A) It’s not up to us to decide when a person should live and when they should die. Christians can reject the humanistic idea that death is nothing more than a natural process:
Gen. 2:17, Death is an unnatural intrusion into our lives as a consequence of the
Fall.
1 Cor. 15:26, 56 Death is the last enemy to be destroyed.
2) Under present sinful conditions of the world, Death is inevitable.
Eccles. 3:2 Death is a doorway to another, better part of life. There is a “time to be born and a time to die.”
3) God is sovereign over life and death:
Deut. 32:39, “See now that I myself am He! There is no god besides me. I put to death and I bring to life, I have wounded and I will heal, and no one can deliver out of my hand.”
Job 1:21, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the
Lord.”
Job 14:5, “Man’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.”
Psalm 139:16, God has ordained our days.
B) God’s purposes are beyond our understanding. We have no idea why God allows certain suffering. God has a purpose for allowing certain disappointments in our life. He always has a purpose for our good. God is more interested in our spiritual life than relieving us from disappointments.
Isaiah 55:8-9 teaches, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”
Job 42: 2-3, “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, ‘who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”
C) A Scriptural perspective on euthanasia requires understanding of the sanctity of human life. For centuries Western culture in general has believed in the sanctity of human life.
Gen. 1:26, Humans are created in the image of God.
Psalm 139, Humans are fearfully and wonderfully made.
D) Therefore, “Thou shalt not kill.”
Exod. 20:13, The bible specifically condemns murder.
2 Sam. 1:9 – 16, In the death of King Saul, the soldier that had obeyed Saul’s request and killed him was then put to death by David for “destroying the Lord’s anointed.”
Eph. 5:29, Matt. 22:39; Christians are commanded to love others as they love themselves.
But when the Lord is truly calling someone home, when does death occur?
James 2:26, Death occurs when the spirit leaves the body.
Believers can reject the notion that everything must be done to save a life at all costs.
2 Cor. 5:6-8, For believers, being at home in the body is to be away from the Lord.
Phil. 1:21, Death is a gain for Christians.
Also, it’s okay to do everything possible to alleviate pain.
Proverbs 31:6, “Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to him whose life is bitter.
Gal. 6:2, give counsel and spiritual care to dying patients.
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