“There are three images in my mind which I must continually forsake and replace by better ones: the false image of God, the false image of my neighbors, and the false image of myself.”
— C.S. Lewis
“Why don’t you adopt a real child?”
It’s a question people sometimes ask when they hear about embryo adoption.
Behind that question lies something deeper than curiosity. It reveals a worldview that quietly ranks human beings according to their level of development. In this mindset, the life of an embryo—small, unseen, and dependent—is considered less valuable than the life of someone already born.
But this week it struck me that the conversation about embryo adoption is really about something much bigger.
Unless we have a right view of God, a right view of ourselves, and a right view of our neighbors, we will never understand the value of a human life at its earliest stage!
A battle of the mind
How do we correct these false images?
Scripture.
No, seriously.
It is a battle of the mind—and right now, the enemy is winning big time. Few people know what their Bibles –and God– actually say about human life.
Think about how popular sappy phrases like:
“You are enough”
“Love yourself”
have become in our generation. (I’m talking to you, millennials. 🙋🏼♀️)
There’s a reason these messages resonate. As Scripture says, God has set eternity in our hearts. Deep down we know something is broken in us. We sense our limits, our failures, and our inability to live up to the goodness we long for.
The world’s solution is kinder self-talk and positive affirmation.
And while encouragement can be helpful, these phrases eventually feel hollow. No amount of positivity can silence that inner knowing that we are not, in ourselves, enough.
Gosh, imagine if that were the end of the story. We would be truly hopeless.
The bridge between God and man
But the story does not end there.
Enter: Christ.
Through His sacrifice, Christ became the propitiation for our sin—the bridge that closed the impossible gap between fallen humanity and a perfectly holy God.
Because of Him, we are no longer defined by our lack and shortcomings.
Instead, we are clothed in His righteousness and indwelt by Someone profoundly beautiful and holy. Our limitations no longer condemn us; they become key opportunities for God’s mercy, grace, and power to shine.
This grace is given freely—not because of our performance, achievements, appearance, or status.
It is lavished upon us simply because He loves us.
Understanding the value of life
Here is the truth I hope you take away today:
You cannot truly understand the preciousness of every human life until you grasp the intrinsic value of your own.
Strip away everything.
Your age.
Your accomplishments.
Your abilities.
Your independence.
What remains?
Who are you?
Imagine that today all of it disappeared. Imagine becoming completely helpless—dependent on others for survival, like an embryo in the womb.
The world often responds to helplessness with a chilling conclusion: “The merciful choice is death.” (Read more about this in a previous post, here.)
But God’s kingdom operates by a completely different standard.
God’s heart for human embryos
Throughout Scripture, God deliberately protects and provides for the most vulnerable.
The unborn.
The orphan.
The sick.
The elderly.
The poor.
He teaches us that human life at every stage is worthy of protection, honor, and reverence.
Why?
Because every human being is made in the image of God.
So what do an embryo, a five-year-old orphan, an adult in the prime of life, and an eighty-year-old with cancer all have in common?
They bear the image of their Creator.
Adoption: The gospel in action
Scripture uses a beautiful word to describe our relationship with God: adoption.
Through Christ, we are welcomed into God’s family—not because we earned it, but because He chose us.
As Romans says:
“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, ‘Abba! Father!’
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”
— Romans 8:15–17
Embryo adoption reflects this truth in such a real way.
It is a declaration that every life—no matter how small, unseen, or dependent—is worthy of love and a chance to live.
And not only this, but the Spirit proclaims and reminds us that we are His children.
A question for the heart
So the question ultimately isn’t just about embryos.
It’s about identity.
Will you look within yourself and see only limitation and bondage to the flesh?
Or will you look to Christ—and find limitless grace, redemption, and the beautiful truth that we are beloved children of God?
Because once we truly understand our own worth in Him, it becomes impossible to deny the worth of the smallest among us. 🤍
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