"Made In God's Image: Why Our Creator Is Pro-Life"

Made In God’s Image

On the sixth day of creation, after God had created everything else—the earth, the sun and moon, the stars, the birds and the fish, the animals and all the creeping things, God then created His greatest masterpiece, mankind.

He saved this crowning accomplishment until last, and made it a uniquely different work from all the rest.  Everything else in creation was “spoken” into being.  But with man and woman, God purposely did it differently.

Russell M. Grigg, who is a staff member with the Creation Science Foundation, describes it this way:
“God could easily have commanded the creation of man by His own Word, as He had done in the case of the animals (Gen. 1:20, 24) and the plants (Gen. 1:11), but He chose not to.  Man is not a close cousin of the animals, nor a distant relative of primitive plant life, nor a product of slime.  Rather, he is someone great, wonderful and different, the most excellent of all God’s works, and a special expression of the divine nature, created by God’s own personal activity.  God introduces him with solemnity, dignity, and the honor of an intimate deliberation on the part of the Godhead.  Although man was formed from the dust of the ground, God personally ‘breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul’ (Gen. 2:7).  Man’s life is thus not the result of spontaneous reorganization of molecules within his body, nor is it derived by evolution from any animal or ‘lower hominid’ (as theistic evolutionists teach), but is a direct gift from God.  This is further emphasized in the Bible by Luke’s genealogy of Adam, where he designates Adam as being not the son of an anthropoid ape, but ‘the son of God’”. (Lk3:38)

From before time, God knew He was going to create mankind as His highest form of life, even higher than the angels of heaven.  Nothing else in creation, including the angels, was made in the “image of God”.  Only mankind.  And even after Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, which brought sin upon the entire human race, the Bible clearly states that we are still in the image of God (Gen. 9:6; Ja. 3:9). 

Man—God’s Supreme Focus
Mankind has been the supreme focus of God, ever since the human race began.  Let’s look at some further proof of this.
· When God’s Son came to earth, He took on the form of a man.
· God’s salvation is for mankind only, not even fallen angels.
· God, the Holy Spirit, lives in redeemed man (1 Cor. 6:19).
· God calls redeemed man, His children, and He will live among them forever, as their Eternal Father.
· The Church of Jesus Christ is literally “the Body and the Bride” of Almighty Christ.
· Redeemed man has been adopted by his Creator, and is a joint heir with Jesus Christ. As sons and daughters of the Heavenly Father, they will one day share in ruling God’s new universe.

It’s because God has placed such importance upon mankind, that the Bible says we are to respect and value every person. We should not murder man, nor curse him with our mouth, because he is made in God’s image (Mt. 19:18; Ja. 3:19). The Bible teaches that our Creator loves the entire human race (John 3:16), and blesses both the wicked and the righteous (Mt. 5:45)Why?  Because, we are all made in the image of God.

This doesn’t mean that God has a human body like ours.  John 4:24 says that God is spirit.   However, we are like Him in other ways.  We are like God in our mental abilities, which are far superior to any animal.  Mankind can create sophisticated works of art, such as beautiful paintings, and complicated symphonies.  He can imagine things not yet seen, and then invent them.  He can theorize and think abstractly, and harness energy, such as electricity, nuclear and solar power.  Man can make moral choices, and has social skills. He knows the difference between right and wrong, because he has a conscience.
God is a Triune God—the Holy Trinity, and as such, is innately social.  And so are we.  We can love and be loved, so that we may have fellowship with others, engaging in special friendships.  God created marriage, between one man and one woman, for an even more intimate experience of love, which is not based on mere animal instincts.

Before the fall, “being made in God’s image” meant that man could have fellowship with his Creator, and commune with Him.  God Himself would walk with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, “...in the cool of the day (Gen. 3:8).”

However, this was lost when God’s first man and woman sinned, which resulted in a separation from God’s presence.  But now, through Jesus Christ, man can once again, commune with God. Animals can not do this, because they have not been made in the image of God like mankind has.

In The Womb—Where Life Begins
In Psalm 139:13-18, we get an up close look at God making someone in His image, from conception onwards.  This is where it all begins, in the mother’s womb:
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.  Thank You for making me so wonderfully complex!  Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.  You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, and I was woven together in the dark of the womb.  You saw me before I was born…” (Ps. 139:13)   [Note: “my, me and I” all refer to a person—a real live person in the womb!]

In this hidden secret place, God works in silence, loving the mother and her infant.  What’s He up to?  He’s creating His image, once again, in yet another magnificent masterpiece of  creation—a human being!  But the story of this infant, and every infant ever conceived, goes back before the womb, even before the world was created.  You see, Scripture says that God knew us, while we were still in His heart.  In His prescience, He was already loving every unborn baby, not yet in its mother's womb.  His foreknowledge is from everlasting to everlasting, for God has always known all things beforehand (Rom. 8:29).  When we were but yet a thought in God's mind, we had an existance, a destiny.  God spoke of Levi, when he was still in Abraham's loins (Heb. 7:10)!  Levi was already "a person" to God!  So you see, we exist, long before conception.  And then at last, after eons of time have passed, the moment comes when God miraculously chooses one sperm out of the many, and unites it with just one egg in the woman, and the miracle of life at last, comes forth.

In Matthew 1:20, Jesus Christ was referred to as “the Child”, at conception.  In Luke 1:36, the Bible says that Elizabeth “conceived a son”, not a fetus or a mass of tissue, or some other scientific term.  Then, at 6 months, Elizabeth’s son leaped in her womb, because he “heard” Mary’s voice!  It seems that babies are alive and listening at six months!  In Psalm 51:5, King David says that his mother conceived “him”.  David was already a “him” at conception—a real, live image of God already being formed!

Every little boy or girl is special in the eyes of their Maker, while yet in the womb.  God is hidden away, singing a love song to His baby child as He creates.  Perhaps the young infant can hear God singing.  Perhaps in the sanctuary of the mother’s womb, the baby is laughing with God at all that He is doing, in secret.

When God sees the child He is forming in mama’s womb, He smiles and says, “This is good.  This is real good!”  Why?  Because it’s His image He’s making.  And let it be known, that the child being created belongs to God, not the mother.  Not even the mother owns her own self.  She and her baby child both belong to God, and their eternal destiny is in God’s hands.

God and Baby Alone
The womb is God’s place of refuge for Himself and His infant.  It’s meant to be a haven, a place of safety, where God works miracles for His new baby child.  There should be no intrusion into this private world where God and baby hide, especially by any doctor who would invade this sanctum to kill the baby God is creating.  Proverbs 27:25 declares a curse is on anyone who accepts payment to kill an innocent life, which is exactly what abortionists are doing. 

When God is busy, forming His image in His child, who dares to intervene and push Him aside to abort the baby that He takes pleasure in creating?

Mankind has got to stop killing these innocent babies.  What have these babies done?  Don’t they deserve the same rights that the mother and the abortionist and the law maker have?
· The right to be born and be raised by parents, and experience the love of a mom and dad.
· The right to learn to walk and run and play with other children, and grow older, living life to its fullest.
· The right to “fall in love” and get married, and enjoy raising children of their own.
· The right to perhaps meet the Lord Jesus Christ one day, and accept Him as their Savior and Lord, which is the very highest privilege given to man.

What About God’s Rights?
We hear a lot of talk about the mother’s rights, that it’s her body and it’s her child, so therefore, it should be her decision to abort her baby or not.  But the scientific truth is that the child is not “her” body!  It’s another “person” living inside her womb!  We also hear about the “right to life” of the baby, who deserves to be born.  And so it should be!

But what about the rights of God to create the human race without interference from abortionists!
·    Who said God gives permission to the teenager to abort her baby, because she’s ashamed of her pregnancy, and doesn’t want her parents to find out that she’s sexually active?
·    Who said the mother has the right to abort her child, just because she thinks that she already has enough children?
·    And I know this is a tough one, but who said that the mother or the doctor has the right to murder the child, even if the mother was raped or if her life is in danger.  Doesn’t God know all of this?

There was a day in America, before science intervened, when a mother cherished the life of her child so much, that she would gladly have given her life for her child.

Satan Hates the Image of God!
Today, the image of God in the mother’s womb is under attack.  And yes, it is the image of God that is under attack.  Satan is behind every abortion, which is murder, because He hates the image of God, and killing babies is one more way He can come against God.

It is estimated that 50 million innocent babies have been aborted, since it was legalized in 1973.  Each year, 1.2 million babies are aborted.  Why?  Who gave people permission to end the life of these babies?  Their Creator didn’t!

How barbaric and inhumane it is to invade God’s privacy, snatch away His baby child, kill it, and then throw it into a pile, in a trash can with others who are there. And sometimes, the baby is still squirming in pain as it continues to die!

Please forgive me if this seems a bit harsh, but abortion is so wrong. God has placed great worth on every human being, starting at conception, and He wants His babies to be born, and held in the loving arms of their mom and dad!

Rescue the Unborn!
We must pray…  We must call on God to have mercy on America, and that He would grant repentance to our nation.  We must ask God to help us fight for the rights of the unborn babies, which is every Christian’s responsibility.
“Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to die; save them as they stagger to their death.  Don’t excuse yourself by saying, ‘Look, we didn’t know.’    For God understands all hearts, and He sees you.  He who guards your soul knows you knew.  He will repay all people as their actions deserve.” (Prov. 24:11,12)

Abortion is a grievous and hostile act against the helpless, just as 9/11 was.  Our nation was so horrified by those sudden attacks against the twin towers in New York City.  But abortion is no less a terrorist attack against the unsuspecting and the innocent.

Compassion for the Mothers
Not only does abortion grieve the heart of God and take the life of the unborn, but it also has long lasting effects on the mother who has aborted her baby.  Often, she experiences ongoing feelings of deep guilt and shame.  Sometimes, the mother is plagued with hearing her aborted baby crying, even years after the abortion.

It’s a known fact that mothers who have aborted their babies often struggle with mental anguish, sleepless nights, sadness, fear, depression, drugs/alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts and even suicidal attempts.

We must sincerely pray for these mothers.  The overwhelming majority of them are living with regrets and guilt that they can’t get rid of, and Jesus wants to heal them.  Many of them were confused, not knowing what to do, and were coerced by their boyfriend or parents to abort their child.  Now, they are the ones who are suffering.

God loves every woman who has had an abortion, and longs to extend compassion and forgiveness and healing, to all who are hurting. 

For answers to pregnancy questions or for help needed before an abortion, call the Crisis Pregnancy Centers in Savannah, GA at 355-6295 or 236-0916.  For maternity Home assistance, call 352-9998.

For mothers who have already had an abortion, and need assistance in dealing with post abortion trauma, in addition to the above contacts, they can also call the National HELPLINE at 1-866-482-5433.  In most cases, these calls are answered by women who have had an abortion themselves, and found healing through Jesus Christ.

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