The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.

I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 10:10 ESV

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

The Most Valuable Book in the World

2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12-13

(I gave the message at Pines Baptist Church, Pembroke Pines Florida on February 8, 2015. You may view the PowerPoint slides here and listen to the message here (click the message title at 02-08-15). You may watch the message here (First Baptist Church Oakland Park on 11-01-15) 

The 2000 Baptist Faith and Message says the following about the Scriptures:

"The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation."

That is the doctrinal statement of this church with regards to the Bible. You can read it on the Pines Baptist Church website. Most evangelical denominations and churches adhere to a similar high view of Scripture.

However, what is disconcerting is the fact that, as Jeremy Weber reported a little over two years ago, "In a fresh study of 'Bible engagement' ...Life Way Research surveyed more than 2,900 Protestant
churchgoers and found that while 90 percent 'desire to please and honor Jesus in all I do,' only 19 percent personally read the Bible every day." According to the survey another 25% read the Bible a few times a week, 14% once a week, 22% once or twice a month and 18% rarely/never. (Study: Bible Engagement in Churchgoers' Hearts, Not Always Practiced by Russ Rankin 09-06-12)

Dr. Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention, in an article entitled, "The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It's Our Problem," writes the following:

"While America's evangelical Christians are rightly concerned about the secular worldview's rejection of biblical Christianity, we ought to give some urgent attention to a problem much closer to home--biblical illiteracy in the church. This scandalous problem is our own, and it's up to us to fix it.... Secularized Americans should not be expected to be knowledgeable about the Bible. As the nation's civic conversation is stripped of all biblical references and content, Americans increasingly live in a Scripture-free public space. Confusion and ignorance of the Bible's content should be assumed in post-Christian America."

He continues, "The larger scandal is biblical ignorance among Christians. Choose whichever statistic or survey you like, the general pattern is the same. America's Christians know less and less about the Bible. It shows."

Let me be clear from the outset. I am not trying to lay a guilt trip on any of us. I cite these facts because if these surveys are even remotely accurate we are at risk as individuals, as families and as a church. At worse, at risk of sooner or later being overwhelmed by false doctrine if not apostasy, and at best, a failure to walk in the fullness of our salvation found in Jesus Christ and His Word. As Dr. Mohler warns, "We will not believe more than we know, and we will not live higher than our beliefs."

I believe, from personal experience and the teaching of Scripture that our personal knowledge and intimacy with God grows in direct proportion to our knowledge and intimacy with His Word.

That is one reason why the Bible is the most valuable book in the world. Why is that the case? To answer that question, I am going to cover three things about the Bible this morning: its origin, its nature and its purpose.

First of all, the origin of the Bible. It is inspired by God - this answers these questions "Where did the Bible come from?" "Who authored it?" or "Who wrote it?"

The Bible makes the unambiguous claim that it is inspired by God. Therefore, we rightly refer to the Bible as "God's Word." The Bible teaches that the Scriptures are inspired by God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) "All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

 When Paul said that Scripture was "breathed out by God" he is referring to its origin. The word translated "breathed" is the same word translated "spirit." So the breathing out of the Scriptures describes the work of the Holy Spirit in the writing of the Bible. The apostle Peter further clarifies this truth. 2 Peter 1:21 (ESV) "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."

There are many examples in the Bible that illustrate this truth. For example, in Hebrews chapter one, the writer in verse five says, "For to which of the angels did God ever say, then he quotes from Psalm two, "'You are my son, today I have begotten you?'" In other words, Psalm two represents what God said. He goes on to quote from Psalm 45 and 104 in the same way attributing them to be words from God. Similarly in chapter 3:7, the writer to the Hebrews attributes Psalm 95 to the work of the Holy Spirit saying, "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says," then quoting from Psalm 95, "'Today, if you hear his voice do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness." In other words, the writer to the Hebrews is acknowledging the Scripture he quotes to be the words of the Holy Spirit.

We see the role of the Holy Spirit in the writing of the New Testament. Jesus said to his disciples, John 14:26, (ESV) "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to you remembrance all that I have said to you."

Dr. Merrill C. Tenney writes, "The continuity of revelation is likewise guaranteed by the Holy Spirit." (John, the Gospel of Belief, pg. 224) Dr. R. V. G. Tasker further explains, "The very existence of this Gospel of John, and indeed of the entire New Testament, would have been impossible apart from this aspect of the Holy Spirit's work." (The Gospel According to St. John, pg. 168)

The Apostle Paul made a similar claim of the gospel he proclaimed. As he wrote the church at Galatia, warning them about deserting the message he had proclaimed to them, he speaks of the origin of his gospel message. Galatians 1:11-12, "For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."

Dr. John R.W. Stott writes, "His gospel...was neither an invention (as if his own brain had fabricated it), not a tradition (as if the church had handed it down to him), but a revelation (for God had made it known to him).  (Only One Way, pg. 30)

Notice that Peter makes it clear that God used men as the instruments in writing the Scripture. He writes, "but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." The term "carried along" is a maritime term used of the sailing ships of that day as they were carried along by the wind. (Acts 27:15,17) To use the metaphor here, the prophets "raised their sails," as it were, and were carried along by the Holy Spirit writing under His inspiration and direction.

 You see God used men to write the Bible, men of varied backgrounds and different experiences. Men with different personalities who wrote in various literary styles. But they were all men who wrote the words and the message under the sovereign control of the Holy Spirit, without by passing their unique individuality in the process. Dr. Kenneth Kantzer, one of my theology professors in seminary, has written of this human element that is so apparent in the writing of the Scriptures.

"...the full complete humanity of the Bible shouts at us from every page. The biblical writers used their own language. They wrote from the context of their own culture. Their style was their own. Their themes were those dear to their hearts. Moses differs from Isaiah, John from Matthew, Paul from James. No literary genre that is appropriate for good human literature is necessarily inappropriate for the biblical authors. From first to last, the entire Bible is a human book and can only be understood and righty interpreted as a thoroughly human book."

He is saying that the imprint of men is undeniable in the Scriptures even though each of them wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Donald Campbell writes, "...God superintended the human authors so that, using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded, without error, His [God's] revelation to man." (Kindred Spirits)

So, first of all the origin of the Bible, it is inspired by God. Notice, secondly the nature of the Bible. First of all I want us to see that the Bible is inerrant. Again, the doctrinal statement of this church, the Bible, "...has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy."

We refer to this as the "inerrancy" of Scripture. The word "inerrant" means to be without error. If God is the author of Scripture as we have seen, what does the Bible say about the veracity or truthfulness of God? Two examples: Titus 1:2 - "God, who never lies." Hebrews 6:18 - "it is impossible for God to lie." The Bible is without error because of the impossibility of its author to lie. Dr. Norman Geisler, "We dare not agree, therefore, with those who would make inerrancy a minor or even trivial matter. Whether or not the Bible has errors in it is as important as whether or not God can err." (Evangelical Beacon, pg. 5, 01-16-79) In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus said,

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."

Jesus taught the infallibility of the  Scriptures. They would be fulfilled. In other words, they are incapable of error.

Do you know what an "iota" is? The KJV translates it 'jot." It is thought to be the "yod," the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So the New International Version translates it "the smallest letter." It's about the size of an apostrophe in the English language. See on this Hebrew alphabet chart [PowerPoint] it is on the second row, the last letter on the far right. It is the first and smallest letter, the "Yah," in the Hebrew word for Lord - Yahweh. Remember Hebrew, unlike English, is read from right to left.

Do you know what a "dot" is? KJV "tittle." It is the extension or swirl that often differentiates one Hebrew letter from another. For example, the difference between a Resh" and a "Dalet." Do you see [PowerPoint] the slight extension at the top right corner of the Dalet? In other words, Jesus is teaching that even the smallest part of the Law will not pass away. It will be fulfilled. It is incapable of being wrong or mistaken. This is a very strong statement regarding the infallibility of the Scriptures.

As D.A Carson writes, "...Jesus here upholds the authority of the Old Testament Scriptures right down to the 'least stroke of a pen.' His is the highest possible view of the OT." (The  Expositor's Bible Commentary, pg. 145) Jesus said, John 10:35, "the Scripture cannot be broken."

The Bible also teaches the "plenary" inspiration of the Scriptures. That is, Scripture in its entirety is inerrant. You cannot limit the inerrancy of the Bible as some attempt to do. For example, some claim that the Bible is not trustworthy or infallible when it comes to some scientific or historical statements. In Matthew 19:6 Jesus answered an ethical question about divorce, by making a historical and scientific statement regarding human sexuality. On another occasion Jesus affirmed the historicity of Noah and the flood, Matthew 24, (37-39) and the prophet Jonah, Matthew 12. (40ff).

You cannot deny the inerrancy or infallibility of the Bible when it speaks of history or
science without impugning the testimony of Jesus Christ regarding the trustworthiness of Scripture. As Dr. John R. Walvoord has written, "Those who attack the written Word of God also attack the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ. If the Bible is in error, then Christ is in error, too. The two stand of fall together."

Dr. Norman Geisler, "...inerrancy is not a matter of scholarship; it is a matter of Lordship. If Jesus is Lord, then Scripture is inerrant, and the Lordship of Christ is not an insignificant matter." (The Evangelical Beacon, 01-16-79)

The Word of God is also permanent. Peter quoting Isaiah 40:6,8, "...all flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but word of the Lord remains forever." 1 Peter 1:24-25 (ESV) And the Psalmist David wrote, "Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens." (119:89 ESV)

The authority of the Bible is timeless. It speaks to men in every age and time. To those in the 21st century, as it did in the first century, as it will in the centuries to come if the  Lord tarries.

So, as to the nature of the Bible, first, it is inerrant. Secondly, the Bible is dynamic. In other words, it is a living Word, alive with the power of God. Jesus said, "It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." John 6:63 (ESV)

Hebrews 4:12-13 (ESV) "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-   edged sword piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Friends, if you are a believer this morning; if you have been born again by the Spirit of  God, it is because the Word of God living and active like a two edged sword pierced your heart, exposing your sin, causing you to cry out in repentance, and receive by faith the forgiveness only Jesus Christ can offer. And the living and active word birthed new spiritual life into your soul as you received the gift of eternal life through faith in the atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Peter described it this way, "since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." (1 Peter 1:23 ESV)

F. B. Meyer writes, "...when the Word of God enters the heart, it is not as a piece of furniture or lumber. It asserts itself and strives for mastery, and compels men to give up sin; to make up long-standing feuds; to restore ill-gotten gains; to strive to enter into the strait gate. (The Way Into the Holiest, pg. 90)

If on the other hand, you are not a believer this morning. If your sin has never been forgiven, covered by the shed blood of Christ, this morning receive the Word of God. It is what God uses to discern the thoughts and intentions of your heart. Before His Word, Hebrews says we "are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

Again, F. B. Meyer, "We must expect to have our most secret thoughts, relations, and purposes questioned, criticized, and measured by the Word of God. No court of inquiry was ever presided over by a more exact inquisitor than this. The corpses of the dead past are exhumed; the old lumber-rooms with their padlocked boxes are explored; the accounts of bygone years are audited and taxed. God is critic of all the secrets of the heart. As each thought or intention passes to and fro, he searches it. He is constantly weighing in the balance our thoughts and aims, though they be light as air." (The Way Into the Holiest, pg. 91-92)

You see the Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and reveals our sin to us. We see ourselves as God sees us. That is the place from which we can call out to Him for forgiveness and salvation. If you have never done so, today can be your day of salvation. Call out to God in repentance and faith and He will save you!

We have seen the origin of the Bible. It is inspired by God. We have seen the nature of the Bible, it is inerrant and dynamic. Notice lastly, the purpose of the Bible. Back to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) "All
Sripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

The Scriptures are profitable says Paul, with regard to what we believe and how we live,  or to put it another way, our creed and our conduct. And of course, you probably recognize that the two always go together. What you believe will always shape how you live.

In dealing with what we believe and how we live, Paul gives us both a positive and a negative. Paul begins with what we believe, our creed. Scripture "is profitable for teaching,' verse sixteen. In other words the Bible tells us what to believe. It defines our doctrine. But it is also profitable for "reproof." In other words, the Scriptures will help us to refute error. It will help us to realize when we have embraced false teaching, when we are being led astray. The New English Bible says Scripture is profitable "for teaching the truth and refuting error."

Again as the Pines Baptist doctrinal statement reads, the Bible is "...the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried."

Just a few verses later, Paul warned Timothy of the danger of false teachers. In chapter 4:2-4, Paul wrote, "...preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths."  (ESV)

In his first letter to Timothy he wrote a similar warning. 1Timothy 4:1 (ESV), "Now the
Holy Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teaching of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared."

These are sobering warnings. It matters what you believe. Doctrine does matter! I have never seen a time in my lifetime when our doctrine, what we believe, what we embrace as truth, is more important than it is today. Our greatest safeguard against false doctrine and teaching is to personally know the Scriptures. To be familiar with what the Bible teaches. I don't want to minimize the public preaching or teaching of the Bible as we are doing right now. That is my calling. But there is no substitute for each of us giving  ourselves to the personal reading and study of the Scriptures. Remember Paul's commendation of the Jews in Berea? Upon their arrival in that city Paul and Silas entered the synagogue to preach the gospel. In Acts 17:11  (ESV) Luke writes, "Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." These Jews to whom Paul and Silas preached the gospel got their Bibles out and checked out Paul's message! We would do well to follow their example today.

The purpose of the Bible. It tells us what to believe, our doctrine. Secondly, the Bible tells us how to live. Scripture is profitable, Paul writes, "for correction, and for training in righteousness," verse sixteen. Again a negative and a positive. This time Paul gives the negative first, "correction." This refers to the Scriptures correcting our conduct. The Bible is given to us to help us live right. And when we get out of line it will correct our behavior if we read it, meditate on it, apply it and obey it.

Just this week, as many times before, in my personal Bible reading the Scriptures spoke clearly to me about an area of my life that needed attention. Not doctrine, but a heart issue. The word was clear and timely, something I needed to hear that very day. I don't know about you, but I am the kind of person that most every day needs to give the Lord the opportunity to take that two-edged sword and divide my soul and spirit, discerning the thoughts and intentions of my heart. I desperately need that more regularly than I want to admit, so that I can know what is in my heart, treat people right, make right decisions, walk in the Spirit and be conformed into the image of Christ.

So, the Bible will correct our behavior. Then the positive, "and for training in righteousness." "Training" refers to "upbringing" or "child training." The Word of God trains us how to live and act. Again the New English Bible, the Scriptures are profitable "for reformation of manners, and discipline in right living."

The purpose of the Bible, first it tells us what to believe, our doctrine. Second it tells us how to live. Thirdly notice, the Bible equips us for a life of ministry, verse seventeen. The Bible tells us what to believe and how to live in order, "that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."

As with many of you, there have been many times in my Bible reading that the Lord has spoken so clearly through His Word, not just words of correction but a word of encouragement, a faith building promise, confirmation or direction regarding a course of action, discernment regarding an issue, speaking to me right when I needed it. This is so we may be prepared and equipped for every good work. Bible reading trains us for living a life of good works.

There is a great message for parents and grandparents here, the greatest ministry we can have is to our children and grandchildren. In chapter one of 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul writes this about Timothy's grandmother and mother. "I am reminded of your sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice and now, I am sure dwells in you as well."

Then in 2 Timothy 3:14,15 (ESV) the Apostle Paul writes of the role Scripture played in Timothy's upbringing, "...continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."  

That was Timothy's heritage. From childhood the Scriptures had been poured into his life. It is never too early to begin reading the Bible to your children. It is never too early to make your children familiar with God's Word. Timothy became acquainted with the Scriptures in his childhood, the text says. My guess is, this led him to faith in Jesus at an early age.

Remember the Baptist statement read, "The Holy bible...has God for its author, salvation for its end" Then the last sentence reads, "All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation." The greatest purpose of the Bible is to reveal God's love for our world in sending His Son to die for our sins. In that sense, it's God's love letter to us.

I close with this illustration. This past week a Facebook friend posted these words. I will not use their real names.  A mother writes of her seven year old son Tom.

"I had the privilege of watching Tom's presentation to his class. Every week they have to get in front of their class and present something, show and tell or a small speech, to work on their public speaking skills.... Tom had chosen something to speak about and put it in his backpack that morning. He wouldn’t tell me what it was. It was a 'surprise' he said. When it was his turn he pulled his beloved Bible out of his backpack. My sweet boy who finds whatever quiet moment he can to read his Bible, who is always using my goBible to listen to chapters while he falls asleep or does his chores and who loves the time we spend reading it together, has such a love for the scriptures at only seven.

On Wednesday he sat down in front of his class and read several verses in Matthew and then proceeded to give a little 'sermon' or explanation about what the verses meant. He wanted to read more but he ran out of time. He has told us often that he feels the Lord is calling him to preach and has many times shared the gospel with strangers when we are out and about. He began preaching to us at two years old from his high chair. His boldness in faith is such an example to us and such an incredible gift. It is such a privilege to be his mommy. I often say that he is God’s grace to me. I wish I could have gotten a video but my phone ran out of room. Still, I will treasure this memory always."

A Mom's tribute to her seven-year old son who evidently believes the Bible is "The Most Valuable Book In the World." How valuable is it to you?

© James P McGarvey All Rights Reserved





Saturday, January 31, 2015

How Should I Respond to the Shedding of Innocent Blood?



Genesis 3:15; 4:8-10; 9:5-6
Deuteronomy 21:1-9 
(I gave this message on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, January 25, 2015, at Pines Baptist Church in Pembroke Pines Florida. You may view the PowerPoint slides HERE.)

Before we begin I want to acknowledge that for many abortion is a controversial subject and may be difficult perhaps even painful for some to think about. I know it is likely that someone here this morning has been touched by an abortion. If that is your experience, while you cannot escape the truth about abortion nor some of the consequences of your abortion, please know there is hope in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We will never understand God's grace apart from God's truth. But God's truth will always lead us to God's grace.

It is my personal conviction that abortion is a gospel issue. In other words, you cannot address abortion from a Biblical perspective without acknowledging that God has made every provision through the death of His Son Jesus Christ to forgive, heal and restore those who have been involved in the abortion of a child. The blood of Jesus Christ is sufficient to cleanse us from any and every sin through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.

I'll never forget what I heard from your Pastor, probably eight years ago now when I took him to visit the Hope Women's Center in Miramar. That center was closed in 2008 due to lack of finances to keep it open. Hope is a pregnancy resource center that provides free pregnancy tests, free options counseling, free limited obstetric ultrasound, the Gospel and more for women and men facing an unplanned and often unwanted pregnancy. I introduced him to the center director, Hope Remy, and this is what he said. "If you ever have a girl who is pregnant and has no where to go, call me and we will take her in." That's the heart of you pastor.

If your life has been touched by an abortion in any way, or if this morning you face an unplanned pregnancy and don't know what to do, there is help here. Share you need with one of the leaders here. You are in a safe place in this church. I am personally so glad this morning that the gospel is God's powerful remedy for my sin and yours.

I intentionally made the title of this message personal, hoping each of us would take the responsibility that the Lord wants us to bear for the shedding of innocent blood, in our community, realizing that as we look at a Biblical response to the shedding of innocent blood, there is value if not, a desperate need, for us to see how God would have each of us respond not just as a community of believers but as individuals committed to obey the gospel and Biblical truth.

Last year, Pastor Rusty Lee Thomas in his pamphlet, Field Manual for Abortion Ministry, raised these two questions that have continued to trouble me for months now.

"What does Christianity look like in a nation that murders its own children?"

If you are a Christian, how would you answer that question?

Question number two,

"Has the church failed to be prolife or have we failed to be Christian when it comes to rescuing our neighbors scheduled to be dismembered?"

These are weighty questions. Perhaps the fact that there is even the need to ask the questions, should concern us. Doesn't it seem almost counterintuitive that one would need to ask these questions of the church? It reminds me of God's response to his people, the nation of Judah, as they sacrificed their own children to the pagan demon god Molech. The prophet Jeremiah in two places records God's words of disbelief, 

“…they have filled this place with the blood of innocent children. They have built pagan shrines to Baal, and there they burn their sons as sacrifices to Baal. I have never commanded such a horrible deed; it never even crossed my mind to command such a thing!"  (Jeremiah 19:4-5 NLT)

Pastor Rusty Lee Thomas writes, "...I believe this cruel act is so foreign to God's commandments, character, and will that he refuses to acknowledge it. In other words, this despicable practice is so far off the charts, so beyond the pale, that God will not dignify it with any sense of rationality. For parents to sacrifice their own children in order to obtain a better life is unthinkable in the mind of God." (Abortion Violation, pg. 28)

Shedding innocent blood is the Biblical term for the unjustified taking of a human life. It is the Biblical term that best describes abortion. In 1973, two U. S. Supreme Court decisions, Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton, legalized abortion in all 50 states during all nine months of pregnancy for virtually any reason.

This plunged America into a national tragedy that has proved to be unparalleled in our 329 years of history, as the abortion death toll in America is estimated to be approaching 58 million unborn children. (57,762,169 - estimate by Dr. Randall K. O’Bannon National Right to Life Committee education director.)

As we seek to answer the question before us, we begin where the Scriptures begin, with creation. The creation account  identifies who man is. Understanding this is critical to understanding how to respond to the shedding of innocent blood.

The creation account indicates that man was created by God. Genesis 1:26a (ESV) Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness..." Genesis 2.7 "then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." This is the consistent and repeated declaration of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. Man was created by God.

According to the apostle Paul it is the foundation of a Biblical worldview. In Romans 1:25, he writes of the consequence of rejecting God's disclosure of Himself in creation or natural revelation, and the refusal to honor Him as God, "...they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen." In other words according to Paul, there are ultimately only two worldviews. One denies there is a Creator and therefore worships the creation. The other acknowledges the Creator and worships that Creator. As Peter Jones writes,

"To speak in postmodern terms, there are only two 'metanarratives'---an ultimate story from within the universe, or an ultimate story from outside the universe. A word from within, or a Word from without. Either creation is divine or the Creator is divine. It is one or the other, but cannot be both. To claim that creation is divine is to deny true divinity to the Creator." (One or Two? pg. 89)

You see, modern evolutionary theory, that governs the thinking of 21st century America, denies the existence of the Creator and therefore postulates that man was the product of a meaningless, random evolutionary process over billions of years, the result of a cosmic accident. Therefore man is just another animal who has risen to the top of the evolutionary chain having succeeded in the survival of the fittest.

Man has no intrinsic value by virtue of his origin, because he has denied the existence of the Creator. That is secular America today. He is therefore accountable to no one but himself. In essence this is the self-deification of man. Having denied the existence of God, man becomes his own god and answers to no one but himself. This is the prevailing worldview of 21st century western civilization. It is the worldview that makes room for the shedding of innocent blood.

This was illustrated by an article written by Mary Elizabeth Williams in the online website, salon.com. Perhaps you remember I shared it with you two years ago. The title of her article says it all. "So What if abortion Ends a Life" Subtitle: "I believe that life starts at conception. And it's never stopped me from being pro-choice." In the article she acknowledges that the children she aborted were human beings, nevertheless she goes on to say, "All life is not equal....a fetus can be a human life without having the same rights as the woman in whose body it resides. She’s the boss. Her life and what is right for her circumstances and her health should automatically trump the rights of the non-autonomous entity inside of her. Always."

Despite acknowledging that life begins at conception and that the unborn are human beings she defends her right to kill her unborn children based on the survival of the fittest, the basic and necessary tenant of atheistic Darwinian evolutionary theory. No accountability to transcendent moral truth because of the denial of a transcendent Creator.
 The creation account also indicates that man was created in God’s image and likeness Genesis 1:27 (ESV), "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them." Pediatrician, Dr. Rendle-Short identifies some of the Godlike qualities man shares with God. As human beings, we share these Godlike qualities: language, humans can communicate. Sometimes when I leave the house I say to my dog, "Good by Maggie." She has never yet responded to me by saying , "See you later, Jim!" She's not created in the image of God with the capacity for language to communicate. Intelligence, man can think. Creativity, man can create complex products. Think of that the next time your are forty thousand feet in the air flying across the country. Love, man can live in relationships, have fellowship, live in community. Holiness, man has a moral conscience, can tell right from wrong.  Immortality, man is eternal and will live for ever; freedom, man can make choices. This is “because he is human, made in the image of God.” (John Rendle-Short, M.D, “Man: The image of God”)

In other words, man resembles God. This is what gives us the capacity to know God. It is why God could communicate personally with Adam and Eve in the Garden. It also gives us the ability to represent God, in his creation as we see in verse 28 that follows. "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:28 ESV) Oswald T. Allis has said, “Man is made in the image and likeness of God. This sets him apart from all the other creatures and entitles him to have dominion over them. He is the climax of the creation...”

The Biblical record also verifies the personhood of the unborn. This speaks directly to the issue of abortion. We see personhood in God’s relationship to the unborn. This is just one of multiple examples found in Scripture. God said of the prophet Jeremiah “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5  (ESV)

Do you see the personhood of Jeremiah while in the womb? God viewed him as a distinct and unique person with a specific calling on his life all before he was even born. In fact God says He knew Jeremiah before he there was even any physical manifestation of him in the womb.

The biological and scientific evidence is consistent with the Biblical case for life. Science verifies that human life begins at conception. That debate ended years ago with the discovery of DNA present in the first cell of human development. Professor Micheline Matthews-Roth, M.D. of Harvard University Medical School writes, "…It is scientifically correct to say that an individual human life begins at conception…”

Friends, the Biblical evidence is clear. Man is created by God and for God. Man is created in His image and likeness. The unborn are recognized by God as distinct and unique persons from the moment of conception. Man is charged with exercising dominion over creation. Understanding this truth is critical in forming a Biblical worldview that informs and shapes our response to the shedding of innocent blood. The Biblical creation account then, provides us with the foundation for cherishing and protecting human life from the moment of conception.

The doctrine of "blood guilt" emerges very early in man's history. Genesis chapter four records the first crime in human history, the murder of Abel by his brother Cain. "Cain spoke to his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said, 'Where is Abel your brother?' He said, 'I don't know, Am I my brother's keeper?'" (Genesis 4:8-9 ESV)

Years earlier Satan had deceived Adam and Eve and the world was plunged into sin. God then had no recourse but to separate himself from Adam and Eve as sin cursed His creation and paradise was lost. God cursed Satan saying, "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring, he will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel." (Genesis 3:15 ESV) This is the first announcement of the gospel. The first prophecy of the coming Messiah who would provide a means of reconciliation between man with his Creator. A day would come when the seed of Eve would strike a decisive victory over sin and Satan on the cross. But God also identified the efforts Satan would make to attack the seed of Eve. And with this the epoch struggle between good and evil began. And Satan has been involved in an unrelenting attempt to kill the offspring of Eve ever since beginning with Eve's second born son. With the very first shedding of innocent blood we see the hand of Satan carrying out his agenda, Jesus later exposing him as a "a murder from the beginning" in John 8:44. And down through history Satan has continued to be the propelling force behind the taking of human life.

The story continues, verse 10 of Genesis four. "And the Lord said, 'What have you done?' The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground." The shed blood of Abel had a voice that cried out to God! What is the  significance of Abel's innocent blood crying out to God? It is God's way of expressing both his displeasure with the shedding of innocent blood and implies that He is bound to respond to the taking of innocent human life in a manner consistent with the value He has placed upon human life having created it in His image and likeness. When you take human life created in the image of God, it is a very personal attack upon God Himself. In essence you kill God in effigy.

This passage established the doctrine of blood guilt. As the German commentator Delitzsch has written, "Innocent blood has no voice, it may be, that is discernable by human ears, but it has one that reaches God, as the cry of a wicked deed demanding vengeance."

John Ensor writes, "'Blood guilt' is a blunt, almost vulgar term. It hits rudely, like a slap in the face. It is God's chosen term to arouse godly fear and compel decisive action. It is a word awakening, forcing us to recognize an unbreakable linkage: God's image is debased and his wrath justly incited every time a person made in God's image is unjustly destroyed. There is no debasing of God's image without consequences. Blood guilt requires God's vengeance and vindication. It stands as an indictment against the sin of shedding innocent blood, but it is also a promise, of sorts, to victims." (Innocent Blood, pg. 39-40)

In Revelation 6:9,10, of the martyred witnesses under the altar, John writes,"...I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, 'O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on earth.'" (ESV)

Rusty Lee Thomas commenting on the cry of the martyrs, "Do we grasp the magnitude of this appeal? Innocent blood when spilt on earth, creates a voice with a demanding message. Though human ears cannot discern it, the blood cries out to God for vengeance against those who are culpable." ,  (Abortion Violation, pg. 94,95)
Bible commentator H. C. Luepold writes, "That a voice should be attributed to blood is not strange inasmuch as the soul is regarded as lodged in the blood of the man (Lev. 17:11) and the death of God's saints is precious in His sight (Ps. 116:15)....God requires blood, that is, seeks out and avenges all instances of unjust shedding of blood....Men may esteem souls or blood lightly. Not so God." (Genesis, pg. 205) The shedding of innocent blood results in blood guilt that must be atoned for.

In the opening verses of Genesis chapter nine, we have God giving Noah instructions as civilization makes a new beginning after the flood. Notice verses five and six, "And for you lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of a man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." (ESV)

Notice that God formally announces His demand for an accounting for the shedding of innocent blood. If a man takes another man's life, God said, "I will require a reckoning." In other words, God saw the need to restrain evil behavior so he makes provision for civil government to act as a protector of human life. Martin Luther writes, "This was the first command having reference to the temporal sword. By these words temporal government was established, and the sword placed in its hands by God."

" Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed." Romans chapter thirteen teaches that one reason God instituted government was to restrain evil. This is consistent with Genesis nine. Theologically, the depravity of man provides the moral necessity for the institution of government. Paul writes that those who govern are God's servants given the responsibility to exercise lethal force if necessary in their restraint of evil as they secure the safety of human life. Of the civil authority he writes, "...for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer." (Romans 13:4 ESV)

We have a problem in America at this point. Our government, charged by God to protect the innocent from the threat of murder in the womb has betrayed their trust. Many of our civil officials, mayors, judges, congressmen, senators, presidents have themselves threatened the safety and security of our unborn children by denying them their right to life. Just this past week, our President observed 42nd the anniversary of Roe v. Wade and re-affirmed his commitment to the right of a mother to kill her own preborn offspring. He defended the U. S. Supreme Court decisions of 1973 that have resulted in the loss of almost 58 million unborn children.

Roe v. Wade is an example of what is known as "legal positivism" or moral relativism in government. This happens when those in authority abandon transcendent truth and govern in a moral vacuum. Dr. Del Tackett explains, "The claim that the state is the ultimate authority for creating, interpreting and enforcing law. All legal truth is based on the decision of the state." (Dr. Del Tackett, 2006 Truth Project, Focus on the Family)

The Psalmist described it this way, asking a rhetorical question of God. "Can wicked rulers be allied with you, those who frame injustice by statute? They band together against the life of the righteous and condemn the innocent to death." (94:20-21 ESV) Those words could have been written for this day. They describe what the Supreme Court has done in legalizing the killing of the unborn.

Isaiah gave this warning, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." (5:20 ESV)

Back to Genesis 9:6. Notice the reason God demands justice for the shedding of innocent blood. " Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image." We are back to Genesis one. The preservation of innocent human life, the protection of innocent human life all stems from the fact, that human life bears the image of its Creator and when we unjustly extinguish that life it constitutes a personal affront to a Holy and Righteous God.

But as we've already seen, early on God reveals to Adam and Eve and all of their offspring that he has a plan to atone for man's sin. We turn a few pages forward from chapter nine, to chapter twelve and find God revealing more of that plan this time to Abram. After calling him to leave his home and go to an unfamiliar land, God makes this remarkable promise, Genesis 12:2-3, "I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing, I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed."

From Abram's offspring would come a Savior through who the families of the earth would be blessed. Do you see how intricately and purposefully God the Creator has bound Himself to His creation? Do you see the love message woven into His dealings with mankind from the very beginning?

Blood atonement was the central principle of God's plan of redemption. Leviticus 17:11, "For the life of a creature is in the blood...it is the blood that makes atonement for one's life.' This truth is central to the Biblical doctrines of both incarnation and atonement. Jesus' incarnation was the pre-requisite to His work of atonement. The writer to the Hebrews understood this, writing, "without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin." (9:22)

Theologically you cannot separate salvation through atonement from the sanctity of human life because the life, the soul of man is in the blood. John Ensor writes,

"Is there anything more valuable than human life and the redemption of human life? By virtue of our salvation, Christians have inherited from God a profound commitment to the sanctity of life and a devotion to make Christ known. Both come from holding blood (life) precious."(Innocent Blood, pg. 32) With the incarnation we come full circle. The God who created a human life in His own image, Himself becomes a man so that through an act of love He could bear their sin on the cross so they could live in fellowship with Him for eternity. That is the Gospel of Life. That is the greatest reason there is to be prolife.

How should I respond to the shedding of innocent blood? In Deuteronomy 21: 1-9, instruction is given to Israel regarding what to do when innocent blood is shed in the land. The body of a murdered man is found in a field, and no one knew who murdered him. The elders and judges were instructed to determine by measurement what town was located nearest the body. Then the leaders of that town were to lead the community in a process of atonement for the shedding of the innocent blood.  Since the unknown murderer could not be punished, a heifer or young cow was killed to atone for the blood guiltiness in the land. The elders of the town washed their hands over the heifer declaring that "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed. Accept atonement, O Lord, for your people Israel, whom you have redeemed, and do not set the guilt of innocent blood in the midst of your people Israel, so that their blood guilt be atoned for." (Deuteronomy 21:7-8 ESV)

Notice the result, verse nine "So you shall purge the guilt of innocent blood, from your midst, when you do what is right in the sight of the Lord." How should I respond to the shedding of innocent blood? We cannot ignore the shedding of innocent blood in our community or nation. In other words, we are not to go on day after day business as usual when innocent blood is being shed down the street from where we live and work.

This map shows the 23 abortion clinics, represented by blue triangles, in Broward County with 3 more just to the north and six more just to the south of the county line. The five red hearts, Hope Women's Center locations. Can we say, as the elders of Deuteronomy, "Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it shed."?

Then, there is a role leadership should play in the community in efforts to end the killing of the unborn. John Ensor writes,

"Whenever the innocent are killed, no matter who they are, known or unknown, big or small, the Deuteronomic law instructs the spiritual leaders of the community to rearticulate the pro-life ethic. The people are to hear that the taking of innocent life or the passive acceptance of the death of the innocent is horrifyingly unacceptable." (Answering the Call, pg. 75)

This speaks to the silence of America's pulpits. Last year (2014) Dr. R C Sproul, Jr. in an article entitled, "Are Evangelicals Pro-Life?" wrote, "...one in six abortions in America is procured by a confessing evangelical. That means that if only professing evangelicals secured abortions since Roe v. Wade, [1973] we would account for roughly 9 million dead babies, more than Nazis killed in the Holocaust." Iwonder what role the silent pulpits of the church have played in this tragedy. Each of us can respond in some way to the bloodshed in our land. Michael Spielman, he as a website called abort73.com. He writes,

“It is unreasonable to suggest that everyone in the church should be working relentlessly to end abortion, but it is not unreasonable to suggest that everyone in the church should be doing something to end abortion.” (Michael Spielman, “A Biblical Mandate to do Something About Abortion”)

You can volunteer at a crisis pregnancy center like Hope Women's Centers that this church has supported for many years. You can give financially to keep their doors open.
 You can pray for those at risk for abortion. I've left a few cards from Hope out on the foyer literature table their phone number where the help can be reached.

And you can pray for those who've had an abortion. Your pastor can help you if you've had an abortion. You can call Hope. They have small groups that meet confidently to help men and women whose lives have been touched by abortion receive the healing and the grace that God extends to them.

You can prayer at the abortion clinics, standing against the spiritual forces of darkness at work within. In the foyer I have provided copies of a prayer guide to assist you in praying to end abortion.

You can provide sidewalk counseling at abortion clinics for those being misled by the abortion industry.

You can vote for judges and political candidates who value human life. In one of the recent presidential elections around 25% of voting evangelicals voted for the pro-abortion candidate, and I believe about four million did not even bother to vote!

In Luke chapter ten, Jesus helped a lawyer understand what it meant to love his neighbor. The lawyer was evidently hung up on exactly what that looked like, so he asked Jesus, "Who his my neighbor?" Jesus then tells him the story of a man on his way to Jericho from Jerusalem who was robbed and beaten and left half dead alongside the road. Three different individuals had the opportunity to come to his rescue, in all likelihood to save his life. Two of the three did not respond to the needs of the man bleeding by the side of the road. Those two were the church leaders of that day a priest and a Levite, responsible for the spiritual care of their nation. And Jesus points out that not only did they fail to respond but, they "passed by on the other side." In other words they consciously and deliberately distanced themselves from the needs of the man dying by the side of the road. Jesus then pointed out that the one who proved to be the neighbor to the dying man was the one who showed mercy to the badly beaten traveller. He then said, "Go and do likewise."

In his book Innocent Blood, John Ensor defines "Samaritan compassion " this way,

"Doing right in the sight of the Lord means acting to stop the shedding of innocent blood.
The only person in Jesus’ parable who is pro-life according to the demands of love is the Samaritan.
Only he was willing to make the nearly dead man’s problem his own.
Only he was willing to see the victim’s suffering as his own.
Only he was willing to act according to what he would cry out for if their positions had been reversed." (page 54)

The Church in America is struggling in its response to America's abortion crisis. We have failed to expose the shedding of innocent blood and proclaim that repentance brings full pardon through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. We have failed to grasp with regard to the killing of over 3,300 preborn children each day. According to Jesus' parable salvation has a moral imperative built into it with regard to the needs of those around us, our neighbors, including the unborn whose lives are threatened by abortion. Again, John Ensor, "Loving my neighbor will occasionally arrest me, and maybe even require me to help prevent someone from being murdered."

The writer of Proverbs said something very similar. He could very well have written it for us today.

"Save those who are being led to their death; rescue those who are about to be killed. If you say, 'We don't know anything about this,' God, who knows what's in you mind, will notice. He is watching you, and he will know. He will reward each person for what he has done." (Proverbs 24:10-12 NCV)  

© James P McGarvey All Rights Reserved