need to die with dignity. They argue that the lack of physical or mental abilities precludes death with dignity since they assume that man’s dignity is derived from mental and physical abilities. But the word of God clearly reveals that man possesses dignity and honor by virtue of the fact that he was created in the image of God. Man’s dignity does not depend on his mental or physical condition. Each person, no matter how infirm or socially useless he or she may appear to be, deserves to be accepted as a person of dignity created in the image of God.

At one extreme we find the proponents of active euthanasia, and at the other extreme we find vitalists who demand that in each and every case, life must be preserved at all costs. A biblical perspective of death and dying must be established in order to counter these extreme views. Question 85 of the Larger Catechism asks: ‘Death, being the wages of sin, why are not the righteous delivered from death, seeing all their sins are forgiven in Christ?” The answer gives us a wonderful summary of the theology of the death of believers in Christ:

The righteous shall be delivered from death itself at the last day, and even in death are delivered from the sting and curse of it; so that, although they die, yet it is out of God’s love, to free them perfectly from sin and misery, and to make them capable of further communion with Christ in glory, which they enter upon. (WLC 85, emphasis added)

Revelation 14:13 also tells us of the blessing of Christians when they die: “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on! ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deed follow with them’” The curse of the fall of Adam and Eve has been turned into blessing because of the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul tells us that he was willing to be absent from the body in order to be present with the Lord (II Cor. 5:8), for that is very much better” (Phil. 1:23) than continuing to live on this earth. Paul, already experiencing a deep and rich fellowship with Christ, clearly indicates that personal fellowship with Christ will be magnified at the death of the saints. Of course, this does not mean that one is not to seek to live out his life to its full extent as long as God gives the opportunity. Paul’s longing for that “much better” estate does not undercut the value and significance of the present life or by death. For Paul to live on in the flesh means fruitful labor for him, and he is convinced that it is “more necessary” for his fellow Christians for him to continue his early ministry. In the same way, we must regard this present life on earth as a great gift from God to be lived to its full extent in fruitful labor in serving others.6

Unlike spiritual death, which is an absolute evil, physical death is only a relative evil in a fallen world. Physical death for the Christian is not an enemy always to be fought at all times. The conviction that physical life must be preserved at all times in fundamentally idolatrous from the standpoint of biblical theology. God tells us in Hebrews 9:27 that “it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment.” In Ecclesiastes 3:1,2 the Preacher says, “There is an appointed time for everything…a time to give birth and a time to die.” Thus, there is no moral or biblical obligation to prolong death when one is clearly in the dying process. There is a time to resist death, but there is also a time to cease resisting. As Stewart Alsop said, “A dying man needs to die, as a sleepy man needs to sleep, and there comes a time when it is wrong, as well as useless, to resist.”7

The Bible teaches that we can glorify God by death as well as by life. According to Philippians 1:20 our ultimate purpose in life or in death must be the glory of God. The first question and answer in the Westminster Shorter Catechism demonstrates this beautifully:
Q. What is man’s primary purpose?
A. Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.
Our Lord Jesus Christ, in willingly laying down his life for His people, gives us the greatest demonstration and example of a death which was motivated by love and the glory of God. (John 12:27; 15:13)

III. HEROIC MEASURES
A. Definition: “Heroic measures” refers to the use of extreme emergency measure to prolong a patient’s life when vital processes cease to function. Few topics in medicine are more complicated, more controversial, and more emotionally charged than the decision of whether or not to forego life-sustaining treatment for the hopelessly ill.

B. Problem: Because of our technological advances in the medical field, we now en-counter perplexing moral question that earlier societies never had to face. Heroic measures may extend the life of the patient, but it may also extend the suffering of the patient and family members. Financial debt and a difficult legal climate add to the complexity of this situation. We are faced with profound ethical dilemmas. For example, does God demand, in every situation, that all medical options available be used to extend the life of one who is dying? Or would God have us, at times, to refuse extraordinary medical procedures and allow the patient to die? If a person is taken off a respirator and allowed to die, has the Sixth Commandment been violated? The answers to these dilemmas depend upon a clear distinction being made between prolonging life when there is hope of recovery and postponing the dying process when it is hopeless.
On the one, side, heroic measures are indispensable to the practice of modern medicine. Many individuals have been restored to health by their application. On the other side, this technology may be applied thoughtlessly with the tragic consequences of lengthening the dying process and adding unnecessary suffering and expense for the patient and family.8

C. Guiding Principles
1. We cannot provide simple formulas and conclusions that fit every encounter with heroic measures. On the contrary, we find that it is impossible to give a specific direction for every conceivable circumstance, and we realize that decisions will differ. We can be sure that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in time of trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) God has promised to give us wisdom if we will ask in faith. Ministers should be consulted to pray with and for the patient to help him to determine God’s will in the application of heroic measures. Often God will give us the wisdom we need through the counsel of caring doctors. The patient and family should prayerfully and carefully weigh any decision to go against the counsel of the trusted physician since he would be expected to have the best advice in these situations. In many situations a distinction can be made between treatment that will heal, improve or restore the patient to health and treatment that will only prolong the dying process. The patient and family should ask appropriate questions to obtain this information, since for various reasons a physician may not make this distinction when various options of medical treatment are presented. Pastors or other elders should be consulted as patient and family carefully and prayerfully consider these options.9

2. Necessary means of preservation of life must not be withheld from the patient. Negative judgments about the “quality of life” of an unconscious or otherwise disable patient have led some to propose withholding nourishment in order to end the patient’s life. Medical treatment that is clearly efficacious to heal, improve, or restore must not be refused.

3. The Bible does not teach that people are obligated morally always to accept treatment that would sustain life artificially. For example, there does not seem to be an absolute moral obligation to undergo chemotherapy or to receive kidney dialysis in certain
cases. In the case of irreversible diseases (like certain forms of cancer), the patient may in good conscience refuse treatment that may briefly lengthen his life if he believes that his quality of life would be greatly impaired.

A decision to withdraw medical support from a patient is terribly difficult, especially when it seems likely that death will be hastened by that decision. Nevertheless, a decision to withdraw life support is more often based upon better evidence than a decision to initiate life support. These heroic measures are often begun in an emergency situation when physicians must make decisions quickly about
patients, but with limited information. Over the next few days, or weeks with continued observation and additional information, however, they may discover that utilization of a respirator or feeding tube would be futile treatment which would only prolong the dying process. Initially thee procedures were started when there was some reasonable hope of the patient’s recovery.10

Although heroic measures have been started, they do not necessarily have to be continued. Since there is “a time to do,” it is morally permissible to discontinue life support when doctors agree that there is no hope of recovery.

4. Physicians should be chosen with these principles in mind. It is possible to have your doctor know your desires for each family member. “Do Not Resuscitate” orders are often an appropriate way to avoid heroic measures, because hospitals are required to
resuscitate all patients who die suddenly unless such orders are on the patient’s chart.11

5. The advantages and disadvantages of available legal measures should be explored with a trusted lawyer if possible. This action can prevent many of the dilemmas that occur with terminally ill patients.

6. Our Lord Jesus gave us two helpful guidelines. First He enunciated “The Golden Rule:” Do to others as you would have them do to you (Luke 6:31), and the great summary commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Numerous surveys have demonstrated the fact that most people do not want extraordinary treatment for themselves when there is no real hope of recovery. Nevertheless, when faced with a decision on behalf of close relatives or friends, they often want more for others than they would do or want done for themselves. Love for our neighbor demands that ‘in proxy decision making, we should apply the same biblical standards
of justice, mercy and faithfulness to others that we want and expect to be applied to ourselves.”12

We encourage spouses and family members to draw upon the biblical and theological principles outlined above as they seek to discern God’s will in regard to heroic measures. After appropriate biblical reflection, we urge that families pray together and openly discuss what they desire concerning the various choices of medical treatment before being confronted with the actual experience of such a
decision. We also encourage families to meet with their minister, Christian friends and physician about their concerns regarding care and to become educated about their conditions in order to permit informed decision-making. Sooner or later each one of
us, either directly or indirectly, will face decisions regarding our own or a loved one’s medical condition(s).

IV. RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE CHURCH REGARDING THE SANCTITY OF
LIFE
1. It is incumbent upon our churches to address the temptations of suicide, assisted suicide and active euthanasia. The greatest deterrent to these evils is to introduce those at risk to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Only then will they experience the abundant and meaningful life that our Lord came to give (John 10:10 “I came that they might have life and have it abundantly.”)

2. In recent years the incidence of suicide, especially among teenagers and young adults has become alarming. We can blame the media’s glorification of alcohol, drugs and sexual promiscuity, but we must see to it that our churches are ready to provide
practical help. Perhaps the incidence of suicide can be reduced if we seek to help those in our communities to attain a strong sense of belonging in their families and churches. As Peter tells us, ‘Love covers a multitude of sins.” (I Peter 4:8) Both the Old and New Testaments encourage the building of strong interdependent families in which each family member is treated with dignity as one who has profound value and worth to God. If adequate support by the covenant community of the church, the family and competent pastoral care givers is provided, the mental suffering of loneliness, fear, depression and anguish, which is often more painful than physical
suffering, can be alleviated. This support can significantly reduce the number of those at risk for suicide, assisted suicide and euthanasia. Those who have a strong sense of belonging to family and church which provide love, care and biblical morality are
much more secure and are able to cope with suffering far better than those who lack similar nurturing.

3. We must not deliberately end the life of an individual through medical or any other means. But when the God-given powers of the body to sustain its own life can no longer function and physicians conclude that there is no real hope for recovery even with life support instruments, a Christian may in good conscience withhold heroic measures and “let nature take its course.” To try desperately to maintain the vital signs of one for whom death is imminent is not consistent with a Christian ethic that mandates respect for the dying, as well as for the living.

4. Families should discuss the option of bringing the irreversibly terminal patient home to die. This will enable the patient, the family, and loved ones to experience the meaning, blessing and convenience of being in the place they are most comfortable and familiar. Often home care is superior to that of an institution. Patients will normally get better attention and have more interaction in their own home. Editor Paul Gilchrist lists other benefits. Serious infections that are a hazard in institutions are avoided. The patient will get more rest away from the frequent intrusion of needles, pills, tests, noisy instruments, and other interruptions that often continue twenty-four hours a day. Numerous studies indicate that hospital care, and even intensive care units, provide little or no medical benefit for some conditions. Careful discernment is needed to determine when to use these facilities and when not to.13

Most communities now have some type of hospice movement. Hospice is an agency designed to help patients and/or their families adjust to the idea of a loved one having a terminal illness. This group of dedicated individuals serves as an aid — physically, emotionally, and psychologically—to help individuals cope with the process of dying. Our local churches are encouraged to participate in this much needed ministry.

5. As the statesman Edmund Burke said, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” We urge Christians to make known in the marketplace their convictions o the value of and respect for human life. As Christians, we should make this biblical position known by whatever means possible as we seek to be salt and light to our culture in the present confused state of affairs surrounding euthanasia, suicide and assisted suicide. By God’s grace we may be able to help shape public opinion and formulate appropriate legislation regarding medical ethics and practices that will be in harmony with the teachings of the Bible.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
De S. Cameron, Nigel M. Death Without Dignity Edinburgh: Rutherford House Books, 1990.

Davis, John Jefferson, “Brophy vs. New England Sinai Hospital” Ethical Dilemmas in Discontinuing Artificial Nutrition and Hydration for Comatose Patients,” Journal of Biblical Ethics, July 1987, pp. 53-56.

Davis, John Jefferson. Evangelical Ethics: Issues Facing the Church Today. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1985

DiNunzio, Ronald C. Medical Ethics. D.Min Dissertation, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, MS, 1992.

Frame, John M. Medical Ethics. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1988

Gilchrist, Paul R., ed. “Report of the Heroic Measures Committee,” (1988), PCA Digest Position Papers. Atlanta, Georgia: Presbyterian Church in America, 1993.

Gram, Robert L., An Enemy Disguised: Unmasking the Illusion of “Meaningful Death.” Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1985.

Journal of Biblical Ethics in Medicine.

Kelly, Douglas and Rollinson, Philip. The Westminster Shorter Catechism in Modern English. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co.,1986.

Koop, C. Everett, The Right to Live, The Right to Die. Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 1976.

Kurfees, James R. “On Living Wills,” Journal of Biblical Ethics, January 1988, pp.4-9.

Melton, J. Gordon, Ed. The Churches Speak On: Euthanasia, Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991

Murray, John. Principles of Conduct. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1957.

Payne, Franklin E., Biblical/Medical Ethics: The Christian and the Practice of Medicine. Milford, MI: Mott Media, 1985, pp. 181-212.

Ramsey, Paul. The Patient as Person. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1970.

Sproul, R.C., Surprised by Suffering. Wheaton, IL: Wm. Tyndale Publishers, 1989

The Confession of Faith of the Presbyterian Church in the United States. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1965.

Townsend, Donald, “Physical and Spiritual Care of the Terminally Ill,” Journal of Biblical Ethics, January 1988, pp. 1-3.

Vere, Duncan. Voluntary Euthanasia—Is There an Alternative? London: Christian Medical Fellowship, 1979.

ENDNOTES


1C.Everett Koop, The Right to Live, the Right to Die. Wheaton, Tyndale House Publishers, 1976. P. 143
2The Westminster Larger Catechism cites the following proof texts: Acts 16:28’ Gen. 9:6; Exod.
21:14; Deut. 20:1; Exod 22:2; Matt. 25:42,43.
3See Recommendation #2
4Paul R. Gilchrist, ed. “Report on the Heroic Measures Committee,” PCA Digest Position Papers 1973-1993. Atlanta: Presbyterian Church in America, p. 386.
5J. Gordon Melton, ed. “Death and Dying” in The Churches Speak On: Euthanasia. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, 1977, p. 136.
6Gilchrist, p.380
7R.C. Sproul, Surprised by Suffering, Wheaton, IL: William Tyndale Publishers, 1989, p. 46
8Gilchrist, p. 381
9Gilchrist, p. 382
10Gilchrist, p. 383
11Gilchrist, p. 386
12Gilchrist, pp. 382-383
13Gilchrist, pp. 286-287