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Worth Dying For
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Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of a human, by a human shall that person’s blood be shed; for in his own image God made humankind. (NRSV)
Listen to the radio broadcast of Worth Dying For
Download audio fileSo what is it that makes you and me different – of more intrinsic value than, say, the very smart, very intelligent pig down at the local piggery that’s living it’s life today, only to become tomorrow’s bacon?
I was driving home the other day, listening to the car radio and they were interviewing an animal rights lawyer. That’s right. Not a human rights lawyer, but an animal rights lawyer. The world has certainly moved on.
Now don’t get me wrong – the last thing any of us wants to see is cruelty to animals. That’s terrible and completely unacceptable. But an animal rights lawyer? Really?
That started me thinking though. Animal cruelty’s definitely out, but every day most of us eat lamb, beef, chicken, pork or fish. We drink milk and eat cheese. In other words, we use animals for our own wellbeing – often at the cost of their lives.
Now mostly we don’t have a problem with that because it’s a generally accepted principle that the lives of animals have far less value than the lives of people. The question is, why? They’re no less beautiful. Plenty of them are pretty smart. And yet they’re missing something. They’re missing our humanity. But what’s that all about?
The most plausible answer I’ve come across is that you and I are made in God’s image. Like a fine painting signed by a famous artist, we each bear His mark. And that’s worth something. In fact, it’s worth rather a lot, which is why God says this:
Genesis 9:6 Whoever sheds the blood of a human, by a human shall that person’s blood be shed; for in his own image God made humankind. (NRSV)
What an awesome truth. You and I are made in the image of God.
And to Him, that’s worth dying for. Jesus.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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