vote for life

For whom will you vote?  For whom will I?

I have one criteria by which I vote.  I vote for life.  Besides God, Who is the source of all value and is Himself the greatest treasure, nothing is more valuable than human life.  Why?  Because the Scriptures uphold that we were made in the image of God.  As His image bearers, we have great worth.  We are not the most valuable persons (God is), but we are the pinnacle of His creation.  I am not a humanist, I don’t think that humans are supreme, except insofar as Jesus was and is human, but I do recognize that the Bible gives primacy to humanity over the rest of creation.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.  – Genesis 1:27

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.  – Genesis 9:6

Taxes are important, gas prices are too.  Social Security reform and education are weighty matters.  However, none of these are as important as the lives of human beings, created in the image of God.

Here is where it gets tricky.  Both historic parties approach life from a different perspective.  Do we protect the lives of babies in the womb (who are alive) or do we give priority to the lives of our soldiers?  Do we protect the lives of our citizens or protect the lives of the citizens of other countries?  Do we focus on the here and now or should we devote ourselves to protecting future generations? 

I am not trying to convince you to vote Republican or Democrat (as a pastor I don’t think I can), but I do hope that you will filter your vote through the lens of the priority of human life.

Please, please do not vote on the basis of what puts the most coin in your pocket or the most gas in your tank.  Doing so may put bodies into graves.  Think long and hard about it and ultimately, regardless of who you vote for, vote for life.