The Sacredness of Human Life

Exodus 20:13; Matthew 5:21-26, 38-45

GOLDEN TEXT: “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”—I John 3:15

TRUTHS set forth in the Scriptural assignment for today’s lesson, if accepted and practiced universally, would make an end of all wars and establish a genuine brotherhood of man throughout the whole earth. But they are not, and will not be, until Messiah’s Kingdom imposes them upon all and teaches the people their advantages. Meanwhile, the few who do believe and practice them as best they can are so decidedly in the minority that their influence avails little in a world that is filled with hate and a desire to shed blood.

Nevertheless, the Bible is circulating among the masses more than ever, and it is to the credit of our Government that it encourages the men of its armed forces to read the Bible. After all, worldly wisdom sees no other method of settling international disputes than that now being practiced. How glad all will be to learn the better way under the wise administration of the Kingdom of Christ.

The taking of human life itself is perhaps no more serious than the spirit of hate or greed that usually motivates such action. Murder is not the disease, but the symptom of the disease. A vigilant police force, and severe punishment for the guilty may, and does, help to suppress the symptom, but does little toward curing the disease.

And what is the disease? Fundamentally it is fallen human selfishness. It takes various forms, such as greed, hate, jealousy, lust, desire for power, etc. The symptom of this disease may not always be that of cold-blooded murder—although frequently it is. It may be murder in a more refined way, such as slander. Or, it may be the slow starvation of a whole community, or a nation, by the selfish exploitation of economic overlords. This sort of murder has been practiced upon the helpless throughout the whole history of the race, and nearly always under the protection of so-called civilized laws. The under-privileged of every nation, and in every age, have been the victims of this kind of slow murder, and all because those in a position to put a stop to it have been more concerned with their own interests than with the sacredness of human life.

There is nothing that can be done about it except to cure the disease which is responsible for such inhuman behavior, and only divine power can do that. But divine power will do it, and it is for this very thing that we pray, in the words, “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done, in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10) During the thousand years of Christ’s Kingdom, God’s law of love will be written in the hearts of the people, supplanting the disease of selfishness.—Jeremiah 31:31-34

But Christians, following in the footsteps of the Master, can go to work along these lines now; that is, they can, and should practice love in their own lives. But it will do no good to use a show of love as a veneer on the outside, while the heart is filled with hate. The heart must first be purified, made clean and wholesome, and then the spirit of love instead of hate will radiate through the life.

Our lesson shows that those who do have the spirit of hate in their hearts are just as guilty before God, and as unworthy of a place in the Kingdom of God as those who actually commit murder. How important it is, then, to get right down to the root of the trouble, rather than merely to suppress the symptoms.

As hate begets hate, so love begets love. That’s why Jesus suggests a reasonable attitude toward our adversaries, agreeing with them when possible, with the thought that they, seeing the advantage of the better way, will be more lenient than otherwise. In many cases, of course, it will require the disciplinary experiences of the Lord’s judgments to teach men that the way of love is best, but in many instances, even now, hard hearts will melt when exposed to the warmth of genuine love and good will.

Most important of all is the fact that when we conduct our lives along the lines of love we are emulating our Heavenly Father—trying to be like Him. Getting down to cases, this means that we should do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who despitefully use us and persecute us. It means that we will return good for evil, rather than evil for evil. It means that we will love our enemies as well as our friends, and will do them all the good we can. Can we imagine anyone who has whole-heartedly adopted this way of life murdering his brother?

Those who love from the heart are, in this respect, like God Himself. The whole world was estranged from Him through wicked works, but He loved all, and gave His Son to be their Redeemer. God sends the rain, and causes the sun to shine upon the unjust as well as the just. He has appointed Jesus as a future Mediator between Himself and man, and is preparing the church to participate with Jesus in the mediatorial work; all because He loves the people and would rather be reconciled to them than to see them perish.

We can’t be as wise as God, nor as powerful, but we can, if we will, take the same loving attitude toward our enemies that He does. In this sense we can be perfect even as He is perfect, at least in our hearts. And if our hearts are filled with love, we will not only value the sacredness of human life, but will rejoice in the hope of sharing with Jesus in the future work of restoring life to all of Adam’s race who will accept it on the divine terms. What a privilege that will be!

QUESTIONS:

What is perhaps as wrong in God’s sight as the taking of human life?

What is the fundamental cause of murder, and will that cause ever be removed?

How can Christians be perfect as God is perfect?

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