LIFE OBSERVANCE SUNDAYS
WHY?
During the month of January we will be observing Sanctity of Life Sunday in the regular service on January 13. We will also observe the sanctity of God’s gift of life in the Bible class and bulletin articles for today and the next two Sundays.
Why do we pay special attention to the teaching that life is a sacred gift of God that is to be protected?
1. To Stop the Harm
We all have an obligation to speak and act in a way that will protect the innocent from harm, as it is written in Proverbs 31:8 (NKJV) “Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die.” Because so many speak out for the unborn, the abortion rate has decreased in the last decade. The fifth commandment not only forbids murder but embodies all the Biblical commands that we care for one another in every bodily need.
2. To Call People to Repentance
The killing of the unborn is wrong and yet many defend it as a “right” or justify it out of supposed necessity or even convenience. Others justify the taking of the life of the aged, the infirm, the potentially disabled, or themselves because of their “quality of life.” Even though some may do so out of ignorance or self-deception it is an evil that cries out for judgment.[1] God’s law cuts through the darkness of ignorance and deceit to reveal his wrath against those who kill the innocent.
God in His grace has sent His Son to redeem us from all our sins. As forgiven sinners ourselves, we offer God’s own forgiveness to those who have been awakened to their sin, and may even be overcome with grief and regret. John 3:17 (ESV) “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
[1] E.g. Gen. 18:20, Ex.22:21-24