Faith and Reality
8 July 2008
Recently there have been quite a number of moral arguments over the issue of organ transactions. I've been asked what I thought about the issue and without any hesitation I said I was dead set against it.
There was an article in the Sunday Times that challenged my stand. Writing from a first person experience, the writer expressed her disdain towards people who engaged in the debate on organ transactions without having any first hand encounter. The writer's dad underwent an illegal kidney transplant in India. The young man who sold his kidney earned about $30,000 which he used to buy a shop and start a business to support his young family while the writer's dad went on to live for another 7 years which as far as the writer was concerned, it was 7 good years. In the writer's opinion the young man and her dad gave each other a new lease of life. In concluding her article she made a remark which set me thinking, "Moral arguments are a luxury that healthy people indulge in before misfortune befalls them too."
It set me thinking because I wondered that as I preached the Word of God each Sunday, was I riding on a high horse each time I made a moral argument. Thus far, my faith has not been challenged to an extent where I may be tempted to do what is practical and not what is scriptural. However, what if I or my loved one were to need a kidney transplant and would surely die if no organ were available? Would I be desperate enough to look for an alternative means of getting a transplant? What if someone were willing to pay for the whole thing since I would most likely not be able to afford to buy an organ? Would I be "grateful" enough" to accept the offer?
It is easy to talk about walking in faith and trusting God when you are not placed in a difficult position. Sometimes the difficulty may not be one of life and death. It could simply be one of convenience or one that could cause great inconvenience. There was this one time when I was returning home after a trip to Malaysia and I was sitting in the front passenger seat of my friend's car. I had not strapped on my seatbelt thinking it was not necessary since I did not see anybody doing so at that time. Unfortunately we were stopped by a traffic police whose purpose was to profit out of the situation by collecting a bribe from us. At first I was adamant about my friend not paying the bribe. But he paid the bribe anyway because it would be very inconvenient to pay a proper fine. When inconvenience can already cause us to compromise, I wonder what would happen if it were a matter of life and death?
While I would like to think that I will never compromise for the sake of convenience and will always determine to walk in obedience to God, the truth is I don't know how I would actually react when faced with the challenge. Perhaps I may be brave enough to say that I am prepared to lose my life and not compromise on my faith but what if it were the life of my loved ones at stake? Would I then reason that I am not renouncing my faith but am simply making a creative decision?
In the case of needing an organ transplant, as mentioned earlier, would I be "grateful" to accept the offer to purchase a kidney from a willing seller for a transplant? Afterall, I did not force anyone to sell, and the person can still live a normal and perhaps even a better life with the money he receives.
As a pastor and as a child of God, I will have to say that I will not compromise. But it is easy for me to say so now because I am not in that position. I am merely giving a hypothetical situation. The reality is we can offer a morally correct answer to a hypothetical situation with great ease because it does not involve our emotional faculty very much. However it is never that easy when we are faced with the reality.
Dealing with the ethical issue of our faith is never easy and thus all the more we must press on and not lose faith. When life deals us a blow, that is when we learn "to consider it pure joy when we undergo trials of many kinds" resting in the assurance that God is working in us and teaching us to persevere in faith. It may be to us an "unwanted grace' but when we persevere to the end we will realize the true grace and mercy of God and conclude that it is a much wanted grace. When things get tough, we press on and echo the words of the Apostle Paul, " I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14
At present, it is not legal for us to be involved in organ transactions even if it means saving a life because we cannot find a moral justification for such an act as a nation. What if we as a nation were to decide to legalize the transaction of organs with all the "moral safeguards" intact? Would we then say that it is now ok to do so as Christians? If I were in need of an organ transplant, I guess I would be rejoicing since it would now be legal to do so.
However I wonder if we as Christians can always engage in something just because it is legal. Gambling is legal if we go to the right places. Does that mean it is ok for us? Smoking is legal in some places. Does that mean that as Christians we can smoke? What is legal does not mean it is biblical or pleasing to God?
One can argue what is the difference between an organ donation and an organ transaction since both involves willing parties and both are done at a cost in a manner of speaking. One involves the cost of love and sacrifice while the other involves the cost of money and sacrifice.
My answer is this, it is precisely the fact that one involves love and sacrifice while the other involves money and sacrifice which makes the whole world of difference. One is an act that glorifies God and is in response to His command to love one another; While the other is an act that simply benefits ourselves. Our body in its entirety is a creation of God and is created for His glory, it is certainly not created so that we can transact our body parts.
Andrew Goh
Pastor (English Congregation)
Kay Poh Road Baptist Church
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8 July 2008
Recently there have been quite a number of moral arguments over the issue of organ transactions. I've been asked what I thought about the issue and without any hesitation I said I was dead set against it.
There was an article in the Sunday Times that challenged my stand. Writing from a first person experience, the writer expressed her disdain towards people who engaged in the debate on organ transactions without having any first hand encounter. The writer's dad underwent an illegal kidney transplant in India. The young man who sold his kidney earned about $30,000 which he used to buy a shop and start a business to support his young family while the writer's dad went on to live for another 7 years which as far as the writer was concerned, it was 7 good years. In the writer's opinion the young man and her dad gave each other a new lease of life. In concluding her article she made a remark which set me thinking, "Moral arguments are a luxury that healthy people indulge in before misfortune befalls them too."
It set me thinking because I wondered that as I preached the Word of God each Sunday, was I riding on a high horse each time I made a moral argument. Thus far, my faith has not been challenged to an extent where I may be tempted to do what is practical and not what is scriptural. However, what if I or my loved one were to need a kidney transplant and would surely die if no organ were available? Would I be desperate enough to look for an alternative means of getting a transplant? What if someone were willing to pay for the whole thing since I would most likely not be able to afford to buy an organ? Would I be "grateful" enough" to accept the offer?
It is easy to talk about walking in faith and trusting God when you are not placed in a difficult position. Sometimes the difficulty may not be one of life and death. It could simply be one of convenience or one that could cause great inconvenience. There was this one time when I was returning home after a trip to Malaysia and I was sitting in the front passenger seat of my friend's car. I had not strapped on my seatbelt thinking it was not necessary since I did not see anybody doing so at that time. Unfortunately we were stopped by a traffic police whose purpose was to profit out of the situation by collecting a bribe from us. At first I was adamant about my friend not paying the bribe. But he paid the bribe anyway because it would be very inconvenient to pay a proper fine. When inconvenience can already cause us to compromise, I wonder what would happen if it were a matter of life and death?
While I would like to think that I will never compromise for the sake of convenience and will always determine to walk in obedience to God, the truth is I don't know how I would actually react when faced with the challenge. Perhaps I may be brave enough to say that I am prepared to lose my life and not compromise on my faith but what if it were the life of my loved ones at stake? Would I then reason that I am not renouncing my faith but am simply making a creative decision?
In the case of needing an organ transplant, as mentioned earlier, would I be "grateful" to accept the offer to purchase a kidney from a willing seller for a transplant? Afterall, I did not force anyone to sell, and the person can still live a normal and perhaps even a better life with the money he receives.
As a pastor and as a child of God, I will have to say that I will not compromise. But it is easy for me to say so now because I am not in that position. I am merely giving a hypothetical situation. The reality is we can offer a morally correct answer to a hypothetical situation with great ease because it does not involve our emotional faculty very much. However it is never that easy when we are faced with the reality.
Dealing with the ethical issue of our faith is never easy and thus all the more we must press on and not lose faith. When life deals us a blow, that is when we learn "to consider it pure joy when we undergo trials of many kinds" resting in the assurance that God is working in us and teaching us to persevere in faith. It may be to us an "unwanted grace' but when we persevere to the end we will realize the true grace and mercy of God and conclude that it is a much wanted grace. When things get tough, we press on and echo the words of the Apostle Paul, " I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Philippians 3:14
At present, it is not legal for us to be involved in organ transactions even if it means saving a life because we cannot find a moral justification for such an act as a nation. What if we as a nation were to decide to legalize the transaction of organs with all the "moral safeguards" intact? Would we then say that it is now ok to do so as Christians? If I were in need of an organ transplant, I guess I would be rejoicing since it would now be legal to do so.
However I wonder if we as Christians can always engage in something just because it is legal. Gambling is legal if we go to the right places. Does that mean it is ok for us? Smoking is legal in some places. Does that mean that as Christians we can smoke? What is legal does not mean it is biblical or pleasing to God?
One can argue what is the difference between an organ donation and an organ transaction since both involves willing parties and both are done at a cost in a manner of speaking. One involves the cost of love and sacrifice while the other involves the cost of money and sacrifice.
My answer is this, it is precisely the fact that one involves love and sacrifice while the other involves money and sacrifice which makes the whole world of difference. One is an act that glorifies God and is in response to His command to love one another; While the other is an act that simply benefits ourselves. Our body in its entirety is a creation of God and is created for His glory, it is certainly not created so that we can transact our body parts.
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God. You are not your own, you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (ESV)
Andrew Goh
Pastor (English Congregation)
Kay Poh Road Baptist Church
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