The Value of A Life

Series: Topical Messages

November 12, 2017
Christopher C. Freeman

Title: The Value of A Life Text: Various FCF: We often allow fear and logic to distract us from sound doctrine Prop: Because God has clear teaching on life, death, murder, and killings, we must have a godly perspective in our defense of ourselves and others. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to Psalm 8. Today we are going to study something that is sort of a hot button issue. Especially in a country church, we may be getting a little close to some preferences and opinions that may or may not jive completely with scripture today. I’d ask that you have an open mind, ask the Spirit of God to illuminate the truth to you, and see what God says, not what you have been raised to believe. Ask the Spirit of God to make you humble and teachable. I am in Psalm 8 and I’ll begin reading in verse 1. I’ll be reading from the NET but follow along in whatever version you prefer. Sermon Intro: [Slide 2] Last week, right around the time we were wrapping up our foundations class, a man, who was not demon possessed, not an instrument of Satan, not a special kind of wicked, but a man in his natural depraved state, entered a church in Southerland Texas and killed 26 people. From the information that I could gather, the shooting was not necessarily related to the hatred of Christians so much as it was to the hatred of his in-laws. He was a man full of unbridled rage, but a man like any one else. Since the reports of the shooting it has come to light that an NRA instructor was responsible for shooting and killing this man. Since then, the NRA instructor has been called a hero. And he may very well be. But as followers of Christ we do not have the luxury of allowing our own feelings and politics to trump our theology. As followers of Christ we must turn to scripture, to God’s revealed word to help us know what to feel. Because our feelings can be deceptive and our worldview and political persuasions can be wrong. If it were our church, if it was your home, school or workplace. If you had the unhappy but providentially orchestrated chance to respond biblically in an active gunman situation, there is one question that must consume anyone who is committed to Christ and His word… [Slide 3A] As believers, can we or should we defend ourselves against an attack? And I think, perhaps, the more difficult question within that question, [Slide 3B] can or should we defend ourselves to the point of taking lethal action against someone? And before you answer… or think you know. Let’s look at some scripture. Transition: [Slide 4] The first thing we have to know in all this is something that is absolutely essential to this entire discussion. Primarily, it is this… What is God’s view of Human life? We are going to be turning to a lot of scripture. I am prepared to give you context of each passage so even though it is on the screen behind you, use that only as a last resort. Try to get there before my summarization of the context is done, so you can see it for yourself and follow along. I.) The Value of Humanity is bound to its creator, so we must defend ourselves blamelessly a. Psalm 8 i. God, the Creator is great and He is worthy of praise. ii. He is so great that mankind should be absolutely meaningless before Him and yet… iii. God gives them value and honor. Man has been appointed over creation iv. For this man is in a unique position that no other member of creation possesses v. And in Christ, someday, we will be made greater than angels. Sons and Daughters of God for those who believe. vi. From Psalm 8 we see that all men have some value to God because He gave them that value. b. [Slide 5-6] Proverbs 24:11-12 i. God values life to the point that if you are aware of someone who is in danger of death, then you are to snatch them from it. ii. And if you claim ignorance… Lord we didn’t know that they were going to die – there is a warning in verse 12 that God knows the heart and can see if you are lying. There is both a blessing and a curse at the end of this verse. 1. The blessing is that God is the one who guards life 2. But the curse is that if you contribute to the death of another by negligence, then He will repay you for that deed. c. [Slide 7] Deuteronomy 22:8 i. In the context of this verse, we see God taking special care for the ecosystem and the preservation of life and property. ii. In this context, God says that if you are building a house – build a guardrail around your roof so no one can fall off. iii. The grander principle is to protect life even against accidental death if you can. d. [Slide 8] Genesis 9:6 i. This is the Noaic Covenant. The promise God gave Noah after the flood waters had receded. ii. If you were here during Ken’s presentation of this in August you heard about how devastating this event was. iii. One of the first things God says is to reestablish the honor God gave man to have authority over the animals, with only 1 caveat… They will fear man. Making their job to have authority and dominion over them a bit more difficult. iv. Then God says that if you are going to go about living and hunting these creatures know that blood is where life is found and to eat this blood is forbidden v. In fact, to spill this blood is not something you should do lightly… vi. In fact, in verse 6 – if you spill the blood of another man, then the community is to put you to death… WHY? vii. Because Mankind is made in the image of God. e. [Slide 9] You see the theme then… God has given value to men, that is why they have value. Because man was made in the image of God and given a job to do on earth, man was given value by God. And even if that value is harmed by sin and failure to obey God, God still considers the value of men to be enough that their lives are to be protected. Transition: This leads us quite naturally to God’s view on killing which is another necessary point if we are to answer this question of self defense. What is God’s view of killing? II.) God is deeply moved when men are killed. a. Exodus 20:13 – Turn to Numbers 35. While you are on your way, I will quote a verse you should know from the 10 commandments – Exodus 20:13. You are not permitted to commit murder. Murder here is the intentional, emotionally motivated killing. Which includes crimes of passion and premeditated murder. b. Numbers 35:16-34 i. In this passage we see that God makes provision for special circumstances in the event that someone is killed accidentally. He offers cities of refuge. They basically act as city prisons where a person must live until the death of the high priest. However, Numbers 35 is providing some direction for the city leaders on who to admit to these cities. ii. [Slide 12-14]16-19 – Hitting someone with something that is going to be lethal or is a weapon is worthy of capital punishment and not permitted into the city. iii. [Slide 15-16] 20-21 – If the weapon is not a lethal weapon, but the one who struck him did so with a history of hatred and malice toward the person – he is worthy of capital punishment. iv. [Slide 17-20] 22-25 – If the person did not plan it, had no history of animosity against the person, or it was some freak accident and no harm was intended he was able to be admitted to the city of refuge. v. [Slide 21-23] 26-29 – If the condemned goes outside of his prison city and the relative of the one he killed finds and kills him, the relative is not guilty of murder because he did not serve his sentence… but after the priest dies he returns to life as if nothing happened. vi. [Slide 24-26] 30-32 – There should be a plurality of witnesses against someone accused of a murder before he is given capital judgment. In some cases (Exodus 21 where a man knew his ox had a history of goring but did not pen him up and he killed someone) God permitted a ransom to be paid so that people could pay money to the family for their killing their family member, but in the case of murder confirmed by a plurality of witnesses that was not an option. Nor can you accept a ransom from someone who fled a city prison so he can return home. He must stay there until the death of the High Priest. vii. WHY???? ALL THIS???? viii. [Slide 27-28] 33-34 – Blood spilled must be paid for. The land – is the home of God. He cannot nor will He dwell in a sin scarred land. ix. You get the impression that God hates killing. Even Killing… that He commands. c. [Slide 29-32] I Chronicles 22:6-10 i. It was David’s desire to build a temple unto God. A place of worship. ii. In II Samuel 7 and even I Chronicles 17 we aren’t really told why God said no. iii. It is only here as David is giving instruction to his son Solomon that David admits the exact reason that God said no. iv. David was a man of war. And even though He was empowered and commanded by God to go out and war against the enemies of God, and even though those killings were not condemned as murder… the fact remained that a permanent mark was on David. One that made him unfit to build a center of worship for God. v. Even when it is divine judgment – God takes no pleasure in their killings. 1. This brings up an interesting conundrum… 2. [Slide 33] So the bible tells us that God both delights in the destruction of the wicked and takes no pleasure in the death of anyone… is that a contradiction? Well let me ask you – Do you Love or hate disciplining your children? Do you love or hate confronting the sin in your life or the life of others? Do you love or hate being cured of a disease? 3. Sometimes we can take great pleasure in the results of something even if the path to those results were unpleasant. 4. God takes great pleasure in justice and goodness and righteousness ruling and winning out against injustice, evil and lawlessness but that doesn’t mean He takes pleasure in the path that it takes to get there. Obviously God’s desire is that men would repent and be conformed into the image of the Son… but if not… it is right that they are judged. d. [Slide 34] So from a birds eye view, God’s opinion on all killings of men, commanded, justified, accidental, intentional or premeditated is great sorrow and even wrath. God hates it when life is taken. Transition: So we have learned that God sees human life as having value, because He gave us value. He made us in His image and gave us authority over the earth, and even if that image is broken due to sin, and even if we are failing to have dominion over the earth… the value remains… at least to the extent that He despises it when we are killed. [Slide 35] This leaves us in quite the pickle. Because what if it is kill or be killed. What if, our lives are threatened… If both have value to God and both must be protected… what should we do? III.) Fighting to preserve your own life is natural and never condemned in God’s Word. a. [Slide 36-38] Nehemiah 4:15-18 i. After the Southern Kingdom of Judah was taken by the Babylonians, another force predicted in Isaiah, destroyed the Babylonians. Cyrus, the Lord’s anointed, and the Persian empire. The Persian empire absorbed all the lands of the Babylonians. A year later he allowed Ezra and others of Judah to go back to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. Several years later, Nehemiah is a man burdened by God to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. He is sent to do just that by the current King Artaxerxes. ii. In rebuilding the walls there were those who lived in the area that were racially bigoted toward Jews dwelling in the land. They attacked and tried to kill and otherwise disrupt the building of the walls. iii. This passage is an account of Nehemiah and the measures he used to prevent these attacks. iv. In it we see very clearly that they were armed. One hand on the work and the other on a weapon. Some devoted to defense and others devoted to work. And in many ways spears, swords and bow and arrow are just as if not more deadly than firearms. v. God does not rebuke Nehemiah for this. He does not question Him and say, Why aren’t you just trusting me? But God doesn’t come down and say… Good thinking either. So this is an argument from silence. A good one, but still relatively weak. vi. The next one is not. b. [Slide 39-41] Luke 22:35-38 i. Immediately following Peter’s great pride about never abandoning Christ, and Christ’s revelation to him that he will indeed deny him three times before the rooster crows. ii. Jesus continues the conversation. And he tells them, essentially, that after the crucifixion things will change. God the Father’s protection on them will no longer be something that they can bank on. Why? Because Jesus’ mission is coming to an end. iii. Whereas before he sent them with no money bag or traveler’s bag or sandals because others would provide for them… now he is sending them with no guarantee for provision. Not only will their provision not be a guarantee but their protection will not be guaranteed either. He tells them, if you do not have a sword, sell the thing that will keep you warm at night so that you may at least be protected. Some have said that this is to be taken spiritually… to protect against spiritual assault. But every single one of these men besides John would lose their lives over the course of the next 60 years by martyrdom. I do not think Jesus was talking metaphorically. iv. So why is this happening? v. Jesus tells them that what has been prophesied about him is about to happen. He is about to be treated like a criminal and killed and the ripples from that event will change the world forever. And those who are HIS followers will be seen as the enemy of the world. vi. In true disciple form… they walk up to him and say… Look Lord – we have two swords. Jesus – we are ready! vii. Jesus says to them… it is enough. In other words… I’m done talking about this now. viii. They missed it. They thought they were ready… but they had no idea what awaited them, which they will prove to be true in mere moments when he is taken away and they all scatter. ix. So we see Jesus telling them to take swords with them for their own protection. Not to start a rebellion. Not to avoid persecution. But to defend themselves from those who would wish to harm them. x. And some would say well what about later in the story… indeed… turn to Matthew 26:47-56 c. [Slide 42-45] Matthew 26:51-56 i. Jesus is being betrayed. And Peter takes one of those swords and cuts the ear off one of the high priest’s slaves. ii. Jesus then tells him to put away the sword because all who live by the sword die by the sword. He then questions Peter’s faith… don’t you think I can protect myself Peter? iii. Don’t you understand Peter that this is exactly what is supposed to happen. iv. So some would say that Jesus clearly tells us that self-defense is not permitted because of His rebuke of Peter. v. What is actually happening is that Jesus was never in any danger at all. And Peter should have known that. Because Jesus is God. And if He wanted to defend Himself He didn’t need a sword and he didn’t need Peter. vi. Not to mention that Jesus had told them that he was to be betrayed and killed. vii. What about those who take the sword will die by it? viii. Yes Jesus is saying that those who rely on violence will die in violence. That is all he is saying. d. [Slide 46] So again, from a broad perspective we can see that God either does not comment on or approves of self defense against those who wish us mortal harm Transition: So God’s view of human life is that it is worth preserving, and that any death of a human is terrible. Which means that it should be preserved. We should fight to keep life alive. We should defend ourselves. [Slide 47] But what if defending ourselves means we have to take the life of another human? Are we guilty of murder? Are we guilty before God? IV.) God is deeply concerned with the motives of men a. There are two passages I want to take you to that will help us solve this. The first is one we have already been to and that is Numbers 35. Don’t turn there but … b. Numbers 35:16-23 i. … if you remember we saw that people who strike others with a lethal weapon are considered worthy of the death penalty ii. And people like to go here to point out that if you use a gun or knife on someone, even in self defense you are guilty of murder. iii. But Jesus told His disciples to arm themselves with lethal weapons. iv. And from numbers it seems that the intentions of a man are important to God. v. [Slide 48] Notice in verse 22 that if he strikes him suddenly without enmity so without any hatred or even animosity against the person at all – even if that is with a lethal weapon– he is to be delivered community leaders of a city of refuge for trial and admittance. Since we do not live under a government where God alone rules – it makes most sense to apply this in the sense that they should be tried under civil law and do whatever the courts decide. vi. So if there is no hatred and no intent to kill or injure, we are guilty and there is a debt but it isn’t a capital crime. It isn’t murder. vii. You might be thinking… Still not easing my conscience here Chris… well go to this passage – Exodus 22. c. [Slide 49-50] Exodus 22:2-3 i. If a thief is breaking in and you strike him or wound him to the point that he dies, then you are free of any guilt associated with shedding blood. ii. But if the same event occurs in the daytime (which tells us that the previous condition was at night) and you would do the same thing… you would be guilty of bloodguilt. And according to previous revelation, it could include some form of punishment iii. It goes on to say that the thief should be made to pay for all he has stolen and if he cannot pay it he should be sold into slavery for his theft. iv. If a thief shows up in your home at day, he is just a thief, and only wants your property. Let him have it and seek justice through the civil government. But at night there is no way to know if he is a thief only. He could want anything. You cannot see if he is armed. You cannot tell what his intentions are. It doesn’t mean you have to kill or that you should plan to kill. But if you defend your life and family against someone who’s intentions were unclear, and happen to kill him… you are guiltless. Why? v. Because his intentions could have been harm or murder. vi. This implies two things and I have really sought the Lord on this to make sure that I am not stretching the text to say what it isn’t. But given everything we have covered already, it seems that these two implications are valid. vii. Number one is that if you are able to assess and your life is not in danger… no lethal force is permitted. Is there a weapon, did they act aggressive with that weapon, was there an opportunity to escape? viii. The second thing that I think this passage implies, and again, if there were not other texts involved, perhaps I wouldn’t mention this, but if it is during the day, and you are able to assess a person’s intentions, and they intend to kill, I believe that there is no guilt associated with defending yourself from those who would seek your life… even if that means killing them. Why do I think that? ix. Because if there is no guilt for not knowing their intentions but assuming their intentions are to harm or kill, it is a logical conclusion that if you KNOW their intention is to harm or kill, there would also be no guilt. x. [Slide 51] So from Numbers we noticed that the intent of the one who takes the life is important. And from this passage we see that the intent of the attacker is relevant as well. Were you able to determine that he meant to harm? If you were – it will affect whether or not you are guilty before God. Transition: So we have learned that God gave value to human life and wants it preserved. He is gravely concerned about when life is snuffed out, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we cannot defend ourselves even to the point of lethal action. So what does this mean for us? Conclusion: Well first A few extra points that I’d like to throw at you. And don’t turn to these, we will just see them on the screen. Give your fingers a break. [Slide 52-53] Neh 4:19-20 – Trust the Lord not your gun – So even if we carry – we do not rely on the gun to save us but GOD to save us. What does that look like? Well maybe it looks like undergoing training, getting licensed, but not practicing every single day so that you can hit a ping pong ball off the nose of a rooster from a mile away. I mean the people with Nehemiah were not soldiers. They were builders, farmers, former slaves. Were they proficient at killing? NO! Maybe to depend on God, a good safeguard would be to have enough training to know how to use a weapon, but not enough to be a trained killer. Perhaps that also looks like announcing to the thief that you are there, that you are armed, that you don’t care about your things, just take what they need and go. Asking them if they need help with food or if you can pray for them, but warning them if you come toward where you and your family are, that you are armed and you will see it as an act of aggression. You might say, well if I do that, they will know where I am and they may fire first. Yes. They may. So trust the Lord… not your gun or the thief’s gun. Trust the Lord. And if someone doesn’t carry a weapon because they say – I’m trusting the Lord… realize that in this case, you may be the weaker brother. So don’t pressure them into carrying. [Slide 54] Matthew 5:38-48– We won’t read it because we covered it extensively this year – but basically it says – LOVE YOUR ENEMIES. Never seek vengeance for anything even murder of a loved one. Be willing to love, forgive, and even help those who try to take from you. So what does this look like? Perhaps it is movies, video games or just our depravity, but it seems that violence and death are not shocking any more. To the point that we speak flippantly about shooting someone dead or tearing people apart. I have even been part of jokes about shooting future boyfriends of my daughter if they hurt her. But listen… that isn’t really ok is it? If, even a person in this room, dates Waverly, 40 years from now, and you hurt her feelings… or worse… you take advantage of her… would it be ok if I shot and killed you? Even in jest, is it ok to joke about that? Is that really the attitude that people invaded with the presence of a death hating God ought to have? [Slide 55] I’ve seen signs on front doors of bible believing homes that read “This house is protected by the Good Lord and A Gun, you might meet both if you come in unwelcome”. Maybe you have that exact sign up. So in light of what we just learned today… do you see anything wrong with that sign? And you might be saying, hey Chris it is just a joke but listen… God does not joke about killing or death. He is greatly grieved over the loss of life. And with these examples I am not addressing the sign or even movies or video games – I am attacking our ungodly view of the life of others… even the life of those who wish us harm. We know we don’t have to roll over and die – we know we can defend ourselves… but we shouldn’t want to. We shouldn’t find humor in the killing an unwelcomed guest. We should hate the thought of having to defend ourselves to the point of killing another human being. It ought to be horrific to us. It ought to traumatize us. It is interesting that it is veterans day. Listen, if you are struggling, go ask a vet that has served in combat… ask them if it is fun or cool or even pleasant to fire upon another human being… even if it is kill or be killed. I am not a betting man… but if I were, I’d wager a great deal that they would tell you that it was what they had to do – but they did not want to do it. God finds value in all life simply because He gave it to us… So should you. Even the person who comes in to rape your wife and kidnap your children… he deserves value to not have his death mocked prior to it happening. Our crimes against a holy God are far greater than even these, and yet He gives all men a chance for life, forgiveness, and love. Ought we not to offer the same? [Slide 56] So to attempt to settle this matter at the most basic way I can… Can you defend yourself? – Yes Should you defend yourself? – Yes Can you kill in self defense? – You should not plan to. You should not want to. You should wrestle with the decision even to the point that you are shot first. At least then you enter heaven with a clear conscience rather than living knowing you killed another who may not have ended up in heaven. Listen if you have a battle plan for when a thief breaks in and you know the choke points and where you can get a clear shot at him without him knowing you are there… You are planning a murder friend. Plain and simple. That is not what Christians do. If you can subdue, restrict or otherwise stop a thief or murder so they can face justice at the hands of many witnesses then you should do it. You don’t have to turn with me, but I am going to read from Romans 12. A passage where Paul has just described the gospel and now in chapter 12 he is applying it. How then shall we live as those who have been changed? Listen with this subject in mind…

Episode Notes

Sermon Notes on “The Value of A Life”

Write down as we go the references we cover pertaining to this issue:

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What is God’s view of human life?

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What is God’s view on Killing?

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What is God’s View on Self-Defense?

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What is God’s view on Killing in Self Defense?

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Trust in the ______________________ – Not in your ____________________________

Love your _____________________________________

_______________________________________ Yourself

Never _______________________ to ________________________________ in self defense

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