I figure that it's time to start moving on toward other places where our faith impacts our view and use of technology, but today we'll wrap up some of my thoughts about reproduction/creation, technology, and faith. I want to remind everyone that the purpose of these is not so much to say what is right or wrong, but to simply demonstrate how our faith and beliefs do indeed impact the roads that we take in life when it comes to technology.
Today I want to start off with a statement that may not seem that profound, but it really is. No life begins without God being a part of it. Whether that life begins in a loving interaction between faithful spouses who engage in the action of love that leads to procreation, or whether that life begins via needles and sterile environments, no life finds its beginning without God. Even if we may choose technological means that may go beyond the bounds of what God would deem appropriate, no life begins without God being involved.
That demonstrates to us that every single life is a precious gift from God. Even if we engage in blatantly sinful actions which create life, the life thus created is a gift from God. And since we each have a sinful nature with us at every moment of every day, that also means that no life is created without the influence of sin (yes, even in the most loving of marriages).
This points us directly to the grace of God. God gives even when we don't deserve. We may go beyond His desires and designs of life, but those still do not take us away from the reach of His grace. We may, regrettably, turn away from His grace, or even think of His gifts of grace as a burden, but even that cannot remove us from the reach of His grace. That grace is ours because of Jesus' death and resurrection, and our corresponding faith in God's gracious action for us.
There are certain parts of reproductive technology that make me uncomfortable. There are some parts that I really do not know what God's desire and design is. I recognize that, no matter what my thoughts are (or what yours might be), not a single one of these thoughts or actions can remove us from God's grace in Jesus. In Jesus, we are completely forgiven. Our faith connects that forgiveness to us. So, while we may go beyond wise boundaries when it comes to this particular component of technology (and really, all the other areas of technology), we never go to a place where God's grace cannot reach us, and where God cannot redeem us. And this is truly a reason to give thanks.
Today I want to start off with a statement that may not seem that profound, but it really is. No life begins without God being a part of it. Whether that life begins in a loving interaction between faithful spouses who engage in the action of love that leads to procreation, or whether that life begins via needles and sterile environments, no life finds its beginning without God. Even if we may choose technological means that may go beyond the bounds of what God would deem appropriate, no life begins without God being involved.
That demonstrates to us that every single life is a precious gift from God. Even if we engage in blatantly sinful actions which create life, the life thus created is a gift from God. And since we each have a sinful nature with us at every moment of every day, that also means that no life is created without the influence of sin (yes, even in the most loving of marriages).
This points us directly to the grace of God. God gives even when we don't deserve. We may go beyond His desires and designs of life, but those still do not take us away from the reach of His grace. We may, regrettably, turn away from His grace, or even think of His gifts of grace as a burden, but even that cannot remove us from the reach of His grace. That grace is ours because of Jesus' death and resurrection, and our corresponding faith in God's gracious action for us.
There are certain parts of reproductive technology that make me uncomfortable. There are some parts that I really do not know what God's desire and design is. I recognize that, no matter what my thoughts are (or what yours might be), not a single one of these thoughts or actions can remove us from God's grace in Jesus. In Jesus, we are completely forgiven. Our faith connects that forgiveness to us. So, while we may go beyond wise boundaries when it comes to this particular component of technology (and really, all the other areas of technology), we never go to a place where God's grace cannot reach us, and where God cannot redeem us. And this is truly a reason to give thanks.
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