God created humanity. Every single person who ever has been born, is being born, and will be born was fashioned in the womb personally by God (Psalm 139:15-16). God knew us before time and individually designed a specific destiny for each of us. He made us plans for good (Jeremiah 29:11); He created us in His image (Genesis 1:26). He personally breathed the breath of life into Adam (Genesis 2:6). Obviously, God has a very special concern for human life. To think otherwise would be utterly absurd. However, considering this for very long can lead to some interesting conclusions. The first, however, is rather popular and well known.
- Abortion is murder. This is, fortunately, still a common belief among Christians. See, if God begins His special work in people's lives in the womb, then they must be real people while they are still unborn. Any time you take an innocent human life, you are committing murder. Every aborted baby is a murder victim, but the murderers walk away with little responsibility and extra money. There is no justice there.
- All forms of killing need forgiveness. Yes, I am including self-defense and fighting in the armed forces. Let me clarify, however. I am by no means equating military service or self-defense with murder, and I would even hesitate to call either a sin. However, I do believe that every death grieves the heart of God. Whether killing in self-defense or battle is actually sinful, I know that it is always good to ask for forgiveness for hurting God, who loves us more than anything. Defending the lives and liberties of others is an honorable thing, do not get me wrong, but I still think it is a good idea for anyone who has taken a life made in God's image to apologize to his Maker. Unfortunately, such noble killing (if any killing can be so called) is a necessity in our corrupt world.
- Capital punishment is necessary. This may seem a bit strange in light of the things I have said so far, but it is justified. Whenever someone commits murder, his life is forfeit. God is a just God. He demands a price for every sin. All sins bear the price of the wrath of God, but because of His special love for human life, God also holds a murderer's own life against him. The justice system is authorized by God to take the payment owed by a murder to God. I have heard it argued that Jesus condemned the death penalty by saying, "He that is without sin…first cast a stone at her." However, that must not be the case, as God not once condemned in the New Testament something He commanded in the Old Testament. We are no longer bound to the Law, but certainly none of it is wrong.
- God was justified in every war, every execution, and every command of death in the Old Testament. How does that fit with all of this? Quite simply, God loves souls far more than lives. I am not omniscient, so I cannot claim to see the full of God's plan, but I know that He values the soul more than the body. I believe that everyone God ever commanded to be killed would never have accepted Him anyway, and that He was more concerned with any souls that might benefit from that elimination of those corrupt lives.