The Handiwork of God
Wrong Questions
“What will the quality of her life be?” “What
real meaning does his life have?” “Would grandma want to be like this?” Such
questions center the determining factor of life’s value on ability or lack
thereof. The answers become arbitrary and uncertain and cannot provide a
foundation for Christian decision-making when facing difficult circumstances.
The Right
Question
The Christian can ask a more fundamental and
helpful question. “What does God do that gives value to human life?” This
question centers the determining factor of life’s value in God. The answer
gives Christians a foundation for dealing with life and death decisions that is
certain, hope filled, and reassuring. Consider the following answers to this
question as three foundation stones upon which we can stand.
God Creates Life with His Hands
“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me
together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully
made” (Psalm 139:13-14a).
From
the beginning of time, God involved Himself in the creation of life in a very
hands-on way. He “formed” Adam from the dust of the ground and breathed into
him the “breath of life” (Genesis 2:7). He “made” (literally “built”) Eve from
Adam’s rib (Genesis
God tells these first humans,
“Be fruitful and multiply” (Genesis
He sets into motion a biological process for procreation.
But His hands still “shape” and “form” and “make” and “knit” inside the womb.
A yellowed clump of thread rests in a heritage
box in our living room. It doesn’t look like much and it 
certainly is not useful for
anything. Close inspection reveals the beginning intricacies of tatting. But no
one knows what it was going to be. Why then does this clump of thread carry
such great value? Grandma started making this just before she died. It was
found next to her rocking chair. Thus, its value comes not because of how it
looks or from its usefulness. The value comes from who made it.
This is the first foundation stone. The value of
human life does not flow from how someone looks or how productive we view them.
Their value comes from Who made them. Every human life
is the handiwork of God. The child in the womb, grandma in the care center, and
uncle Ralph with Alzheimer’s all have a God-given
value that transcends our person-centered perceptions.
God Redeemed
Life with His Hands
“You were bought with a price” (1 Cor. 6:20a).
God loved what He made with His hands so much that when we were
lost in sin, He sent His only Son to redeem us, to buy us back with a price.
This becomes our second foundation stone.
More than any other verse, Luke
“And behold, you will conceive in your womb . . .”
The redeeming process that required God to become
flesh began at conception. It was a necessary place to start. Jesus had to be a
holy embryo because we were unholy embryos. (Psalm 51:5). Jesus’ divinity at
the moment of conception attests to our humanity at that moment. Jesus’
becoming an embryo gives value to all embryos.
The buying back process didn’t stop there. Jesus’
journey in Mary’s fallopian tube was the beginning of His journey to the cross.
The hands and feet that developed in Mary’s womb would one day be pierced with
nails. Think of this magnificent mystery! The hands that
created the universe and knit you together in the womb, became hands that
stretched out on a cross and bled the price of redemption. All humanity
bought with a price. What value this bestows.
Many happy memories gather
around grandma’s old pump organ in our family room. Grandma used to spin us
around on the leather-topped stool until we could reach the keyboard. She would
pump the pedals as we played the keys.
I was a seminarian with a young family when
grandma went to heaven. But I was determined to scrap together enough funds to
purchase the organ at grandma’s auction. It took $800.00 for the organ and
another $125.00 for the stool! Where is the value of grandma’s organ? It has
value because it was grandma’s and it has value
because we paid dearly to get it back.
Human life has value because God created it, and
it has value because He paid dearly to buy it back! It wasn’t $925.00. It
wasn’t “gold or silver,” but His “holy precious blood” and His “innocent
suffering and death.”
Of course, we do not have a dead Savior. The
resurrection and ascension of our Lord assure us of His victory and of the
outpouring of His presence as He calls us to live in that victory. That leads
us to our final foundation stone.
God Holds Us by the Hand
“I am
the LORD; I have called you in righteousness; I will take you by the hand and
keep you” (Isaiah 42: 6a).
The Lord speaks in this verse of the Messiah, but
He also gives us a picture of His relationship with those He calls through His
Son in Baptism.
“We
were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as
Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father,
we too might walk in newness of life” (
In baptism, the “righteousness” of Christ—His
perfect holiness—is applied to the imperfect sinner. We are given new life in
which to walk.
Jesus sends His Spirit to walk along side us, not
as our “buddy,” but as our God. It is a very one-sided side walking!
One year, for Christmas, Joey received a coat
with deep, fur-lined pockets. He talked his dad into taking him for a walk to
see if his hands would stay warm in those pockets. The winter weather
cooperated in the experiment with blowing snow and ice-covered walks. “We
should hold hands,” said Dad. “No,” replied Joey, “I want to keep my hands in
my pockets.” The first patch of ice claimed Joey. As he brushed himself off, he
said, “Daddy, maybe I should hold your hand.” He reached up able to grasp only
a couple of Dad’s fingers in his little hand. When the next patch of ice sent
his feet dancing, he could not hold on and went down again. Dad said, “Joey,
maybe I should hold onto your hand.”
We do not hold on to the Father. He holds on to
us. What value God gives to those He has called that we should be His children
held by His hand!
Asking the Right Questions
Ask the right questions and the answers provide a
solid foundation upon which to stand as we deal with decisions about life and
death. The value of human life comes from what God has done and continues to
do. Life is His handiwork! He creates life with His hands. He redeemed
life with His hands. He holds His children by the hand. When we understand
these answers, then, as we confront difficult issues, some 
questions won’t even need to
be asked.
The Rev. Dr. James Lamb is the Executive Director of Lutherans for Life. This article first appeared in the Winter
2007 issue of LifeDate, a quarterly journal of
news and commentary from Lutherans for Life. It is reprinted here by
permission. For more information about Lutherans for Life and their pro-life
resources visit www.lutheransforlife.org.
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