LUTHERANS FOR LIFE of IOWA

God Alone Controls the Length of Our Life -- God Alone Establishes the Time of Our Death

The Old Testament figure Jonah is a good example of how God views the idea of man choosing his own time of death. When Jonah finally got to the city of Ninevah, he preached and they repented. Because of their repentance, God turned away his wrath and did not punish them. Jonah was not so quick to forgive, however, even though he had had his own share of rebellion. The result? Jonah wanted to die, and God patiently dealt with him, not by granting his wish but by pointing out its foolishness.

We are told in the New Testament that we are not our own, but that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16). If we belong to God by virtue of creation and redemption, it stands to reason that we are not granted the right from God to choose when we live or die. Nor is any other human being granted that right over us. We are made in the image (although, because of sin, a fallen image) of God Himself, and it is a terrifying thought to deface or destroy that image. In speaking to Noah, well after the Fall of Man, God said, "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man'" (Gen. 9:6 NIV). And, in the words of the inspired Psalmist, "All the days ordained for me were written in Your book before one of them came to be" (Ps. 139:16 NIV). .

(SOURCE: Before I Die by Elizabeth Ruth Skoglund, Copyright 2002, Lutherans For Life)