In his letter to a young pastor, Timothy, Paul instructed him on the care of widows. At one point Paul makes a strong statement that a Christian who does not care for their own household (in the context of looking after widows) is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8). In other words, a Christian who would not provide and care for a widow in their own home would not even be caring to the same standard that normally applies in the world.
All through the Scriptures there is a strong case for God’s people to care for the most vulnerable among us. To not care for the widows is to show a discarding of God’s value for human life. I say it is a discarding of God’s value for human life because many people in the world would certainly suggest they do value human life. The unfortunate dilemma is that the basis by which human life is valued varies compared to the human you are talking to.
The Christian is not left with a philosophical dilemma as to how best to value the life of another human. The Christian has revealed truth from the Creator of the universe that gives us the ultimate standard of human valuation. In Genesis 1:26-28 we read explicit statements about humanity being created in the image of God. The reason every single human being from fertilization to the grave is valued equally and with dignity is because life is a gift from God, and it is given that we might reflect his glorious image throughout the world.
Outside of biblical revelation, human valuation is based on to philosophical subjectivism. Do we value humans on the basis of their development in the womb? Do we value humans on the basis of whether or not a parent even wants them? Do we value humans on the basis of their ethnicity or culture? What about class, position, mental faculties, physical capabilities, age, health, or contribution to or drain on society? Is human life valued on the basis of the experience of pain or suffering? If we are to answer yes to any one of these categories, we are providing a subjective valuation system for human life that devalues one set of humans over another. The Christian must stand upon the biblical truth that life is a gift from God and there is not a situation in which a human life can be valued outside of an understanding of being created in the image of God. The highest possible value placed on human life in the Scriptures is shown explicitly in God’s statement to Noah in Genesis 9:5: And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. To take the life of another human is the highest possible consequence.
In considering this in the light of Paul’s statement to Timothy, I couldn’t help but see a glaring difference in the way that the church must care better than the world when it comes to the elderly, sick, and widows – those who no longer have a capacity to contribute to society and need help and support in their aging, sickness, and suffering. No matter what stage of life or suffering a person is going through, a Christian is never willing to consider another human being as a non-person. Personhood is only found in being a living, breathing human created in the image of God. In the life of the church, unlike the world, euthanasia will never be an option. If anyone in the church allows for it as an option, they sin against God and disregard his value for human beings.
Not only does the Christian understand human value in terms of a dismissal of euthanasia, but we also care because of God’s value for humans. We don’t give less care for those who don’t have capacity to know any better. We don’t care less because the one being cared for has limited or no ability to give anything in return. We don’t care less because we know death is just around the corner. We care greater than the world all the time because we refuse to have a subjective valuation system for human life.
We know that people suffer greatly in aging and sickness. We all may face this one day. We know that due to human sin, suffering is a reality in this sin cursed world. We know that death is the last enemy to be defeated. The Christian also knows that God uses suffering in our life to point our hearts to him and prepare us in anticipation of standing before him. For the Christian brothers and sisters of a sufferer, our comfort and care for our loved ones is an extension of the hands of Christ as they are guided toward their final day. It is our time to point their hearts to the soothing balm of preparing to meet the King of Kings.
When Paul tells Timothy that any person who does not provide for their own household (the widows/needy in their own household) is worse than an unbeliever, his statement embodies the knowledge that a Christian should have a value for human life far beyond the world’s value. That value should be visible in the way we love. We are not worse than unbelievers. We are significantly enlightened to provide greater care than they can ever know. If the church is truly being the church, the church always cares greater than the world.