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Sanctity of Life: A Sacred Declaration Against the Culture of Death

Sanctity of Life

The Sanctity of Life: 

A Sacred Declaration Against the Culture of Death

Nathaniel Winslow, Lay Elder Nansemond River Baptist Church

“Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.” - Psalm 139:16

The Lord of Life and the Rebellion

Consider this: the very miracle of life, the crown of God’s creative work, is today treated as something ordinary, disposable, and—even worse—inconvenient. We stand in a world that has grown numb to wonder, where the divine artistry of every soul is overlooked or dismissed as mere biology.

Why is this so? Because humanity has long believed the lie that we can supplant God. The story begins, as it always does, in Eden. There, we first rejected the Giver of Life, claiming for ourselves the right to define good and evil. What followed was the great reversal: where once life reigned, death made its throne. The garden became a wilderness, and humanity exchanged the worship of its Creator for the worship of the created.

Yet, this is not the end of the story. Into this wilderness came the Author of Life Himself, not with wrath and judgment, but with mercy and grace. He entered our rebellion as a man, walked among us, and bore the cost of our sin. By His death, He shattered death’s power; by His resurrection, He declared life’s triumph. “I am the resurrection and the life,” He said. “Whoever believes in Me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11:25).

This is the gospel—a message that encompasses not only salvation from sin but the restoration of all creation. Every human being, from the unborn child to the elderly man drawing his last breath, bears significance in this incredible story. For Christ’s victory over death is the anchor of our hope and the foundation of our mission to defend the sanctity of life.

The Divine Image

At the center of this hope lies a truth so profound that, if rightly understood, should shake the world to its core: every human being bears the image of God. This is not mere sentiment, nor is it an abstract theological concept. It is the very bedrock of reality. You, I, your great aunt, and every other person are crafted by the hand of God, fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14).

Job testified, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life” (Job 33:4). This is not the stuff of vain poetry but an unyielding truth. Every person you encounter carries the divine imprint, regardless of their status, abilities, location, or circumstances.

When this truth is ignored, the consequences are catastrophic. To disregard or devalue human life is not merely an offense against humanity but a rebellion against the Creator Himself. It is the ultimate act of treason, a mutiny of cosmic proportions, and a denial of the intrinsic worth that God has bestowed upon every soul.

Human dignity, then, is not earned by our achievements or dependent on our health. It is not measured by our utility (I hear some hallelujahs here). It is given, irrevocably, by God. To deny this is to align ourselves with the forces that reject His rule and revel in destruction.

The Idolatry of Death

The worship of death is nothing new. Ancient societies sacrificed their children to false gods, believing that such acts would bring prosperity or avert calamity. The names of these gods have faded, but their altars remain. In our own time, we offer sacrifices not to Molek but to autonomy, convenience, and self-fulfillment. The stone tables have been replaced with sterilized offices and hospital beds. Places of healing, born of Christian charity, are now extermination chambers of calamitous scale.

The unborn are dismissed as mere “choices,” their lives ended to preserve the comfort of those who should protect them. The elderly and the infirm are seen as burdens, quietly ushered away in the name of mercy. What we pat ourselves on the back, and call progress is, in truth, a thin veil obscuring an ancient barbarism.

Proverbs 6:17 declares that “hands that shed innocent blood” are an abomination to the Lord. And yet, as a culture, we celebrate such acts as virtuous. We dress them in the language of rights and compassion, but beneath the rhetoric lies the same rebellion that has plagued humanity since the Fall.

The Church’s Responsibility

What, then, is the Church to do in such a time? First, we must remember our identity as a people of life. The Church exists because our Lord, who was crucified, rose again. Our very foundation is the triumph of life over death. To remain silent in the face of a culture that glorifies death is to betray the One who called us out of it.

Our mission begins with proclaiming the gospel, which speaks not only to the salvation of souls but also to the restoration of life itself. But proclamation must lead to action. We must be the hands and feet of Christ, defending the defenseless, supporting mothers in crisis, and caring for the vulnerable. We must model within our communities the truth that every life is precious, from the child with disabilities to the nursing home-bound grandmother.

And we must not be content with mere charity. The Church is called to confront the powers and systems that devalue life. This means advocating for just laws, exposing the lies of death cultists, and offering an alternative—the Kingdom of Heaven, where life is celebrated and cherished.

Choosing Life

Moses once stood before Israel and declared, “I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:19). That choice stands before the Church and the nations today. Will we capitulate to a culture that despises life, or will we stand ready behind the Lord of Life as He leads His people to victory?

This is not an easy path. To choose life is to invite opposition, ridicule, and sacrifice. It is to take up our cross and follow the One who laid down His life for us. But it is also to walk in the footsteps of the Savior, who declared, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Let us, then, as the people of God, declare with boldness and joy that every life matters to us because they matter to the Creator. Let us live in such a way that the world cannot help but see in us a reflection of the One who is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.



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