Philip Becker's parents had him...
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Philip Becker's parents had him institutionalized at birth. He was never allowed to spend a night at their home, they visited him only irregularly, and considered him a potential burden to their other sons if they were no longer alive to look after him. Philip has Down's Syndrome and is now fourteen years old. He can take care of himself, feed his cat, assemble Legos, operate a recorder, and function in a Boy Scout troop. When his parents denied him the right to have potentially life-saving heart surgery, the State of California tried to intervene on Philip's behalf, but lost their case. When the State appealed that decision to the Supreme Court, it refused to hear the case. When Pat and Herb Heath sought permission to have custody of the boy, his parents and the court again refused. Not only have the parents not shown parental love themselves, they hindered anyone else from helping the boy.
While the law served only to add to Philip's woes, Saint Paul shows in our text that God's Law was a benefit to people of the Old Testament. It could not save them, but it permitted them to remain under the protective custody of the heavenly Father until he could offer them full salvation by grace through his son Jesus Christ.
-- Guettler
While the law served only to add to Philip's woes, Saint Paul shows in our text that God's Law was a benefit to people of the Old Testament. It could not save them, but it permitted them to remain under the protective custody of the heavenly Father until he could offer them full salvation by grace through his son Jesus Christ.
-- Guettler
