Seeking for the help of the Lord, I direct your prayer for attention to Genesis chapter 1 and reading for our text verse 26 and 27. And God said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, In the image of God created he him, male and female created he them. Genesis 1 verses 26 and 27. Made in the image of God. And so God has put a very precious stamp upon man, upon those made in his image.

In the Word of God there are four cases that are dealt with concerning those where the life of man is taken. The first one is premeditated murder, the killing that is thought about before, deliberately done, and whether that be self-murder, whether it be a taking of a baby in the womb, that is set before us in the Word of God as murder, because it is premeditated, and the sentence against that is death. He that sheddeth man's blood, by man shall he be shen. The second is accidental death or manslaughter.

The children of Israel had the provision of the cities of refuge for such cases. If an axe head flew off and killed someone, then so that the avengers of blood, the families of the one killed, take vengeance in their own hand, that person could run to those cities of refuge, there they Their case was heard by the priests. And if it was found that it was premeditated, then they had no shelter there. They were killed anyway. But if it was found it was accidental, they had to stay in that city of refuge until the death of the high priest.

In other words, it was a sentence of incarceration. Then there is the case of judicial killing. We mentioned about those that committed murder that there was the provision that they should be put to death. That then is judicial killing. It is not vengeance by loved ones. It's not man deciding. It is in the case of more than two witnesses that were used then to enact that judgment.

So God authorizes killing in those situations. The fourth one is in killing in a time of war. And we learn of the distinction in that by how David reacted. And David spoke about Joab, who shed the blood of war in a time of peace. because he slew Abner and Amasem. They were not at war. It was just out of retribution or vengeance because of what they had done in wartime, and he took their lives in peace. So in that way, God is making a distinction for a time of war and time of peace.

So we have these cases that are covered in the word of God and they all are centering their treating on the sanctity of human life as that made in the image of God. Now you might think, well, why bought this morning? You would have noticed in prayer I mentioned and I have prepared that which I want to read in part of what has happened in this last week. in our Parliament. Sometimes we need to deal with matters that are very current matters, matters that affect us in our land.

Last Tuesday, 17th of March, the Scottish Parliament voted to reject the legislation for assisted suicide, and they voted 69 to 57 votes. And this, of course, is a cause of real thanksgiving by the churches, gratitude unto God. Christians across the United Kingdom should give thanks to God for that, because it was a deeply troubling piece of legislation. The bill would have allowed terminally ill adults with less than six months to live to obtain medical assistance to end their lives. There is still a similar bill going through our House of Lords committee stage at this stage. It looks like with a tremendous amount of opposition in the House of Lords that that bill also will fail, but we do need to pray that that might be the case.

But then last Wednesday, just a day later, 18th of March, the House of Lords voted to decriminalise abortion by 185 votes to 145. The United Kingdom has taken incremental steps towards the full decriminalisation of abortion over the past 60 years. The 1967 Abortion Act, for instance, decriminalizes abortion through the 24th week of pregnancy if two doctors certify that continuing the pregnancy poses a risk to the life or health of the pregnant person. Abortion is also permitted under certain circumstances after that point in the pregnancy. Abortion, however, has remained a crime under all other circumstances since 1861 until now. Women suspected of terminating their pregnancies under these circumstances could and did face penalties of up to life imprisonment under other criminal provisions, namely the Offences Against the Person Act and the Infant Life Preservation Act.

In June, the House of Commons, that's where the law first begins to be made, considered several proposed amendments to UK abortion law by amending the Offences Against the Person Act to clarify that no offence is committed by a woman acting in relation to her own pregnancy. The House of Lords, when it went to them, then not only approved the proposal passed by the House of Commons, so they're bringing it into law, but added a provision that expanded its scope, paving the way for women already having been convicted and with criminal convictions to have them pardoned and their personal data removed from the police systems. The legislation now returns to the House of Commons for consideration of the retroactive pardon amendment.

At least 60 countries and territories have liberalised their abortion laws over the past three decades. Nearly half of those countries have then reformed their laws to permit abortion on request. It is shocking. It is barbaric. that we allow the lives of unborn children to be taken. And now right up to the day before they're born. When the Abortion Act 1967 was introduced, we were told that innocent children would only be lost to abortion under specific conditions. Since then, 12 million unborn British children have had their lives taken by abortion, now estimated at a rate of 300,000 each year.

This is why we need to reaffirm and set forth that human life, that made in the image of God, is not to be treated in this way, not to be treated like an animal put down for reasons of putting you out of its misery. One made in the image of God is very, very different than an animal. Now in these times when this is set forth, Often you hear we're made in the image of God, but how is that so?

And that is what I mainly want to cover this morning. We need to also affirm that life begins at conception. Right through the word of God, we have the Lord gave her conception. And that's why we read Psalm 139, Because through that psalm it speaks of the unborn. All my members were written, which in continuance they were formed, when as yet there was none of them. The growth in the worm is set forth in that psalm. And, of course, we think of the case of John Baptist when he was in the worm and Mary, mother of our Lord, came and the babe leapt in the worm. We need to be clear on that because today's society seems to make a difference between those outside the womb and in the womb, as if they're not human in the womb.

Even though man sins in taking life in that way, we must remember that God's purposes are not frustrated. None of God's people will be lost. Those that are his, they are preserved and camped. We do not know the eternal state of those that are terminated in the womb.

We know that all that are brought to heaven are brought there by election, by the determinate counsel of God. And it may well be that every single one that is taken in that way is taken home to glory. That we must leave. before the Lord, who is compassionate and gracious God.

But we know from the case of Esau and Jacob that election applies in before the womb or in the womb. The twins not being yet born, it was said, Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated. The purpose is according to election. But the point to make is that those babies, their souls, are not necessarily lost and quite possibly are all saved. I want to look then at three points this morning. Firstly, how?

How are we made in the image of God? When we hear this said often, what is actually meant? And then I want to consider the great fall of man, and then thirdly, the greatness of the work of grace making those that believe sons of God. But firstly, how are we made in the image of God? made in the likeness of God, not in body. God is a spirit, he has no form, he fills all things. But there is one sense that we are made even with our bodies like God because as made we were in perfect health and there was no death. And also we have, and of course in a way common with animals, Those faculties that God has, he sees, he hears, he tastes, those faculties he knows, those things that belong to us in our bodies, they reflect what God actually is.

One very distinct difference is set forth in Genesis chapter two, where we read in verse 7, the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul. Man has a soul. That is something that the animal does not have. In Ecclesiastes, we are told of the difference of the spirit of the beast that goeth downward into the earth and the spirit of man that goeth upward. Our soul is our real self in our tabernacle of this body. When we die, the soul is released from that tabernacle and returns to God that gave it. And in that way, man is in the image of God because man is eternal. God is eternal.

And man partakes of that, that he will never, ever cease to exist. he is made to have dominion. This is very obvious with the text that we've had and reaffirmed in afterwards, after the flood as well, that he has to have dominion. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. God is sovereign. He has dominion over all things, over man, and that is why he has it over man himself. God has not put man to have dominion over man to decide what is done to man. That is just from the word of God, that is God's decree, that man does have dominion over animals.

Those of us that have had pets, those who have had to put a dog down, the thought that we have that given ability to decide when that animal lives and when it dies. And with all of the animals, if you're on a farm, with all of your chickens, with your all of the things that we eat now, man is all the time exercising his dominion as to when that beast dies, when it lives.

And so in that he is made in the image of God, in that he is over the creation. Also it is in a mental way. We are made with a rational, reason with an intellect, an intellect that we can use. Yes, you might say you can have a bird that knows how to get things out of a bottle or animals that can perform some tricks. But the difference between an animal and human who can take one bit of knowledge and then apply it into so many different things.

When I was in engineering, many of the things I designed had not been designed before. They were one-off prototypes. I was taking knowledge and experience that I had before and applying it to a totally new concept, a new way. I was exercising that image of God in having an intellect, having a reason. Whenever we do things with maths, whenever we work things out and make decisions, we are using that which is given in the image of God.

Every invention, they all show the image of God. I often like to think of God in creation and what pleasure and joy he must have had in making all of the beasts in all of this earth as one that has done designing things. And you have pleasure in what you design, then you see the finished product How God, when he says that he saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. What pleasure the Lord must have had in his creation, even in that way.

But then we also, in God's image, in a moral sense, in righteousness, we are made with pure, true righteousness and perfect innocence and a holiness. We reflected God in our consciences, in our moral compass. That was given as the image of God. But then also socially, we think of God let us make man in our own image and the oneness between the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Our Lord later, in the blessings of grace, he says of his people that they may be one, even as we are one. With Adam, we have the Lord walking in the tool of the day, speaking, fellowship with Adam and with Eve, and nothing in between. That is made in the image of God, to between ourselves, let us, or to have a help mate, a mate that is suitable for man, man is to be social in that way, to have communion and fellowship, one with another and with his maker and creator.

But he was also given the capacity to make a free choice. God has free choice. Man was given that free choice as well. A man has that free choice. And so that which he does now in the way of evil, he is accountable and responsible for. And that which he freely by grace does in seeking the Lord and believing in the Lord also, is a free will believing.

Yes, brought about by grace, but we are not just machines that are pressed and automatically do this or do that. What would we think of having a loved one that the only reason we thought they loved us is because we press the right buttons or they mechanically loved us? We want to know that they love with completely free will and voluntary from them.

And so we were made in that way. But then comes the fall and the great fall of man. Man used that free choice. This is in our second point, I want to really think of this, because in a lot of ways, we still, of course, do retain the image of God that we are made in. Though it is marred and though with us being marred is marred the whole creation. We read in Romans that the whole creation groaneth together until now. Sin is mixed with everything. We have man choosing to obey Satan rather than God.

The commandment was, in the day that thou eatest thereof, of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt surely die. And Eve took, Adam took of that tree. Their eyes were opened. They knew they were naked. We now know good and evil, evil that we did not know before. And now death. Death has entered in because of sin. And that is death not only of the body, also eternally of the soul. Though the soul doesn't cease to exist, yet it shall exist under the wrath of God eternally."

When we read that portion in Genesis 9, man was said that he then was given to eat meat instead of just herbs, and the beasts of the field were given that as well. But we are not told anymore that man actually has dominion. In one sense, he has lost it. Every beast that rises up against man, that defies man, it sets forth that man is not in that complete control as what he was before. And so we are told that the fear of you, the dread of you, shall be upon every beast, but not that we have Those words are not used. But here it is in that portion in Genesis 9, the protection of the human life. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he man. So after the fall, we still have set forth the image of God as still stamped upon us. All our choices now are defiled with sin. We make wrong choices, evil choices.

We are unholy and our true knowledge of God we do not have. In fact, we cannot know God. We are alienated from him. Adam and Eve were banished from the garden and we cannot know the things of God except that they are revealed to us by grace. Our righteousness, our holiness, they are all lost in the form. We are now unholy, unclean, our conscience is defiled, and our free choice we use for evil things and not for good things. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

Paul in writing to the Romans, he says in Romans 5 verse 12, wherefore as by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned. We come forth from the womb speaking lies, our original sins, is what condemns us, we are already under the sentence of death. It can really hardly be spoken of as being a greater evil as the fall of man. Heimreiter says the whole creation grown through the sin has affected everything. all the evil, everything that we have in this world, that is evil, that is separate from God, alienated from God, it all comes because of man's sin.

And yet man still is in the image of God in many, many respects. And that mark of that image is still seen, is still protected, is still guarded, and especially because God has provided that fallen sinners, those who have lost the image of God, in his beloved Son that is provision, that that image be restored, and that they be brought not only to be restored, but to be sons and daughters of Almighty, those that would charge God with being a horrible God, need to really think of this, that in the gift of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, in the blessing of salvation, souls that are brought to believe have more than what they had with Adam.

They have an eternal inheritance with the Lord. Adam could fall by a choice of his own. God's people that are redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, chosen in Christ and being called by his grace, they cannot be lost. Their final perseverance is assured in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ.

God has not again put salvation or put the hope of heaven and happiness back in man's hand. He did it with Adam and Eve, and what happened? They fell. And so when he brings in the gospel, when he brings in the New Testament, it does not have the weak link of man.

God is the author of salvation, and he has worked and done a way whereby those that are born into this world, those that are conceived in this world, They can and they will be His people saved with an everlasting salvation and to be brought to be with Him forever.

And that puts then an additional mark and preciousness on a soul. Those that are unregenerate, really God's people, they cannot be killed, their lives cannot be lost. until they are called, until they are quickened. Because they must come to saving faith in Christ. And so the preciousness of a soul, are we to decide, were that child or that infant, they are not God's people, or they won't be saved, or they can't, their soul is not precious. Every soul is precious. Every one that is born into this world, there is a born with the expectation that they will be born again of the Spirit and quickened into divine life and that they shall know the Lord.

We have a beautiful chain in Romans chapter 8. where the Lord knows His people and where He has worked a work of grace and salvation with them and brings them then to be sons of God. He says in Romans 8 verse 14, for as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but ye have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father. The spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. If children then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with him, that we may also be glorified, also glorified together.

When Paul writes to the Ephesians, he speaks of that difference that is made by grace. He says in Ephesians 2, that's in verse 8, for by grace I say through faith that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. And then in the fourth chapter, in verse 24, that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

And we have here a restoring of that original image in righteousness and holiness. We are still sinners. We will be here below. But with Christ's image stamped upon us, it makes that new creature in Christ. In 2 Corinthians and chapter 5, You read in verse 17, Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature.

All things are passed away. Behold, all things are become new. And so it is this reason again, why human life is so precious. The greatness of a work of grace takes man in the image of God that has lost that holiness, lost that righteousness, lost that fellowship with God and the fellowship with God's people, and it restores that. Brought nigh by the blood of Christ. Brought again into fellowship with the Lord, into union with Him, and to not just be with Him here below, but to be with him forever, to be given eternal life, and that they should never perish, but that they should forever be with the Lord. As much as we see and evidence and understand the effect of the fall and the rejection by natural man of the things of God, to them the things of God are foolishness, They are spiritually discerned, but he discerns everything in a natural way. That's why we trace it through with Nicodemus in John 3. And Nicodemus can't get out of his head the idea of a natural birth. How can man, born of a woman, be born again? But our Lord insists a spiritual birth. He must be born again.

And then we have the next chapter with the woman at the well of Samaria. can't get out of her head with this natural water, the well is deep, there's nothing to draw with, but the Lord is speaking of her spiritual water, living water, the life of God in the soul, give me this water that I do not come hither to draw. And the Lord immediately began by convincing her of her sinnership, of her need of saviour, and that he was that saviour. Come see a man that told me all things, Whatever I did is not this, the Christ.

And then in John 6, where they couldn't get away from the idea of literally eating bread. They'd followed him over the sea because they'd eaten of the loaves and the fishes and were filled. But the Lord said, labor not for the meat that perisheth, but for that which endureth unto eternal life. And then comes his long discourse on the manna. And they said, how can this man give us his flesh to eat? But the Lord insisted on it, except you eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man, you have no life in you. And they're all the time thinking in a literal way, this isn't hard saying, who can hear it? They went back and walked no more with him. But he said to them this, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.

Man shall not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. But that appetite for the word, that is given by God, and it is the Lord that gives the hearing ear, that faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of the Lord. And a soul that had been partaker of the fool, and all its effects, is made a partaker by God's grace of those blessings that were lost at the fall and brought again, reconciled to God by the blood of Jesus Christ. There's no greater blessing that can be bestowed on any than to be called the Son of God, to be granted those blessings through the gospel of eternal life.

This whole world continues to exist because God's people are on it. That's why we read that he is the saviour of all men, especially of them that believe. Because as Paul said to those at Athens, in him we live and move and have our being. He giveth to all breath. He gives our food. He opens his hand, satisfies every living thing.

But when the last one of his people is born and born again, then this world shall be no more. The Lord shall come, shall gather his people and bring his people home. The world thinks that the people of God were the reason for all the troubles and trials in the world. The Lord said, I have given them thy word and the world have hated them. But the truth is the world only continues because the people of God are there. Sodom and Gomorrah would have continued if there had been 10 righteous in that city.

The Lord holds as great high view, his dear people lost and ruined in the fall, and yet he would send his own beloved son to suffer, bleed and die to redeem them. Are we then to take, take those that he has formed, take those that he has died for and treat that image those that he works in those that he calls and treat them like a beast and treat them as if they were not worth anything. God would rather bring his beloved son to suffer bleed and die than to lose one of his people. I love thee with an everlasting love and therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee.

This world, in all of its wickedness, God all the time is plucking his brains from the burning, one here, one there. We know not which one, we know not when, whether early in life, whether before they're born, or whether in even tide of their lives. While there is life, there is hope. And the hope is that the Lord will bless his word, and bring into sweet fellowship and union with himself and give that new nature, that new image, an image that is not born by a fallen man, but is born by God's children. The Lord knows them and they know him.

Well, at these times, may we pray, pray for our nation, pray for those who make the laws over us and make confession but also be aware of what it means to be made in the image of God, the greatness of the form, and to ask ourselves, do we know the greatness of the blessing of redeeming love and mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.