“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.”(Ecclesiastes 3:11,NIV)
Euthanasia generally refers to deliberately hastening death by medical means. There are two main types: active euthanasia, where healthcare staff directly administer drugs at the patient’s request, and passive euthanasia, where life-sustaining measures such as nutrition or medication are withheld or discontinued, leading to death. In addition, a related practice is assisted suicide, in which doctors provide drugs for patients to take themselves. Sometimes, passive euthanasia and assisted suicide are collectively described as “death with dignity.”
Although each nation has its own laws, many still prohibit active euthanasia. Countries that have legalized it include the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, and New Zealand. Switzerland permits assisted suicide, while Australia, Taiwan, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, and Argentina have legalized “death with dignity.” In the United States, some states such as Oregon recognize physician-assisted dying, while France, Italy, and Japan allow it under limited circumstances.
In Korea, the Supreme Court in 2009 ruled that meaningless life-support treatment could be withdrawn, effectively recognizing death with dignity for the first time. In 2018, legislation was enacted permitting patients with no prospect of recovery and are near death, as determined by medical judgment, to discontinue life-sustaining treatment with the consent of the patient or family. As a result, cultural acceptance of euthanasia as a reasonable means to a peaceful end of life has grown, both among Christians and non-Christians.
This shift is evident in how the term euthanasia has been redefined. Previously understood as “intentional self-killing,” it is now widely referred to with the softened phrase “a dignified death.” Yet, from a biblical perspective, choosing euthanasia while life still remains is essentially suicide, an act that brings eternal consequences and separates one from salvation.
The Netherlands became the first country to legalize euthanasia in 2002, with 1,882 deaths reported that year. By 2020, the number had risen to 6,938—the highest ever recorded. Jeroen Recourt, chairman of the Regional Euthanasia Review Committees, noted, “More people are coming to see euthanasia as a solution to unbearable suffering, and many regard it as a choice that brings peace to those in despair.” In 2020, the Dutch government announced plans to expand the law to allow euthanasia for children ages one to twelve, with parental and patient consent. This would mean even infants in their first year could face euthanasia.
Catherine Robinson, spokesperson for the UK-based Right to Life, warned, “As has been shown in nearly every place where various forms of suicide are permitted, once the desire to die is accepted as a valid reason for help, more people will feel pressured into it. In the end, euthanasia for terminally ill patients will inevitably expand beyond voluntary cases.”
God is the One who holds authority over life and death. Humanity cannot measure the beginning and end of His works. Even in times of sickness and death, we must place our trust in God’s goodness and salvation, standing firm in faith.
》Prayer Points
1. God, who rules over our lives, is always good. His saving mercy is with those who despair in suffering every day. Let us pray that Satan’s lie—disguised in terms such as “death with dignity”—which hides the true value of life, will be exposed in the light of God’s truth.
》Scripture Prayer
John 3:5–7, 12–21 (NIV)
5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’
12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.” 16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
》Pray that the Word may become the Conclusion.
1. Only God is the Sovereign over life and death. Every person must die, and after death comes judgment. Death is not the end, but a doorway into eternity. Whoever believes in Jesus Christ will not perish but will have everlasting life. Let us praise with all our hearts the amazing grace of God, who revealed through the cross the mystery of being born again.
2. Let us pray that patients who endure suffering so severe they long for death may encounter Jesus Christ, who bore suffering with patience. May they, through the pain given in this life, gain precious virtues such as endurance and perseverance, and meet the mercy of God. Let us also pray for their families and medical staff, that they may be given the grace, strength, and heart to serve them.
3. Let us pray that God will raise up people of faith in the legislative and medical institutions of nations seeking to legalize euthanasia, so that they will not remain silent but stand firm according to biblical values. May the nations repent of the sin of claiming the right to decide life and death in the name of human dignity, and instead walk in obedience to the truth of God’s Word.
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