Happy Mother’s Day! Today we celebrated the incredible women who shaped our lives—but as Pastor Josh White reminded us, this day points to something bigger: the God-ordained value of every human life, from conception to the final breath.
God Values Human Life Before Conception
The sermon opened with a poignant question: at what stage is a mother’s love most real? The answer: at every stage. Just as a mother’s love doesn’t turn on/off based on age or ability, neither does God’s valuation of human life.
God told the prophet Jeremiah:
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
— Jeremiah 1:4-5
Jeremiah wasn’t told his value began at birth—he was valued before he was formed. The same is true of every person. Ephesians 1 reinforces this:
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.”
— Ephesians 1:3-4
Before the world existed, God had a plan—and people—for you. That’s the value He places on human life.
God Values Human Life When It Cannot Defend Itself
In a world that conditions worth on productivity, independence, and capability, God takes the opposite approach. He calls His people to defend those who cannot speak for themselves:
“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute. Open your mouth, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and the needy.”
— Proverbs 31:8-9
And in Exodus 21, God draws an stunning parallel: if two men fight and accidentally harm a pregnant woman, the penalty for harming the unborn child is the same as harming an adult. Both lives bear equal weight under God’s law.
“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined… But if there is harm, you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, and foot for foot.”
— Exodus 21:22-24
God’s standard is clear: the most vulnerable human beings deserve the strongest protection.
God Values Human Life Even in Slavery to Sin
Here’s where the gospel meets the value of human life most powerfully. Romans puts it plainly: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). We don’t earn God’s love through our goodness—because none of us are good apart from Christ.
And yet:
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
— John 3:16
The word world isn’t a sanitized term. It means people who were “dead in trespasses and sins,” following “the course of this world” and “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:1-2). We’re not talking about people who had their act together. We’re talking about enemies of God—and God loved them enough to send Jesus anyway.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.”
— Ephesians 2:4-5
Every human life has value—because every human life was created for relationship with a God who pursues us even when we’re far from Him.
So What?
Pastor Josh closed with a challenge: don’t be overwhelmed by the world’s problems. God isn’t asking you to fix everything. He’s asking you to do one thing—one act of advocacy, one act of mercy, one step of faith this week.
- Partner with Choices Pregnancy Center — GBC’s annual Baby Bottle Drive supports this local ministry that serves pregnant women, provides free ultrasounds, and shares the hope of the gospel. Pick up a bottle today.
- Defend the defenseless — Whether it’s an unborn child, a person with a disability, or someone trapped in addiction, step into the gap on their behalf.
- Share the One who defends us — We were all once unable to save ourselves. Jesus didn’t leave us in our condition. Go and do likewise.
As you honor the mother in your life today, remember: every life is a gift. And every life has a purpose—because the God who created it has not finished with it yet.
Scripture References
- Jeremiah 1:4-5 — God knows and sanctifies life before conception
- Ephesians 1:3-4 — God chose us before the foundation of the world
- Psalm 139:13-16 — We are fearfully and wonderfully made
- Proverbs 31:8-9 — Defend the rights of the mute and destitute
- Exodus 21:22-24 — Unborn children hold the same value as adults under God’s law
- John 3:16-17 — God’s love demonstrated in giving His Son
- Ephesians 2:1-10 — God makes us alive even when we were dead in sin