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God is still in control, no prevarication there. Concerns about cloning go to the idea though that God endowed man with great authority and responsibility from the beginning (Genesis 1:28, Hebrews 2:6-7). It has been said of scientific research that "if it can be done, it will be done." That certainly tends to be true, whatever humans learn to do, someone will do, whatever the consequences. There may be some awful things done in the area of human cloning. Perhaps there already have been. As pointed out in a previous post, a clone is at most a genetic twin, certainly not a spiritual replication or psychological duplicate. The only means of producing clones of animals (or mankind) is to insert genetic material into an egg, and introduce the egg into a mother's womb. Just for clarity's sake, that is far different from the virgin birth of Christ. Artificial insemination and egg implantation do require the violation of the female reproductive organs, quite unlike the Holy Spirit causing Mary to be with child without any human agency involved. In fact, the very intrusive nature of everything associated with egg implantation or artificial insemination compel me to strongly discourage childless couples from seeking children by those means. It is very distressing in a mutlitude of ways. Because of the of the way cloning is currently carried out, clones are only absolute genetic twins if they share the same original egg donor. And at this stage of knowledge and technique, clones are not absolute genetic duplicates of the DNA donor because there is a specialized bit of DNA in the egg that is fertilized. And the fact is, there is much that is still not understood about the switches and interactions of the DNA molecules in any case, which makes cloning and genetic manipulation all the more distrubing in many ways. Regarding the DNA of Jesus, clearly there is none to be found. The resurrection was bodily (John 2:19-22). What we can surmise about the fertilized egg that became the man is that the genetic code was fully human (Hebrews 2:14), and there was nothing extraordinary about his appearance (Philippians 2:7-8, Isaiah 53:2). His power did not come from his genes, but from the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:28, Acts 10:38). His genetics both from his maternal lineage and his divine design (Hebrews 10:5), as well as his legal paternal lineage, were consistent with Jesus being the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3:16) and the son of David (Romans 1:3, 2 Timothy 2:8). There won't be any clones of Jesus, but Jesus being the Christ, the son of God, was much more than genetic. He was called the son of God because of the nature of his (truly) virgin birth (Luke 1:38), and because of his eternal relationship with the Father (Hebrews 7:3, John 1:1-14), and he "was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord." (Rom 1:4b NIV). Genetics alone could not produce "the son of God," and he is the Christ (annointed one) because God annointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power (Acts 10:38). Genetics won't make a Christ. Whether man is able to produce human clones won't have any impact on the nature of man. The forming of the body and the entrance of the spirit into the body can only occur via the means God has designed and empowered (Ecclesiastes 11:5, Psalm 139:13). Reproductive technologies cannot thwart God's design or alter the nature of man. However, mankind generally knows no limits morally or ethically, and awful things may be done, almost certainly will be done, with the science of cloning and genetic engineering. What damage may be done to our environment, and the plant and animal species depended on for food, as the profit motive overwhelms caution? With the driving desire for longer lives and more comfort, human beings are already treated as commodities, and that is likely to grow worse and worse, with a great demand for fetal tissue, stem cells, and perhaps organ farms. It is easy enough to imagine nightmare scenarios of genetic manipulation and eugenics programs, given mankind's long record of inhumane treatment of his own kind. Nevertheless, it is true, God is still in control. There will be an end, there will be accountability. Rev 18:2-13 2 "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great! She has become a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit,... 11 "The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her because no one buys their cargoes any more- ... 13 cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and frankincense, of wine and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; horses and carriages; and bodies and souls of men. (NIV)
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