First a true story! There was a terrible house fire in Dallas, Texas. The fire destroyed the home and everyone in the home. All the family members perished in the fire except one little girl. She lived, but she was horribly disfigured and scarred. After the horror of it all, people shook their heads and would say to each other, “You know, maybe it would have been better if she would have died with the rest of them. After all, the quality of her life has been so diminished.”

Or even more definitively:

Remember this now, for there will be much more on this soon. For you ethicists out there, to help us remember it, we are seeing today around the world and in America the strong emergence of:

Now back to the story! You see, the little girl had been terribly scarred by the fire, and in particular there were awfully disfiguring scars on her face. And of course like any child or adult for that matter, she became so conscious and ashamed of those ugly scars.

Now people didn’t mean to hurt that little girl. People wouldn’t hurt her for the world. But when people saw her for the first time, and of course they didn’t know her, their facial expressions showed shocked reaction to those scars. They just couldn’t help it.

When they arrived at the home, Dr. Barkley wasn’t there, for he had gone away for the day. So the next day, the lady superintendent of the home took the trembling little girl to the office of Dr. Barkley. The little one was sure that he would send her away. But that Godly, kindly Christian man jumped out from behind his desk when she came in, and literally ran over to that precious little girl. He picked her up in his fatherly arms, and he held her so tightly. Then he kissed her oh so tenderly on her scarred cheeks, and he said to her. “Oh Mary, we’re so sorry what happened to your dear family, but we are so glad that you have come to live with us. Mary, you are so special and precious to God, and we love you and we want you to live with us in our home and in our big family here.”

Now you see the second point that we must make here, and it is this, that in the Word of God and the Christian heart:

Or even more definitively:

“THE ETHICS OF THE SANCTITY OF LIFE.” 

OF ETHICS AND MORALS

Ethics deals with the principles that determine whether an action is right or wrong, i.e. whether it is moral or immoral. If you will:

Or again:

We must be acutely aware, and make our people acutely aware, that there are two totally antithetical ethical systems at war in America, in American government, in American education and even in American churches. It is one of the great warfronts being fought in the world today – the multi-faceted WORLD WAR OF TOTALLY OPPOSING ETHICAL SYSTEMS. It will continue to be the ongoing and intensifying battle in the new year ahead.

The one which we are calling THE ETHICS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE has now permeated and begun to dominate American governance and jurisprudence, and will bring America immorally to her death.

The other which we are calling THE ETHICS OF THE SANCITY OF LIFE is the ethical system that America was founded upon and has guided her morally since her birth. The first is based on Evolutionary Ethics and the second is based on Biblical Ethics.

The first determines that THE RIGHT TO LIFE is conditional subject to life’s human quality, and the second determines that THE RIGHT TO LIFE is unconditional based upon life’s Divine sanctity.  Let’s take a closer look at both.

THE ETHICS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE

Foundationally, we must clearly, sharply and thoroughly understand from the beginning that in this ethical system which is gaining strength and prominence in American legislation and education day by day, Evolutionism is spelled with a capital “E.”

It is in every field, and whether we like it or not, it is a gut rending fact that:

Evolution is being promoted no longer as theory but as assumed fact, and it influences every subject from sociology to psychology to politics to ethics. Evolution is at the heart of “The Ethics of the Quality of Life.” 

More definitively, we must remember that Evolution is viewed as a cosmic, progressive process. It was the basis for Adolph Hitler’s SUPER-RACE mentality in which 6 million “Weak and Inferior God-Believing Jews” were exterminated.

Now get this:

If you will:

PHILOSOPHY IS BASED UPON THE IDEA THAT ONLY THOSE

In such an unethical and morally bankrupt society:

Yes indeed, and no we are not being too abrasive or severe. These abortionists, mercy-murderers and euthanizers today are killers whose snapping teeth feed on the very young flesh, the very physucally and mentally challenged flesh,  and the very old flesh. Like true predators, they prey on the weak and the small. They share the most diabolical spirit  that man can possibly be possessed by.  They should have on their physician’s shingles names like Dr. Butcher, Dr. Hacksaw, Dr. Scissorshands, Dr. Blade and Dr. Brain Suction. They are all serial killers who should be put away with the rest of the killers, rapists and criminally insane.

Mark my words! Wherever you find yourself in a society that has the mindset of “The Ethics of the Quality of Life,” you will find a society practicing ABORTION, 'MERCY' KILLING AND EUTHANASIA against “THE DISQUALIFIED.”

In fact 1.6 million disqualified babies in America flunk “THE QUALITY OF LIFE TEST” each year and are summarily murdered. 2010  for 1.6 million babies in America will not be allowed the God-given right of passage from womb to birth! Rather their passage to life will become the passage unto death before they are even born.

In the Netherlands, which is saturated with “QUALITY OF LIFE ETHIC,” retired Dutch physician Richard Fenigsen comments on euthanasia in Holland: “The number of patients who are being killed by doctors without a request is slightly higher than the number of patients being killed upon request.” It calls to mind the agonizing comment of Betsy Ten Boom to her sister Corrie while in the Nazi death camp of Ravensbruck, “Corrie, we are in Hell.”

Quoting syndicated columnist Cal Thomas in this regard:

And Congressman Chris Smith warned in the Clinton years:

“We’re setting in motion the rationing of health care in America under the Clinton plan, and it’s almost a sure thing as night follows day and day follows night that there will be an active euthanasia program within a time certain if this were to succeed.”

I might add that now America, historically based upon government of the people, by the people and for the people, is more and more looking like a very small woman who has a very strong dog on a leash that is pulling her in every unwanted direction. Dear God what a tragic sight this once democracy/republic has become.

THE ETHICS OF THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

Foundationally, we must clearly, sharply and thoroughly understand from the beginning in this "Ethical System of the Sanctity of Life" which is losing strength and prominence in American legislation and education day by day, Creationism is spelled with a large “C.”

And the words of Genesis 1:27,

Let’s get down to small-case and large-case lettering here. In “THE ETHICS OF THE SANCTIY OF LIFE,” the universe cannot be spelled with a capital “U,” society cannot be spelled with a capital “S,” evolution cannot be spelled with a capital “E,” and the word government cannot be spelled with a capital “G.” God alone is God, and God the Creator alone can be spelled with a capital “G" and a capital "C."  There is no compromise here, for this is the basic issue in and the bottom line for “THE ETHICS OF THE SANCTITY OF LIFE.”

Now let’s get this straight:

Understand:

If you will:

That could be said of no other life form, not only in form but in essence. No other life form was or is Divine image, Divine life, Divine form and Divine essence. Amazing! Here it is:

Now then, there is a SANCTITY, that is, there is a SACREDNESS, a HOLINESS to human life that is found in no other life form. That is exactly why God says in Exodus 20:13,

Which most literally means:

Therefore we likewise find in Genesis 9:6,

Why? It continues,

 God here says:

That is to say:

God’s death penalty has never been rescinded by Him, as much as men try to wrench such a rescinding from the Word of God like blood from a turnip. I am often asked, “Do you believe in the death penalty?” My answer is, “Do I have choice seeing that God instituted it?” So there is a death penalty way, way, way back there in Genesis 9:6. Why? Because:

That is to say:

Let the liberal ethicist put that in his unethical pipe and smoke it.

This then is the crux of the whole matter. Here is where the entire issue lies. Everything in the Bible is built on this issue. And without this, nothing in the Bible makes any sense. Nothing! The incarnation of Jesus Himself is built on the fact that man is created in the image of God, and Jesus came to earth in human form to recreate that image in us which sin has destroyed. 

The “SANCTITY OF HUMAN LIFE” is awesomely captured in that great painting by Michelangelo when Adam is already there, and the hand of God is reaching down to the hand of Adam to impart that Divine spark to His first created human as man then arises made in the likeness of God. That painting speaks volumes and our minds and imaginations are lost and yet found in the wonder of it all.

And it is right here where the SANCTITY OF HUMAN-LIFE ETHICISTS cosmically part company with the QUALILTY OF HUMAN-LIFE ETHICISTS. And I mean cosmically! Not even on the same planet. Here is the unbridgeable gulf:

While:

OF NUMBERS AND NAMES

Let us recap some things for a moment. First, in “THE ETHICS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE,” human beings are only embraced and included in the human family if they qualify.

Second in “THE ETHICS OF THE SANCTITY OF LIFE,” human beings are embraced and included in the human family unconditionally no matter how mangled or marred or weak or wrinkly they are. The first is the Ethics from Hell, and the second is the Ethics from Heaven.

Third, when you have a godless government that rejects DIVIVE CREATIONISM and embraces EVOLUTIONISM, you will live in a land that advocates THE ETHICS OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE and denounces THE ETHICS OF THE SANCTITY OF LIFE.

Fourth, and now a new but related and equally devastating truth:

One of the greatest tragedies in modern society is the loss of personal identity. It has been that way for some time, and it will only become worse. This massive culture with all of its problems depersonalizes each one of us. Names are looked upon as too personal, too common and there are too many duplicates. Think of all the Debbies and the Beckies and the Johnnies and the Bobbies etc. So to ‘avoid errors' we have all become numbers.

Who are you? Who am I? Well it depends on who you ask. If you ask Uncle Sam, you are 106-40-5539 – that is your Social Security Number which is becoming more insecure moment by moment. If you ask the State of Kentucky or the State of Michigan or any state in America, it is S553165178093 which is your Driver’s License Number.

Of course, we don’t even think about those numbers much until we are forced to look at them. If you go to cash a check, the cashier really doesn’t look at your signature as being number one in importance. She won’t look at your honest face either. She looks at the number on that check and your driver’s license. And of course if I got ahold of those numbers, I could be you! It is now commonly referred to as Identity Theft and it happens I am told every few seconds in America.

It really gets impersonal at the worse time, such as when you are in the hospital. That arm band has a number, and whether you and I like it or not, we are 367 and 391 or whatever. Of course, we are not 367 or 301, for we are Bob or Ruth and we need their personalized help. We don’t want to be just a number.

We could go on with this "Numbers Game" for quite a while, for we have only started. Master Card, Discover Card, Blue Cross-Blue Shield Card, and Medicare Card with this number and that number! Whether it suits us or not, we are all numbers in the oceans of human numerology.

I have no doubt that under “Government Run Health Care” rooted dangerously in “The Ethic of Quality of Life,” government health-care cards will be handed out all based on numbers. Some will be blue which indicates that you qualify for rationed-health care in that you have met the specified conditions and qualities by the “G”overnment as productive citizens of “S”ociety (Socialized Medicine).

As Christians we can rejoice in the God of love and compassion who calls people by name and not by number. In Luke 19 there is recorded a story about a little sawed-off fellow up a tree by the name of Zaccheus. He was a first century IRS man, a tax gatherer. No doubt given his profession he wasn’t talked about or talked to very kindly for the most part. Frankly the odds are for the strong possibility that nobody in his home town of Jericho had called him by name in years.

Oh they called him names alright, like that DIRTY LITTLE TAX COLLECTOR. Or that MIDGET MERCENARY! Or that ROBBING RUNT! Or that SAWED OFF CHISLER! Or more than likely that LITTLE CROOK! We are on a roll now. We could think of many more names that would seemingly be apropos for this WILEY WEASAL. Oooops, there we go again.

Suffice it to say that if there was someone who would be disqualified from personal recognition and concern, it would be this diminutive IRS Agent 007! But here comes Jesus Christ Who did something that Zaccheus had not experienced in a very long time, and that was that he called Zaccheus by his name. You recall well the words of Luke 19:5,

We see Zaccheus’ joyful reaction in Luke 19:6,

And the people’s reaction in Luke 19:7,

God knows us not by number but by name. We could go through the Gospels and preach a series entitled, “Jesus The Name Caller.” All of which of course is amazing. I can’t remember names to save my neck. I used to, but now they don’t just escape my mind, rather they now fall out. But not one of us is lost to Jesus.

Like that beautiful instance of the woman at the empty tomb! The One who she thought was the gardener looked at her and said, “Mary!” (John 20:16) There came that awesome personal recognition. He knows us personally. We are never just a number or a “Hey There” to our Lord. Hear me:

Again I say:

And there is that strong love and care of the Good Shepherd for His sheep in Luke 17. They were all present and accounted for, all except one. There are 99 out of 100 present. That should be sufficient. It’s late and time to call it a day. Maybe the lost sheep will come home on his own tomorrow. But no, if we are a number to God, we all are #1! God frankly when it comes to His love and care or His own, He can only count to 1! Do you know why? Simply this:

And so we read about His personal love and care for the least, last and the lost one as it states in Luke 17:5,

It is “THE ETHIC OF THE SANCTITY OF LIFE.” However in “THE ETHIC OF THE QUALITY OF LIFE,"

But with Jesus Christ and His EHTHIC OF THE SANCTIY OF LIFE,

CONCLUSION

You know how it goes in the world as it reports on fatalities in the midst of war. It really is always the same, whether it was World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Gulf War etc. That infuriating and dreadful way that the media has when it comes to reporting dead-body counts! How they gloat in the fact that in such and such a battle, the enemy body count was greater than the American soldier body count. After the battle for some hill or street or town, they will say:

What in the world are you talking about? What do you mean by saying that we only lost 12 men and women? Somewhere in the USA, in some big city, in some apartment, in some suburban  dwelling, in some farmhouse, the whole world has caved in and ended for some family, because that one, that only one belonged there. We may not know the name of this one or that one, but someone in that family called him “My Darling,” another called him “My Daddy,” another called him “My Son,” another called him, “My Brother,” and another called her "My Daughter."

That is exactly how God looks at and cares for each one of His children, just as if you and I were His only son and daughter. Cling to that as never before in the days ahead. Amen! ***

***Thanks to D. James Kennedy and Jerry Newcombe in their book How Would Jesus Vote? for their thoroughly Biblical and scholarly insights which have so gripped and inspired my heart.