In the United States there are over 49,000 organ transplants performed every year, while there are some 103,000 people actively waiting for a transplant. Sadly, an average of thirteen people die every day before receiving an organ transplant that they had hoped to receive. With these real situations, involving real people, it is important to ask how Christians should view being a donor to the Human Gift Registry and what the Bible says on the matter.

Scriptural Arguments in Favor of Organ Donation

The Bible does not specifically mention organ donation because it was not medically possible until the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. We are therefore required to use discernment based upon general biblical principles that may apply.

LOVE YOUR NEIGHBORS

The obvious biblical principle that lends itself to organ donation is loving our neighbors as ourselves (Mt. 5:43). When we apply this principle to ourselves it brings perspective. For example, if we, or someone we love, were in dire need of an organ to either live or have a higher quality of life, we would hope and pray that someone would love us enough to donate their organ. To be sure, I have no doubt that any recipient of an organ spends the rest of their life with great humility and gratitude. Thus, if we would hope for someone to show us or our loved ones that kind of mercy and love, then to love our neighbors as ourselves encourages us to do the same for other people.

To give something so precious as an organ to a stranger so that they can have life is the embodiment of love and fits well within the Christian view of charity.

LAYING DOWN YOUR LIFE

A second biblical principle which is related to the first is sacrificial love. Jesus teaches, “No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends” (Jn. 15:13). We see Jesus teaching this ethic in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37) when an unlikely person made sacrifices for the well-being of a stranger. The Lord Jesus had much to say about this principle—and no wonder why! He sacrificed His life so that others could live through Him.

Of course, the flavor of this sacrificial love changes somewhat depending on whether the donor is living or dead. It is quite possible for healthy people to donate a spare organ while they are living, but usually this is done after believers join the Lord and await their glorified bodies. In that moment their organs are no longer of any use to them but can be the difference between life and death for others. Either way, whether what is in view is giving a spare organ while living, or any given organ after death, such an action exemplifies the love of God by doing our part to give life to others by sharing what is left of our life.

FOLLOWING JESUS AS OUR MODEL

The last principle blends the first two given that they work in harmony. The final biblical principal in support for organ donation is to follow Jesus as our model. To love our neighbors as ourselves and to lay down our lives for others is to be like Jesus. When considering the question of what we should do regarding organ donation or any decision in life, it helps to ask the tried-and-true question, “What would Jesus do?” While our situations may be subjective and circumstantial it is safe to assume that on most occasions giving life to others is something Jesus would do.

Scriptural Arguments Against Organ Donation

While I would argue that most scriptural and theological arguments are in favor of donating organs there are some that have caused people concern.

MUTILATING GOD’S TEMPLE

Perhaps the foremost argument against donating organs is that in order to do so the temple of God—that is to say, human bodies—must undergo mutilation. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 that our bodies are temples of God. Our bodies should therefore be treated with the utmost dignity and care for the glory of God. It is for this reason that some people are apprehensive about donating their organs. To this I have two rebuttals.

First, I believe it is a stretch to claim that the body is mutilated when organs are harvested and donated. When medical professionals remove organs from a deceased body, they do so with the same care and surgical precision as they would for a living patient fighting for their lives. Thus, the incisions are no more pronounced or alarming than if a living person was having surgery.

Second, I do not believe that undergoing postmortem surgery to donate organs and honoring God with our bodies are mutually exclusive. In fact, far from being at odds with one another, these two ideas seem to go together. Is it more honoring to God to keep our bodies as intact as possible, or to use our bodies to help someone in need? We know that the heart of God is merciful and full of grace, so I believe we know the answer to that question, but allow me to remind the reader that Jesus willingly subjected His body to the worse kind of abuse and torture for the well-being of the world.

WHAT ABOUT RESURRECTED BODIES?

Another reason people are apprehensive stems from concerns regarding their bodily resurrection. In other words, if someone undergoes postmortem surgery to have their organs harvested, then their bodies would be less whole in the resurrection. Even more extreme is the belief that God could not resurrect imperfect bodies. However, whether human bodies have been subjected to surgeries or something more severe should not pose even a moment’s concern.

Paul did not mean for us to selfishly obsess over our bodies out of fear that may hinder our resurrected bodies. Neither was Paul concerned about people jeopardizing their resurrected bodies. Instead, he was encouraging believers to honor God with their bodies in the here and now with the time they had been given.

To be sure, it was also Paul who wrote in the same letter to the Corinthians, “For we know that if our earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands” (2 Cor. 5:1). The truth is that we should expect our bodies to be destroyed. God said from dust we came and to dust we shall return (Gen. 3:19). As time does its work, bodies will fade to a non-material state.

No matter what happens to people’s bodies we must remember that God is all-powerful and can resurrect us with perfect and glorified bodies. Even if people are cremated or simply deteriorate through the passage of time, resurrecting people into new glorified bodies poses no threat to the one who created everything from nothing. God is not just powerful—He is all-powerful which means that His power is unlimited. There is no threshold or ceiling to what God can do, and thus resurrecting bodies that are missing organs is a mere walk in the park for the Lord.

Theological Considerations

We have looked at biblical arguments in support and against organ donation, but we need to consider a few theological matters on the subject.

MURDER IS NEVER JUSTIFIED

While it is without question that donating one’s organs is morally permissible for Christians as an act of love, that is only if the person donating their organ is not murdered. That is to say that people should not have their deaths escalated or be given subpar medical care to ensure that others receive the organ they need. In the Christian worldview life is never justified through murder, which is exactly what happens if the aforementioned practices are employed.

Today there are certain requirements in place to pronounce someone dead that should be strictly adhered to and practiced. Medical professionals must first determine that the heart and lung can no longer function on their own (since ventilators can forcefully keep the body alive). In addition, irreversible loss of brain activity must be determined.

If a loved one is being kept alive on a ventilator it is important for families to seek the counsel of thoughtful medical professionals and the Holy Spirit when determining when that person has joined to Lord and it is time to honor their wishes regarding organ donation so that they can offer one last last act of Christian charity.

INFORMED CONSENT

Another theological consideration is that there must be informed consent for such an act to be God-honoring. Some people may be surprised to learn that if someone is not registered to donate their organs then their family can make that decision on their behalf after they are dead. This poses no problem if the family is acting in accordance with the wishes of their loved one, or in good faith with what they believe they would have wanted, but if they were to override the decision of their loved one then it becomes immoral.

Every living person’s free will decisions should be honored. God does that for people every day even when they make the wrong decisions or immoral choices. Thus, it is important for people to have meaningful conversations with their loved ones about their wishes if they are not registered as a donor. Finally, families should respect their loved ones’ wishes.

Conclusion

In the end whether you decide to be an organ donor is solely up to you. While certain situations may be subjective and circumstantial, we can have confidence that the Holy Spirit will guide and direct us in reaching a decision that gives us peace and best glorifies God. There is no biblical mandate to donate your organs. Even so, to do so is a noble act that fits beautifully within the ethical worldview of Christianity and is fitting for a disciple of Jesus Christ who follows in His footsteps.