The celebration of Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is set for Jan. 19. This is a yearly event that some churches actively promote, while others only make mention, and some not at all. And so, it becomes timely in the continuation of our “What We Believe” series that consideration be given to the Church of God’s stand on life itself.

From the beginning, God’s Word is certain, binding and unchanging, a universal truth not subject to change or rewriting to fit popular culture, politics or personal preference. Yet Satan, a believer’s adversary, does to our Godly view of life what he does to every piece of sound Christian doctrine: he twists its truth and meaning, sometimes just enough to shed doubt on God’s Word. Beginning in the Garden with Eve, Satan deceived, leading Eve to believe he was clarifying God’s Word and filling her with a virtuous desire. Nothing was further from the truth. Satan instilled unbelief in God’s Creation, God’s best was rejected, and sin and shame were the result.

Satan is still at work, attenuating God’s voice through His Holy Word (Scripture) and replacing it with a clouded vision designed to appeal to our own sense of convenience. The idea of choice in a woman’s reproductive rights, excuses why an unborn child is better off not living, the valuation of life by its productivity or drain on resources, along with other reasoning simply serves as Satan’s deception to rationalize our choices and alleviate our guilt. They also serve to separate us from knowing God’s Word and how God feels about all life.

Nowhere in the Bible will one read, “Thou shall not abort, or euthanize.” Yet one would read that we must not take life, the fifth Command. And part of the deception is the lack of understanding as to when life begins. It is not our aim, for this article, to state scientifically when life begins, but to leave it to God to decide, and He has. Psalm 139 is Scripture’s greatest battle cry for the unborn, and the most profound profession of how God feels about each and every life He creates. The Word reads, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” Psalm 139:13-16.

Here God conveys that each life is created by Him, and is in fact His, and He makes no mistake in His intention or His work. God knew us before we knew ourselves, we are important, valued and loved by God, He has a plan and a purpose for our lives, and we are worth the life of His Son! And we know what His Son Jesus did: He died for our sins, as the original sin we are all born into because of Satan’s influence required a Savior. God’s love provided that to each and every special human being God created and loved. To honor God in return, and to praise Him for the gifts of life and forgiveness we receive, we honor all life God creates, and keep it sanctified, for each is made special as God’s own workmanship.

The sanctity of human life — this, above all, is what we believe.

Our churches are: St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fredonia (672-6731), Immanuel Lutheran Church in Gowanda (532-5451), and Trinity Lutheran Church in Silver Creek (934-2002).