{"id":90752,"date":"2021-03-12T06:14:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-12T11:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/euthanasia\/"},"modified":"2023-10-07T22:35:44","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T02:35:44","slug":"euthanasia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/euthanasia\/","title":{"rendered":"Euthanasia"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Ecclesiastes 8:8a <em>\u2013 \u201c<\/em><em>There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain\nthe spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Hebrews 9:27 \u2013 \u201c<em>A<\/em><em>nd as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this\nthe judgment\u2026.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Euthanasia can be a\nchallenging issue with two sides that are difficult to balance. On one end, we\ndo not want to take a person\u2019s life into our own hands and end it prematurely.\nOn the other end, at what point do we simply allow a person to die and take no\nfurther action to preserve life?&nbsp; Adding\nto the confusion are medical advances balanced against healing which has led to\nvarious opinions with respect to physicians and the extent of their\ninfluence.&nbsp; To determine the Biblical\nperspective, we turn to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\n<li>Historical\nContext: The Book of Ecclesiastes does not directly identify its author\nbut the conventional belief is that the author is Solomon.&nbsp; If so, it was likely written towards the end\nof his reign, approximately 935 B.C.&nbsp; Ecclesiastes\nis a book of perspective. The narrative of \u201cthe Preacher\u201d (KJV), or \u201cthe\nTeacher\u201d (NIV) reveals the depression that inevitably results from seeking\nhappiness in worldly things. This book gives Christians a chance to see the\nworld through the eyes of a person who, though very wise, is trying to find\nmeaning in temporary, human things. Most every form of worldly pleasure is\nexplored by the Preacher, and none of it gives him a sense of meaning.&nbsp; In the end, the Preacher comes to accept that\nfaith in God is the only way to find personal meaning. He decides to accept the\nfact that life is brief and ultimately worthless without God. The Preacher\nadvises the reader to focus on an eternal God instead of temporary pleasure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Although some include the book of\nHebrews among the apostle Paul&#8217;s writings, the certain identity of the author\nremains an enigma. Missing is Paul&#8217;s customary salutation common to his other\nworks. In addition, the suggestion that the writer of this epistle relied upon\nknowledge and information provided by others who were actual eye-witnesses of\nChrist Jesus (2:3) makes Pauline authorship doubtful. Some attribute Luke as\nits writer; others suggest Hebrews may have been written by Apollos, Barnabas,\nSilas, Philip, or Aquila and Priscilla.\nRegardless of the human hand that held the pen, the Holy Spirit of God is the\ndivine author of all Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16); therefore, Hebrews speaks with\nthe same canonical authority as the other sixty-five books of the Bible.&nbsp; The early church father Clement quoted from\nthe book of Hebrews in A.D. 95. However, internal evidence such as the fact\nthat Timothy was alive at the time the epistle was written and the absence of\nany evidence showing the end of the Old Testament sacrificial system that occurred\nwith Jerusalem&#8217;s\ndestruction in A.D. 70, indicates the book was written around A.D. 65.&nbsp; This letter is an exhortation for those\npersecuted believers to continue in the grace of Jesus Christ, keeping in mind\nthat God is in control and will, indeed, have the final say.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\n<li>Grammatical\nUsage: Dealing with the Ecclesiastes passage, \u201cpower\u201d in the Hebrew is \u201cshalat\u201d\nmeaning, \u201cto exercise power over\u2026dominate\u2026have mastery\u201d, in short: no\nautocratic control; \u201cspirit\u201d is \u201cruah\u201d, a noun occurring 387 times in the OT,\nhas it root meaning in \u201cwind or breath\u201d when, used in context with humanity,\nemphasizes the mental\/emotional\/spiritual over the physical.&nbsp; This is consistent with the Genesis 2:7 where\nthe \u201cbreath\u201d of man was bestowed by a special creative act of God (in contrast\nto the beasts of Genesis 1:24); \u201cdeath\u201d or \u201cmawet\u201d in the Hebrew means, \u201cdeath\npersonified as the realm of the dead\u2026an certain eventuality.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In Hebrews, the Greek word for \u201cappointed\u201d is \u201capokeimai\u201d which \u201ccarries\nthe distinctiveness of being reserved \u2013 established\u201d while \u201cdie\u201d or\n\u201capothnesko\u201d means \u201cto die out\u2026the separation of the soul from the body\u2026natural\ndeath (spiritual death to come after the judgment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\n<li>Literal\nApplication: \u201cAnd in view of the fact that the fatr of death is reserved for the\nhuman race once for all, but after that \u2013 judgment\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\n<li>Contextual\nInterpretation: A basic assertion of Ecclesiastes and Hebrews is the fact that,\nultimately, death is inevitable and can not be prevented by man.&nbsp; Ezekiel reminds us that God has no pleasure in\nthe death of men, for his purpose was and is that they live (18:32).&nbsp; Yet, as pointed out in Gen. 3:3 death is the\nresult of rebellion against God\u2019s command.&nbsp;\nConsequently, the introduction of death was an undesirable but necessary\nresult of disobedience. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In verse 18 Paul indicates that, \u201cthe sufferings of this present time\u201d need\nto be placed in proper perspective.&nbsp;\nConformation carries with it a two-stage implication: 1) regeneration\nand 2) glorification.&nbsp; The glorification\nelement is the object of v. 29 \u2013 where we \u201cshare\u201d in the context of the\ntotality of God\u2019s creation which \u201cwaits with eager longing\u201d (v. 19) and which\nis presently \u201csubjected to futility\u201d (v. 20) and in \u201cbondage to decay\u201d (v.\n21).&nbsp; It is a creation which \u201chas been\ngroaning in travail\u201d (v. 22) just as we human beings \u201cgroan inwardly\u201d (v.\n22).&nbsp; And just as the total creation\n\u201cwill be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of\nthe children of God\u201d (v. 21), so we can anticipate \u201cthe redemption of our\nbodies\u201d (v. 23).&nbsp; God\u2019s design is to have\nus view our circumstances through the eyes of Christ &#8211; conforming our actions\nand reactions accordingly which lends testament to our faith by which God is\npleased, the faithful strengthened and the unsaved convicted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\n<li>Scriptural\nComparison: In context, Phil. 3:10 better elaborates the purpose by conforming,\nidentifying with or demonstrating the death of the carnal self and enduring\none\u2019s share of sufferings as sharing in the sufferings of Christ.&nbsp; In fact, this conformation is physical (1\nCor. 15:49b), ethical (2 Cor. 3:18) and intellectual (Co.\n3:10).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\n<li>Conclusion:\nConformation is the work of the Holy Spirit.&nbsp;\nIn the first half of Romans, Paul emphasized the majesty and glory of\nGod and pointed to the certainty of God\u2019s redemptive plan.&nbsp; All that happens to the believer rests in the\nsovereign hand of God, who in all things, \u201cworks for the good of those who love\nhim\u201d (8:28).&nbsp; Believers gain assurance knowing\nthat God is for them (8:31).&nbsp; In all the\ntestings and sufferings that confront believers, they can be confident that\nthey are more than conquerors through Christ who loved them (8:37).&nbsp; Believers can expect difficulties in this age\n(8:35.36); yet they can be certain that nothing will be able to separate them\nfrom the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (8:39).&nbsp; However, the emphasis of the entire passage\ntruly is that God works in all things toward the good purpose of conforming\nus.&nbsp; But only \u201cthose who love him\u201d know\nthat, because they are participants \u201cwith him\u201d in the out-working of that\npurpose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ecclesiastes 8:8a \u2013 \u201cThere is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death\u201d Hebrews 9:27 \u2013 \u201cAnd as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment\u2026.\u201d Euthanasia can be a challenging issue with two sides that are [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[526,534],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Euthanasia - Grace Evangelical Free Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Euthanasia - Grace Evangelical Free Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ecclesiastes 8:8a \u2013 \u201cThere is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death\u201d Hebrews 9:27 \u2013 \u201cAnd as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment\u2026.\u201d Euthanasia can be a challenging issue with two sides that are [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/euthanasia\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Grace Evangelical Free Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-12T11:14:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-10-08T02:35:44+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tony Raker\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Tony Raker\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/euthanasia\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/euthanasia\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Tony Raker\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/#\/schema\/person\/6785bcea471ae92fb3660d811c5c74ef\"},\"headline\":\"Euthanasia\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-12T11:14:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-10-08T02:35:44+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/euthanasia\/\"},\"wordCount\":1164,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Issues &amp; 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