Here is a scenario:
I have in my hand two ten dollar
bills. One has been minted by my niece. She is a very talented artist as you
can see, and she has guaranteed the value of the bill in my hand for ten
dollars. The other ten dollar bill is minted by the United States government,
who guarantees its value.
Which
one would you rather have? Why?
Which
one is actually worth something?
You may be surprised to know
that the price of one piece of paper currency (or one bill) in 2005 was only around
5.7 cents in the United States. I am certain that my niece’s art supplies cost
more to produce her ten dollar bill. Think of all the materials: markers,
scissors, paper, and of course there is her time: no one wants to work for
nothing you know.
You see what really makes the
$10 dollar bill in my hand worth anything to me, is the guarantee that this
nation is able to back up its value. Everywhere I go in this country my $10
bill is worth ten dollars. It doesn’t matter if it is brand new and crisp or
tattered and partially missing. Even the photo of Thomas Jefferson is a symbol
to remind us of the prestige and the financial power represented by this former U.S. president.
Now, let me
ask you this. If a $10 dollar bill is only worth something because of whom it
is supposed to represent. And the government that it makes it determines its
value, how can we learn from this lesson what makes a person valuable? Who made
us? Who is backing us up? Who do we represent? Now remember, I’m not ONLY talking about important people like the
president, or the governor, or a popular actor or singer. I’m talking about any
person, every person: old, young, popular, or shy… new and crisp or tattered
and partially missing…Why are we valuable?
...The
Bible explains that God created EVERYTHING in Genesis. In Genesis 1:26 the
Bible talks about God making mankind and it gets really specific about what
makes mankind different than ALL of the rest of creation! Genesis 1:26 says
that God created mankind, male and female, in His own image! That means that we
represent Him and we are valuable to Him! That $10 bill is valuable because it
was printed by the United States, and we are SO MUCH MORE valuable than $10
because we are created in the image of God! This means that God not only made
us in a way that we represent him, but also in a way that we can relate to him!
We can speak, we can love, we can think, and we can know! Try having a meaningful
conversation with your dog, and you will soon find out that you talk too much,
or that people are simply totally different! People are simply different than
the rest of the entire creation!
Take
a step back and think with me for a second… The largest full moon you’ve ever
seen is rising in a crystal clear sky; a centerpiece of splendor framed by
millions of stars and galaxies painted across the heavens. David, a young shepherd
who would by God’s choosing become King of Israel recognized this as he surely must
have spent many evenings sleeping under the stars in the fields around
Bethlehem. There were no city lights to drown out the vivid display of the
night sky. David saw the handiwork of God and declared: “The
heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”
(Psalm 19:1 ESV) Yet, as beautiful and majestic as the universe on display
before us, it is not made in God’s image. And David realized this fact too. He
recognized very clearly that God made him with a specific purpose, and with a
special value. In Psalm 139:13 David sings about God forming his “inward parts”
and “knitting” him “together in” his “mother’s womb.” Then in verse 16 he goes
so far to say that God had already established plan and purpose for the days of
David’s life before He was born. These are amazing claims about the value of a person
who was not even born yet!
Now another scenario:
Let's add some reason as we get down to “brass tacks.” Is a baby who is unborn really a
person, with rights and privileges? Or is it only the mother who is carrying
the baby who has rights? If you are on the fence; not ready to make a decision
either way, let’s consider an illustration used by Ray Comfort in his
documentary the 180 video. Suppose there was an abandoned building set to be
imploded with dynamite, and you being the owner of the soon to be vacant lot are
the honored guest. The contractor walks over to you and hands you the detonator
button, but before you are able to press the button he begins to speak. He
tells you that his team was unable to make a final sweep of the building before
the big show, and unfortunately there may be a person left inside the building.
He tells you not to worry though, because legally you have the right to press
the button. Nobody who values the life
of a human being would be willing to take such a big risk, even if they weren’t
sure that a person was really still inside. Why would anyone who wasn’t sure if
an unborn baby was really a human with rights EVER take the chance of
supporting or having an abortion? It just isn’t right!
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