CREATED BY AN ETERNAL GOD

In biblical terms, the sanctity of human life is rooted and grounded in creation. Humankind is not viewed as a cosmic accident but as the product of a carefully executed creation by an eternal God. “For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise You because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;…” (Psalm 113:13,14a NIV) Human dignity is derived from God. A human being is a finite, dependent, contingent creature, assigned a high value by our Creator.

The creation account in Genesis provides the framework for human dignity: “Then God said, ‘Let Us make humankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’ So God created humankind in His image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them.” (Genesis 1:26–27 NRSV).

Creation in the image of God is what sets humans apart from all other creatures. The stamp of the image and likeness of God connects God and humankind uniquely.

-- adapted from R.C. Sproul, the Ligonier.org blog

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