26 “Then God said, ‘Let us make man[a] in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” (Genesis 1:26-27 ESV)
On January 14, 1988, President of the United States Ronald Wilson Reagan released a declaration entitled The Personhood Proclamation. Many American citizens may not remember this event. I did not, but it is worth considering since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, June 24, 2022. The following is an excerpt.
“America has given a great gift to the world, a gift that drew upon the accumulated wisdom derived from centuries of experiments in self-government, a gift that has irrevocably changed humanity’s future. Our gift is twofold: the declaration, as a cardinal principle of all just law, of the God-given, unalienable rights possessed by every human being; and the example of our determination to secure those rights and to defend them against every challenge through the generations.
“One of those unalienable rights, as the Declaration of Independence affirms so eloquently, is the right to life. In the 15 years since the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, however, America’s unborn have been denied their right to life. Among the tragic and unspeakable results in the past decade and a half have been the loss of life of 22 million infants before birth; the pressure and anguish of countless women and girls who are driven to abortion; and a cheapening of our respect for the human person and the sanctity of human life. . .
“That right to life belongs equally to babies in the womb, babies born handicapped, and the elderly or infirm. That we have killed the unborn for 15 years does not nullify this right, nor could any number of killings ever do so. Our nation cannot continue down the path of abortion, so radically at odds with our history, our heritage, and our concepts of justice. This sacred legacy, and the well-being and the future of our country, demand that protection of the innocents must be guaranteed and that the personhood of the unborn be declared and defended throughout our land.”
President Reagan said that abortion was so radically at odds with America’s history, heritage and its concepts of justice. Abortion is also at odds with the Scriptures. The Bible declares that God created man in His image. As such, man possesses inherent value.
What is meant by the image of God and why is it so important to the concept of personhood? I will address this question next time.
Have a blessed day. I appreciate your prayers. You have mine.
Soli deo Gloria!
The His Word Today Weekly Podcast begins Monday, September 5 featuring expository messages from the Epistle to the Ephesians.
His Word Today 