MAIN POINT

We oppose sinful practices like abortion, slavery, and pornography because they distort the value of human life.

Watch Session 3: Human Life video by David Platt (32 minutes)

INTRODUCTION

• In what ways does out society demonstrate how it values human life? In what ways does our society show that it does not value human life?
• How does the gospel compel action related to issues of human life?

God is the Creator of all things, and human beings are the pinnacle of His creative work. Before sin entered the world, God created man and woman and said that it was “very good.” Human beings alone bear the image of their Creator. Each of us has a relationship with God that is distinct from all other created things. Though sin has marred the image of God in human life, we continue to recognize life, from beginning to end, as a precious gift from a God who loves us. From the unborn baby to the most elderly adult, human life is a good gift from God that the gospel compels us to defend.

UNDERSTANDING

Read Genesis 1:1; 20-31.

• What are the spiritual and practical implications of saying God is the Creator of all life?
• Instead of saying things like “let the earth” and “let the waters,” what did God say when creating humankind? Instead of speaking to creation, to whom was He speaking? Why does this matter?
• What likeness do men and women uniquely share with God? What does it mean that we are made in the image of God?
• How were man and women set apart with a distinct position among the created order? What did God declare at the end of the sixth day?

God created human life, so He determines its worth and value. Man isn’t simply a more sophisticated or better-adapted creature. We aren’t distinct from other created things by a matter of degree. Humans are created in the image of God. We share a special relationship with God that no other created being experiences. Because of this, all human beings, from the beginning to the end of life, have dignity and worth.

Read Genesis 3:1-24.

• David mentioned that Genesis 3:1 is the first question in the Bible. Why is this significant?

Read Genesis 6:23.

• How does Paul use the word “wage” in this verse? What are the consequences of sin?
• How did sin affect Adam’s relationship with God? With Eve? With creation? How have you seen these relationships corrupted in your own life?

Re-read Genesis 3:15.

• Where do we see the gospel in these verses? How did God plan to use a human to redeem all humans?

In Genesis 3:1, Satan turned a command from God to a question about God, and the results were immediate. Sin has caused each of us to reject God’s Word, spurn God’s authority, and deny God’s character. Sin has destroyed our relationship with God, other people, and the rest of God’s creation. It led to immediate spiritual death and will lead to eventual physical death. Yet, tucked into the middle of one of the most devastating chapters in the Bible, we see the hope of the gospel: that a seed from a woman would crush the head of the serpent.

APPLICATION

• How is the view of human life we talked about today different from the popular cultural views of human life? What makes a Christian view of human life counter cultural?
• Virtually no one you encounter is likely to agree with or by sympathetic towards human slavery, while many will have more lenient, accepting, or affirming viewpoints on topics like abortion and pornography. Why must we oppose all three no matter how our culture regards them? How can you consistently affirm the value of human life?
• Practically, how can you consistently affirm the value of human life in all your choices?