When I first started hearing about the recent Planned Parenthood videos, to be honest, I was a little confused by the outrage. “Why,” I thought, “are people only now getting outraged about this? Why isn’t the killing of babies enough to get people upset? What difference does it make that they are selling the baby parts?” But once I watched the videos, and saw the evil callousness with which they talked about hacking up the bodies of little babies, my indignation was reignited. Christians, we MUST continue to fan the flames of outrage that these videos have kindled. And to that end, here are 5 things you need to realize about abortion:
1. An Unborn Chid is a “Baby” with Identity and Emotions
The world makes a distinction between a life in the womb and a life outside of the womb, calling one a “fetus” and the other a “baby,” but that is NOT a distinction God makes. According to Scripture there is absolutely no morally significant difference between a human child in the womb and a human child outside the womb.
Consider Luke 1:39-45. In this passage, Mary is pregnant with Jesus and her relative Elizabeth is pregnant with John the Baptizer. And the text says, “When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb” (vs. 42). While filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth said, “When the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy” (vs. 44).
Did you hear that? The “baby” – not “glob of tissue” or “human fetus” – leaped for JOY. And this isn’t just poetic license. We now know that unborn babies are capable of experiencing all kinds of emotions:
“Your unborn little guy or girl is capable of experiencing feelings of anger, fear, affection, depression and disappointment in response to his mother’s emotions and activities. And although we wish we could protect them from it, your growing baby is also able to experience excruciating pain. Ultrasounds have shown that babies tend to react to needles penetrating the womb with a mix of shock, withdrawal and aggression” (www.pnmag.com).
The distinction between “fetus” and “baby” is a manmade distinction to try and dehumanize unborn children in order to make their murder more palatable to the masses.
2. Neither the Mother’s Body – Nor the Body of Her Baby – Belongs to Her
The terms in which this debate is most often couched is, “A woman has the right to choose what to do with her body.” But that is simply not the case. Both legally and spiritually, a person cannot decide to do with their body whatever they choose. From a legal perspective, a person cannot walk nude down the street, a person cannot pump their body full of illegal drugs, and a person cannot commit suicide without the authorities doing everything within their power to stop them. That argument doesn’t hold up even from a legal perspective.
But more importantly, Scripture teaches us that human beings are created in the image of God and their bodies – like the rest of Creation – are created to bring glory to Him. God is the Creator. He has all authority over the things of this earth. We do not have sovereign authority even over our own bodies.
And to take it a step further, as Christians, we have voluntarily surrendered ourselves to our Creator and made our bodies a living sacrifice to Him (Romans 12:1-2). Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20,
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, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
But the greatest point to be made here is that we aren’t just talking about the mother’s body. We are also talking about the body of the unborn child; a body that is being hacked apart and sold for profit! What about his or her body? What makes the mother “god” over his or her little body? What gives her the right to make that choice? The answer is, nothing; nothing – and no one – has given her that authority. It does not matter that the supreme court of the United States says she has that authority.
The Supreme Court of Heaven says to take the life of someone, who has committed no crime, is murder. And murderers stand guilty before the Court of Heaven.
3. Those Who Approve of Sin are Just as Guilty
I can almost understand the world acting selfishly, savagely, and barbarically. But I cannot – even for a moment – understand how someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ could support genocide against unborn children. I cannot understand someone who says they are a Christian saying, “I stand with Planned Parenthood.”
Scripture makes it clear that it is not just those who commit these terrible crimes that are guilty; it is also those who support and approve of them who are also guilty. Paul wrote in Romans 1:28-31,
God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
Make no mistake about it, to participate in – or to support – abortion is to declare war on humanity and the God in whose image we are created!
4. Rape and Incest Do NOT Make Abortion Justifiable
Just a brief thought to those who might say, “But we have to make abortion available; if for no other reason, but for cases of rape and incest.” I understand that people have been convinced to think that argument makes sense, but it doesn’t. Why is murder an acceptable solution to rape? Why is taking the life of a child an acceptable solution for any situation? It’s not.
I have personally known at least one young lady who was conceived when her mother was raped. Should we honestly tell this young lady, “It would have been better if your mother had ended your life before you were born?” Or even, “Your mother should have at least considered ending your life?” No!
The circumstances of someone’s conception may be horrible, but killing them would be just as horrible.
5. Forgiveness is Available
I cannot conclude this blog post without making it clear that my goal in life is to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. If you – or someone you know – has already had an abortion, there is certainly forgiveness available to you.
I personally know Christians who have aborted their children. I can confidently say to them, and to anyone who has become a child of God, “You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11). No sin is held against those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
As much as I know abortion is wrong, I also know that if we repent of our sins and are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
I love you and God loves you,
