Playing God or Fighting for God?

I'm sure you may have heard or read about the 'hybrid embryo research' in the news. I'm sure it's sparked discussions all over the place about ethics versus scientific advances. It certainly did in our house!


I have to admit that I've only had a quick glance at the story really but I thought I would share some of my own thoughts and also some of the things God says about these kinds of issues that we should be aware of if we want to do things right by him. I'm not arguing one way or the other, just throwing some things into the discussion and I hope they might be useful...

Do embryos feel pain?
I think this is a critical issue if we're talking about manipulating life in its early stages, particularly human life (because we're made in the image of God - Genesis 1:27) but also animal life (because we are charged with taking care of them - Genesis 1:26). After sin and death came into the world, God said we could kill animals for our food but I think we should do everything we can to avoid animals suffering unnecessarily and going through pain needlessly. If pain can be experienced at the embryo stage, then I think we need to be very careful about what we do with them. On the other hand, if we can be sure they don't feel any pain then it follows that we're not hurting them by intervening and experimenting.

Sanctity of life?
The Bible makes it clear that murder is wrong and that only God can give life and only he should take it (Exodus 20:13). It also says that death, sickness and suffering only exist in our world because of sin (Romans 6:23). God is telling us that we should be fighting to reverse the effects of sin wherever we see them. We should fight for life and use everything we can to preserve life and improve the quality of it. This is what the principle of the sanctity of life is all about as I understand it and it seems thoroughly biblical to me too. So, if the motives for scientific experiment are to improve the quality and quantity of human life, then it could be a great thing to be involved in but if the motives are less than honourable to human existence, then it could be a horrific thing to be doing.

What are the risks?
A very practical question really. If genetic experiments could end up in human life being tragically shortened or diminished, especially on a large scale such as a pandemic, then this would surely overrule any noble aims to improve and prolong life.

Is it equal to bestiality?
Someone suggested that it's just wrong to mix human and animal genes because it's the same thing that's wrong with bestiality. I'm not convinced of this myself. In the Bible when God condemns besstiality (Leviticus 20:15), he's listing off a whole bunch of sexual sins that we should not engage in, including adultery, homosexual acts, sex within families, etc. It about sexual sins, not genetic experimentation, so I don't think it's relevant here.

Is it playing God or fighting for him?
This is the ultimate question that should determine our conclusions about right and wrong on this issue. Are we playing God by being involved in genetic experimentation or are we simply doing our duty to fight for life with all the resources he has given us?

So I haven't answered any questions but hopefully my rambling might have thrown some useful light into things. Let me know!

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FATAL ESCAPE

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For the Love of God (Isaiah 60)

Recently I was at home and decided (between watching Curb Your Enthusiasm and Prison Break) that I would pick up the Bible and look for a place to read about God's love. I stumbled over Isaiah 60 and I'm glad I did!

At first glance it doesn't seem very exciting but as I thought on it deeply I realised it's all about how God loves his people (including you and me if we trust and follow Jesus) and it's full of how God wants to romance us and lavish gifts and good things on us because he wants far more than to be our God or even our friend. He wants to be our lover and Isaiah 60 seems to be a glimpse of how God wants to spoil us!


Isaiah starts with the difference that being a Christian makes. While everyone else is living in darkness without forgiveness or God's life in them, we as Christians are forgiven and alive in the light and have his loving presence living in us all the time (v1-2).

After this, Isaiah lists and describes load of things God wants to do for his beloved people and the things that will happen because of his relationship with them and there is tons of meaning implied for us in our own lives today if we have a relationship with God too. As Christians we can expect much of what's described here and now in this life but it is merely a taste of when these things will be fully completed for us in heaven. Let's look forward to heaven but let's also look for these things here in our lives on earth! Eternal life starts now!
  • Others will be drawn to God through us (v3).
  • Be alert and expect others to come to you to know God (v4).
  • Our attractive lives will bring us joy and good things even in this world as people are drawn into praising God and they will come with good things for us as they worship him (v5-11).
  • Those who continue to ignore or reject the God we follow (despite the radiance of his work in our lives) will ultimately die unforgiven and miss out on him completely and totally forever (v12).
  • We will become a beacon of hope, life and joy for people around us because of God's love alive in us (v13-15).
  • We will enjoy peace and well-being and nothing but God's very best for us (v17-18).
  • We won't rely on natural schedules or pattern because God will sustain us and energise us (v20).
  • God will make us like him and we will be strong (v21-22).

Notice verse 16! If we're Christians we might think we know already that Jesus is our rescuer and saviour but we haven't seen it all - not by a long way!

God loves us more than we can imagine. How much have you realised it so far?