How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the fallenness of the world?
The four Christian Biblical narratives include creation, fall, redemption, and restoration (Love, 2017). Focusing on fallenness, we get to understand that after God had created man in His image, given him high reasoning capacity and the authority to rule over all other animals, He commanded them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Man disobeyed God and ate the fruit. From this moment when Adam and Eve sinned, God punished them and said to them that they would face many problems, and they would finally die. Human beings face problems today, including illness, diseases, poverty, disasters, and hunger, among other problems. Based on George’s situation of a disease which is incurable, and the Biblical narrative of fallenness, George would interpret his suffering as the result of the sin that Adam and Eve committed that led to all human beings to be cursed. It is normal that as human beings, everyone has his/her fate, not because of the sins people are currently committing but due to the old sin committed in the Garden of Eden by our first parents. Therefore, George needs to understand that death is a must for any human being, and he should face his fate courageously. George might have lost his cross relatives or friends through accidents, diseases, and other causes. He might have also visited the hospitals and witnessed people lying on beds and very sick. On earth, no matter what, problems hit every individual. Genesis 3:1-24 explains the fall of man and its consequences. Since ALS is incurable and George will not be able to move, speak, eat and breathe, and with his life expectance approximated to be 3-4 years, or at most 10, George needs to face his situation without contemplating voluntary euthanasia, which God does not allow. Prayers and treatment will reduce the effects of the diseases, and he needs to repent so that he ides holy when his day comes (In Ziebertz & In Zaccaria, 2019).
- How would George interpret his suffering in light of the Christian narrative, with an emphasis on the hope of resurrection?
There is the hope of living again after death. All the dead will resurrect in the second coming of Jesus. After the man had sinned, God had mercy on mankind, and he made a plan to save humanity, according to the narrative of redemption (Duff, 2018). God sent Jesus, His begotten son, to come on earth, teach people the holy ways of life, and die to save man. After Jesus completed His mission on earth, He was crucified, died, and buried in the tomb. Jesus resurrected on the third day as prophesized in Psalms 16:10. Jesus ascended to Heaven, and He is now bleeding with God to forgive sinners and give them a second chance. He also promised that He would be with us till the end of times (Grudem, 2018). The Bible gives hope that all the dead will resurrect on the second coming of Jesus, and the judgment will begin. The righteous will have eternal life as the sinners perish in eternal fire. Therefore, based on George’s suffering due to ALS for which he will finally die in 3-4 years, he would better repent, pray for spiritual growth, and aim to die holy since there will be life after death. The resurrection of Jesus gave man hope of waking up again after resting. The first death for human beings is referred to as “resting,” while the second death is the eternal death that sinners will experience in Hell’s lake of fire. Therefore, George must get spiritually prepared since he will “rest,” wait for the judgment, and get eternal life; he will die holy since believers cannot be affected by death (Duff, 2018). All human beings have been saved and only need to repent and believe in Jesus, bearing in mind that suffering is for a short period. John 14:38-14 in the New International Version (NIV), the Bible tells us that Jesus raised Lazarus from death, and this shows that death people can be raised from death when Jesus comes again. Therefore, George needs to have hope of living eternal life after death. Killing oneself is a sin since one of the Ten Commandments of God in Exodus 20, says that “Do not kill.” For George to have eternal life when Jesus returns, he must not go for voluntary euthanasia since birth and death are part of the life process, and no one has the authority to take his/her own life or that of another person (In Ziebertz & In Zaccaria, 2019).
- As George contemplates life with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), how would the Christian worldview inform his view about the value of his life as a person?
John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. Christians should inform George that life is valuable and should end with dignity. Suffering or pain does not stop life from being valuable (Grudem, 2018). All human beings are equally valuable, whether mentally or physically ill, sick, or healthy. Christians believe that the life process must not be interfered with, even death should not be disrupted since no one was given the authority to take their life or someone’s life. When one dies, that is not the end of life since there is life beyond the grave. God values man because after sinning, He saved them with blood and not gold or silver. Jesus being the only son of God, He became a sacrifice to unite man and God. George might think that God has ignored him or that He is not answering when most needed, but God is aware of his suffering, and He has a good plan for him. That God who blessed him with a good life before his fate. He is the same God who is with him in his situation. Therefore, suffering and or dying is normal, and no one should kill themselves.
- What sorts of values and considerations would the Christian worldview focus on deliberating about whether or not George should opt for euthanasia?
Some of the values and consideration that the Christian worldview would focus on in deliberating about George’s situation and the issue of opting for voluntary euthanasia include the fact that man was created in God’s image, all people are equal before the eyes of the Lord, whether poor, rich, educated or not, black or white, sick or healthy and that man was saved by Jesus’ blood (Magnuson, 2020). Also, man was so much valued to the extent of being given high reasoning capacity than all other animals and birds. People can differentiate good and evil and be given the power to govern themselves and be rulers of the world. Even after sinning by disobeying God, they did not lose their value, and that is why Jesus came to save humanity. Another value or consideration is that man does not pay any price for God to do them to bless, protect, and guide them. Therefore, Christians should advise George never to attempt to kill himself or seek physician-assisted murder (Love, 2017). From the fact that no one leaves forever, George should prepare his end of a life well, and he should be the one to calm down his family. Therefore, the victim should not opt for euthanasia no matter how much he contemplates his suffering and end of life period.
Given the above, what options would be morally justified in the Christian worldview for George and why?
George’s morally justified option is to trust in God and repent so that he will die holy in case his day has come (Magnuson, 2020). This option is morally justified because dying is a must for everyone. When the time comes, no one can prevent it, but whoever believes in Jesus and is holy will only rest for a short period, wait for Jesus’ second coming, when believers will have eternal life according to 1 Thessalonians 4:13. Another moral option is that God works miracles. George needs to be patient and have hope. He may be contemplating his suffering, but this may work the opposite. For instance, several people have been booked for surgery, and it ends up that they get well without surgery. Others get into worse situations that haunt they think they are going to die the next day, but they live for years than expected. I have seen cancer and HIV positive patients who have lived for years, and they are thriving well; when they thought it was the end of the road in their journey. Therefore, hope should be the last thing to lose for George. This is the time when he needs prayers the most for emotional wellbeing (Grudem, 2018).
Based on your worldview, what decision would you make if you were in George’s situation?
If I were in George’s situation, I would be patient, request for prayers, repent, and face my fate confidently, with the hope that there will be life after death. I would also continue to take medications without losing hope. I understand that I will not be the first or last one to rest and that human beings have no powers over death. I would rather encourage my family and try to be happy while spending time with them. As much as my family will take good care of me, and bearing in mind that I have lived and served people to my best, there would be no regrets for my situation because no one wishes himself/herself bad luck. Therefore, knowing that God will always have good plans for His people and that He loves them all the time, I would ask God to give me emotional strength, remember me in eternal life.