LIFE IS SACRED
THE REASON OF OUR HOPE • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
OVERVIEW
Human life is sacred because it was created by God and in the image of God. Even though the Fall marred God's image in humans, it remains present, and God still commands that life be protected. Although some people attempt to cloud the certainty of these issues, God's Word
At the end of this lesson, group members should
1. Recognize that God ascribes value and worth to every human life.
2. Understand the clarity in Scripture on the personhood of a preborn child.
3. Have a practical understanding of how to personally respond to this issue and make a difference for upholding life.
OUTLINE
1. Formed in God's Image
A. Human Life Has Sacred Value
B. Human Life Has a Specific Beginning
C. Human Life Has Special Purpose
2. Fallen in Our Sin
The Damage Is Great The Value Is Protected
3. Response to Issues of Life
Respond with Clarity Respond with Conviction Respond with Compassion
Introduction
When does life begin? And how valuable is a single life? Does the value of a life change if that life inconveniences someone else's life?
These questions are not only crucial to understanding life, but they are also important for you personally to answer. And your answer to them will be influenced by your worldview.
Earlier in this study series, we used the analogy of corrective lenses to consider the significance of one's worldview. Another analogy is that of a frame around a window. The view outside the window may change as the seasons change, people pass by, or the view is adjusted through new building construction. But the frame itself does not move and provides a consistent vantage point for the viewer.
Your worldview "window frame" is built by multiple factors. Unless you have purposefully chosen to construct a particular worldview, yours is likely built by the culture around you, the family in which you were raised, the education you received, the dominant voices that have spoken into your life, and the personal experiences you have had.
Everyone's personal worldview is limited and fallible. Only the Bible provides a perfect, complete, and eternally-consistent worldview.
Because of this, we must specifically build our worldview "window frames" from the truths of God's Word. We must address every issue by Scripture as we allow God to be the determiner of our worldview.
In this week's study, we will examine the topic of human life and specifically the life of the unborn.
At times, this subject has become a heated one, as different opinions and many emotions become involved. For this reason, there are two things Christians must remember as we approach this topic.
First, remember that truth matters. How you or I feel is irrelevant to the reality of life. The most important aspect of this conversation is the answer to the question, "What is true according to the Bible?"
Second, remember that tone matters. It's possible to hold a biblical position and yet communicate it in a way that is difficult for others to receive. This is why the Bible instructs us to speak the truth in love.
15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
Abortion can be a difficult topic. It's possible that someone here today has personal experience— perhaps even through a friend or family member —with abortion. That's why it is so important that as we study and declare the truth of what the Bible says, we communicate it through a loving tone. God's grace is deep, and His forgiveness is greater than any guilt we may experience.
As we look at the sanctity of life, we want to clearly speak the truth as God has revealed it, and we want to do it with love.
God's voice is clearer and more truthful than any other voice we can hear. And His Word provides three clear truths regarding human life:
1. FORMED IN THE IMAGE OF GOD
Human life is created in the image of God. This is the first and most important truth the Bible teaches us about life.
This truth is so big that it can be hard to wrap our minds around. What does it mean to be created in the image of God?
Sometimes we falsely equate the "image of God" with physical characteristics.
Almost as soon as a baby is born, family members and friends try to determine exactly which parent or side of the family the newborn most resembles.
Which features favor which parent, and whose eyes did the baby get?
God, however, is a Spirit and does not require a human body.
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
So when the Bible says we are made in the image of God, it's not talking about physical characteristics. Rather, it is talking about being like God in immaterial ways—namely that we have a soul and spirit and the capacity for a relationship with God.
A. Human Life Has Sacred Value
Being made in the image of God means that our lives are sacred.
• Slide 1A
The word sacred originates in Latin and means
"belonging to God."
You and I own things that have value or significance to us, but only something that belongs to God is worthy of being designated "sacred."
All creation belongs to God, but He places special value on human life. We see this in His instruction to Adam and Eve to exercise dominion over the earth.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
So what about human life is so significant to God?
It is that we are spiritual beings with a living soul.
Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
The soul that God created within us is what sets us apart from animals and makes us sacred to God.
What is a soul? The psalmist referred to it as "all that is within me."
1 Bless the Lord, O my soul: And all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Our soul is what makes us unique from all the rest of creation, because we alone are able to reflect something of God's character. We have the capacity to demonstrate love, mercy, justice, and compassion. And as Christians who have the enablement of the Holy Spirit, we can even reflect the holiness of God.
To be sure, our ability to reflect God's characteristics is limited by our humanity—we can't infinitely express them as God can. And, as we'll see in a moment, it is also limited by our sin. Nevertheless, because we are made in the image of God, we have the ability to mirror God's image in significant ways.
Human life is sacred because it originates from God. Your life is not an accident. It is not simply matter in motion. And it is not a random product of evolution. It is the special creation of God.
Job 33:4
The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Psalm 36:9
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.
Since God, without exception, designates human life as sacred, so should we.
B. Human Life Has a Specific Beginning
So if human life is so valuable, when does it begin? At birth? At conception?
The Bible is clear on the beginning of human life.
Throughout Scripture we see special care taken to recognize the personhood of preborn children.
Psalm 139:13-14
For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14 | will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
From the moment God places a baby in the womb of his or her mother, He views that baby as an individual life.
One of the laws in Exodus stated that if two men fought with each other and hurt an expectant woman in the process, they were liable for damage to two persons.
Exodus 21:22-23
If men strive, and hurt a woman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow: he shall be surely punished, according as the woman's husband will lay upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 And if any mischief follow, then thou shalt give life for life,
In Luke 1, we have the amazing story of John the Baptist leaping in his mother's womb at the news of Christ's soon coming. Notice that the Bible refers to John, who was still in the womb, as a baby—a person.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
Several months later, Jesus was born, and the Bible uses the same word (both in the Greek and in our English translation) to refer to Him, outside the womb.
John was in the womb and Jesus was outside, yet Scripture makes no distinction between the born and the unborn.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
Both inside and outside the womb, John and Jesus were babies. Scripture gives no distinction of personhood pre-birth or post-birth.
C. Human Life Has Special Purpose
The fact that God specifically made you with intrinsic value means that your life has a purpose.
God formed you.
7 Even every one that is called by my name: For I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.
What God has given you—life itself—is precious.
It is a sacred gift from God. You were created in the image of God and for the glory of God.
2. Fallen in Our Sin
Genesis 1-2 describes the beautiful creation work of God, including His creating man and woman in His image. But in Genesis 3, we come upon a life-shattering event.
The serpent came to Eve in the Garden and had a disastrous interaction with her.
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
We refer to this incident when Adam and Eve first sinned as the Fall of man.
What does the Fall mean to the value of human life?
A. The Damage Is Great
At the moment of that first sin, the image bearers of God fell, and death entered the world. Romans
5:12 summarizes the extent of the damage that came through their sin.
Slide 2A
12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
The Fall was devastating. It brought death, dis-ease, and destruction into this world.
But does the Fall change the value of human life?
B. The Value Is Protected
Even though we still have God's image and mirror Him in some of our attributes, our mirror is fractured glass. A broken mirror will still reflect the face of someone looking at it, but the image will be distorted. In the same way, God's image in mankind has been distorted by sin.
One of the ways we see that human life in its fallen state is still valuable is by the biblical commands that protect life.
The sixth of the Ten Commandments specifically prohibits murder.
Exodus 20:13
Thou shalt not kill.
6 Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
Notice in the verse above that even after the Fall, God tied the sanctity of life to the image of God within man. Once again, we see that although man is fallen, we still bear the image of God and human life is still valuable for that reason.
Later in this lesson, we'll look at some scientific facts about human development and some statistics regarding abortion. It's important, however, that our belief in the sanctity of life is not built on statistics or even on science. It must fundamentally be built on Scripture. Human life is sacred because God said it is sacred. Although facts and statistics can support these truths, the Bible alone is sufficient to bring clarity to the issues of life.
If we don't look to Scripture as our final authority on this (or any other topic), our worldview can easily be swayed by humanistic, even selfish, reasoning.
In an article in Salon magazine, Mary Elizabeth Williams wrote a jarring piece titled "So What If Abortion Ends Life?" In the article, Williams presents what used to be a pro-life argument—that the baby in the womb has personhood—but concludes that the baby's life is more expendable than the mother's life and, for that reason, should not be legally protected.
She wrote, "I believe that life starts at conception.
And it's never stopped me from being pro-choice.
Listen to her reasoning:
"I know that throughout my own pregnancies, I never wavered for a moment in the belief that I was carrying a human life inside of me. I believe that's what a fetus is: a human life. And that doesn't make me one iota less solidly pro-choice ....
"I have friends who have referred to their abortions in terms of 'scraping out a bunch of cells' and then a few years later were exultant over the pregnancies that they unhesitatingly described in terms of 'the baby' and 'this kid.' I know women who have been relieved at their abortions and grieved over their miscarriages. Why can't we agree that ... it's pretty silly to pretend that what was growing inside of them wasn't the same? …..
"When we try to act like a pregnancy doesn't involve human life, we wind up drawing stupid semantic lines in the sand: first trimester abortion vs. second trimester vs. late term, dancing around the issue trying to decide if there's a single magic moment when a fetus becomes a person. Are you human only when you're born? Only when you're viable outside of the womb? Are you less of a human life when you look like a tadpole than when you can suck on your thumb? ...
"If by some random fluke I learned today I was pregnant, you bet ... I'd have an abortion. I'd have the World's Greatest Abortion ... my conviction [is] that the fetus is indeed a life. A life worth sacrificing."1
The danger in basing an entire belief-even a good belief—on science alone is that although science can provide facts, it cannot provide mean-ing. For instance, the abortion debate used to center around whether or not a pregnant woman was carrying human life, but it no longer does.
Science conclusively shows that human life begins at conception. Yet, the debate continues.
How did we get to the point as a society that we see life as expendable? Once again, the Bible provides the answer.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
The human heart, without Christ, is depraved and willing to make self-centered choices—even if that means taking another life.
This issue of the sanctity of life is a spiritual issue, not a political issue. As Christians, we cannot rally around a pro-life cause because it fits the agenda of a particular political party or cause.
Neither should Christians embrace a pro-choice agenda because it is part of the political ideology that they support. Christians must stand for life regardless of which way the political or cultural wind blows. This is a biblical issue and one we must hold with clarity because the Bible is clear on it.
Our own feelings or our culture's perceptions are not reliable gauges for this issue. Humanity in its fallen state prefers darkness to light and selfishness to sacrifice.
We've studied Romans 1 in earlier lessons in this series. It is relevant again here as we see within that passage some of the trademarks of a fallen, broken society. Specifically, we see how it acts and what it values. Potentially the most significant trademark is the way that lost men transform God's truth into lies.
25 Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
The devaluing of life began after the Fall. In fact, just one chapter after Adam and Eve sinned, we read of the first murder in the Bible.
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
The life that God had valued so greatly had been taken so cheaply, so easily, in that first act of murder.
Why is there confusion today in areas where God has given such clarity? Because the truth of God has been exchanged for a lie.
Twenty-two percent of pregnancies end in abortion. The United States of America aborts approximately 1.3 million babies every year.? That is as many abortions every year as the number of Americans who were killed in the Revolutionary War, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, Korean War, Vietnam, Persian-Gulf War, Iraq, and Afghan wars all combined.
Romans 1:29, 32
Being filled with all unrighteousness ... full of ... murder, 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Even though people know the judgment of God and the wickedness of their deeds, they continue to do them with pleasure. This is overwhelmingly true of the abortion industry itself.
The "Shout Your Abortion" network has created a presence on social media by using #shoutyourabor-tion and posting testimonies of women who have had abortions and are glad they did. The lack of shame or sadness for taking a human life is indicative of a fallen culture moving away from God and decency.
In January of 2019, Governor Cuomo directed one of the spires of the World Trade Center to be lit up in pink in celebration of the Reproductive Health Act, a bill that expanded abortion rights and decriminalized the practice. Supporters were chanting, "Free abortion on demand. We can do it, yes, we can."4
This kind of rally around death is reminiscent of the heathen acts of worship in the Old Testament as the Canaanites offered their children on the altars of the god Molech. Change the name of the god to "Convenience," and the similarity becomes equivalence.
In an article put out by the Radiance Foundation about Kermit Gosnell, the abortion activist and doctor who botched many abortions and saved the remains of aborted babies, Ryan Bomerger said this:
"Abortion activists worship abortion. It is sacred to them. Nothing on earth, according to the faithful, should ever desecrate the 'holy ground' upon which this ritual is performed over 1,000 times a day. Even if that ground is soaked with the blood of women killed and maimed and babies brutally murdered after being born alive."5
One of the important takeaways regarding the Fall of humanity is that just because something is common doesn't make it right.
Regardless of what any individual thinks or a society accepts, the Bible is clear: Human life is sacred because it is made in the image of God.
And even though the Fall has distorted aspects of God's image, it is still present. Thus, human life must be protected.
3. Response to Issues of Life
There are Christians who agree with what we have studied so far regarding the sanctity of life but who question if this topic is worth fighting for. After all, there are many kinds of injustices in our world today. Does this injustice, which has been legalized in the United States since 1973, deserve to be at the top of political discourse election cycle after election cycle? Does it deserve to be what Christians emphasize?
The Bible established the church as the pillar and ground of truth (1 Timothy 3:15). Believers are called to be salt and light in our world (Matthew 5:13-14
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Abortion is not a new issue.
Abortion has been around long enough that Hippocrates (460-370 BC) referenced it in the Hip-pocratic Oath: "I will not give to a woman a pessary to cause an abortion."
On the other hand, Plato and Aristotle both recommended family growth limitation and population control through abortion. (Aristotle, for instance, wrote, "As to the exposure and rearing of children, let there be a law that no deformed child shall live, but that on the ground of an excess in the number of children ... when couples have children in excess, let abortion be procured before sense and life have begun."§)
Pagan societies, including Rome, used abortion to conceal illicit sex.
Although life was cheap and abortion was both legal and common in the first-century Roman Empire, the early church took a strong stand against abortion.
An early Christian document states, "Thou shalt not murder a child by abortion nor kill them when born."I
The Reformers also spoke out against abortion in their day.
Martin Luther wrote, "How great, therefore, the wickedness of human nature is! How many girls there are who prevent conception and kill and expel tender fetuses, although procreation is the work of God."&
We are privileged today to stand in a long line of Christians who have upheld the biblical truth of the sanctity of life.
So, what is the biblical way for us to respond to this issue?
A. Respond with Clarity
One of the tactics of Satan is to add confusion where there should be clarity. He used this ploy when he appeared to Eve in the Garden and questioned what God had really said. Even though Eve knew exactly what God had said, Satan brought confusion to her mind.
^ Slide 3A
People still today play with semantics to create confusion.
In the Salon article quoted earlier, author Mary Elizabeth Williams noted, "In the midst of this unique moment, Planned Parenthood has taken the bold step of reframing the vernacular—moving away from the easy and easily-divisive words 'life' and 'choice.' Instead, as a new promotional film acknowldges, 'It's not a black and white issue.''I
Sometimes abortion advocates frame their arguments to suggest that the actual state of the unborn child is somewhat of a gray area. But as we saw earlier, personhood of the unborn is absolutely clear in Scripture.
Some suggest that knowing exactly when life begins in the womb is a gray area. At various times, people have suggested various criteria for when life in the womb should be protected. Notice, however, from the terms and definitions below how none of these can consistently be applied as a definition for when life begins.
Viability - the point at which the baby is potentially able to live outside the mother's womb.
But what about those who have been seriously injured and require machines to keep them alive while their bodies heal?
• Cognizance — the point at which the baby is aware of its surroundings. But what about those in a coma or in a physical state in which they are not cognizant?
• Heartbeat—the moment of heartbeat is seen as the start of life. But what about those who have a pacemaker or whose heart will not beat without intervention?
The clearest demarcation of life's beginning is conception. And if we are to respond to this issue with clarity, we should stand for life at concep-tion. In fact, this is a point in which Scripture, scientific evidence, the human conscience, and the abortion industry all agree.
Scripture agrees We have already looked at many verses that recognize life in the womb. Notice in Psalm 51 as David points to his personhood at the moment of conception.
5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; And in sin did my mother conceive me.
Scientific evidence agrees
Let's follow the scientific evidence that supports life at conception as well.
• Day 1: On the very day of conception, all forty-six chromosomes are present, so a human life has already begun. This is a unique human being, with a unique genetic makeup, who can never be reproduced or replaced.
Slide giving the progression of a baby conceived on January 1
• 3 weeks: Only about three weeks after conception, the child's heart begins to beat, pumping her own blood—often, a different blood type from her mother's.
5 weeks: The child's eyes, legs, and hands begin to develop. (This is around the time when many mothers confirm that they are pregnant.) 6 weeks: The child's brain waves, which have already been active for some time, are now detectable.
7 weeks: The baby starts kicking and swim-ming. Every organ in her body is in place, the bones are taking shape, and fingerprints have already begun to form.
10 weeks: The baby's teeth begin to form, her fingernails develop, and she can even turn her head and frown.
3 months: The baby can grasp objects, often times grasping the umbilical cord.
4 months: The baby can start having dreams during REM sleep.
Human conscience agrees
Research shows that 84 percent of mothers decide not to have an abortion after seeing an ultra-sound.10 As the ultrasound shows the reality of life within, many women recognize the personhood of their babies in a way they had not before.
^ Slide 84% of Mothers
Consider "Amy's" story, as shared by the pro-life group Save the Storks:
Slide Save the Storks Logo
At twenty-one years old she found herself pregnant with her mind set on abortion. But in order to obtain an abortion she had to get an ultrasound. She saw that her local pregnancy resource center was offering free ultrasounds so she went to their office.
She'd had an abortion several years ago and felt that abortion was her best option again. She told the client advocate that she still wanted to "live life" and wasn't ready financially for a child.
They spoke for a long time, discussing her options, what she wanted to do and whether or not she had support from anyone in her life.
"No one did this with me when I had my abortion before," Amy said. "I never saw that ultrasound or even knew how far along I was. They just told me I was early"
After meeting with the center's staff Amy started her ultrasound. As soon as she could see the screen she sat up on the exam table.
"That's a life," she said. "I can't believe at seven weeks a baby would have a heartbeat."
She stared in amazement at the ultrasound images on the screen, saying, "This changes everything."11
The abortion industry agrees
It is a primary goal of the abortion industry to conceal the reality of their work and thus to downplay or outright deny the humanity of the babies they kill.
One journalist, David Daleiden, discovered that Planned Parenthood routinely alters the method of performing an abortion in order to obtain the baby's organs which are then sold for research. In a series of undercover videos, he recorded executives from Planned Parenthood specifically acknowledging this.
One executive stated, "We've been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, I'm not gonna crush that part, I'm gonna basically crush below, I'm gonna crush above, and I'm gonna see if I can get it all intact."12
If abortion is simply removing "a clump of cells," as Planned Parenthood suggests, "it's [w]eird how clumps of cells magically become 'intact livers and hearts' once it's time for Planned Parenthood to harvest that baby for cash."13
As one might imagine, Planned Parenthood didn't take Daleiden's exposure well. They called him an activist and extremist, claimed he deceptively edited the undercover videos a claim that has been thoroughly debunked), and waged all out legal assault against him.14
If life begins at conception, abortion is murder.
But if life does not begin at conception, why does the abortion industry try so hard to keep mothers from seeing an ultrasound or seeing their baby as human?
Abby Johnson, the former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in southeast Texas, had a dramatic change in perspective after viewing an ultrasound image of an abortion in progress. This sight led her to quit her job, leave the clinic, and become an active supporter of the pro-life movement. "I could see the whole profile of the baby of thirteen weeks head to foot ... I could see the baby try to move away from the probe."15 She testifies that this experience changed her life forever, and she vowed to never again be part of something like this.
• Slide Abby Johnson
B. Respond with Conviction
As Christians, we must not be shaky on declaring what the Bible says regarding this clear issue.
^ Slide 3B
God is not indecisive on how He addresses murder.
Proverbs 6:16-17
These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: 17 A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,
There can be no more innocent blood than that of an unborn baby.
Abortion is the exact opposite of the gospel. The gospel is that Jesus said, "I will lay down my life for you." Abortion involves a mother saying to her unborn child, "You will lay down your life for me."
Sometimes Christians who believe in the sanctity of life fail to express these truths with conviction.
Instead, they play a game of trying to figure out how to respond to the tough questions without sounding judgmental.
Abortion advocates know this, and they often lead a conversation with a question designed to make a pro-life position look harsh. The question is, "What about in cases of rape or incest?"
It is worth knowing that abortion due to rape or incest is actually rare and accounts for only 1 percent of abortions. It is also worth pointing out that most people who pose the question are not willing to treat the other 99 percent of abortions any differently. They are simply asking a tough question to push pro-life advocates into surrendering their position.
The reality is that the point is not how the child was conceived but that a child was conceived.
In other words, the morality of abortion does not change based on need. The abortion argument for rape or incest really comes down to a single question: "Do you think this is a life or not?"
When viewed this way, the answer is easy. In fact, abortion can't wipe away the trauma of rape or incest. It actually compounds the trauma-further hurting the new mother and creating a second victim by taking the life of the child.
Kathy Barnette, a political commentator and military veteran, described the reality of life—her life— brought into the world through tragic circumstances:
"I am the product of a rape. My mother was twelve years old when she delivered me. My father was twenty-one years old.
"I had nothing to do with my genesis. I had nothing to do with the conditions under which I was conceived. I had no control over the circumstances that were swirling around me. I had no opportunity to partake in the cumulative decisions that would be made to sustain the pregnancy. Yet, all the while, I was being fearfully and wonderfully woven together in my young mother's womb.
"My life has value. I am not an inanimate object. I am a person. From me, I've given birth to two beautiful, healthy, intelligent, and loving little people who are destined to grow up into productive members of this great society. I am a veteran. I am a staunch lover of this country. I'm a supportive sister, a respectful niece and a devoted wife. Best of all, I get the wonderful opportunity to now care for my mother."17
Rape and incest are terrible sins that create awful trauma. But abortion punishes the innocent parties—-the mother by the trauma of an abortion and the baby by death. Let's instead have fiercer punishments for the perpetrators, not new trauma for the victims.
Abortion advocates champion the idea of "safe abortion." In reality, there is no such thing. A successful abortion always means that at least one person is killed. The abortion industry is a death industry.
Author Randy Alcorn wrote, "Abortion is horrible primarily because it is a process in which instruments of death invade a woman's body and kill her innocent child. 18 In another book he wrote, "I read a newspaper editorial arguing that abortion is just another surgery, no different from a root canal or appendectomy. But why don't people remember the anniversary of their appendectomy twenty years later? Why don't they find themselves weeping uncontrollably, grieving the loss of their appendix? And where are all the support groups and counseling for those who've had root canals?"19
Dr. Patricia Coleman, professor of Human Development and Family Studies at Bowling Green State University, analyzed outcomes of twentytwo scholarly research papers on women, mental health, and abortion. The research involved well over 877,000 women. She states, "81 percent of females who had an abortion were found to be at an increased risk for mental health problems, including depression, alcohol abuse, and suicidal behaviors."20
Yet, in spite of the biblical clarity on life and the tragic harm done by abortion, many Christians remain silent, afraid of offending others by their convictions.
James 4:17
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
Genesis 4:10
And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
The Bible uses strong language about our responsibility to speak up for those who are unjustly oppressed and cannot speak for themselves. We can be a voice for the unborn!
Proverbs 31:8
Open thy mouth for the dumb in the cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.
Psalm 94:16
Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?
C. Respond with Compassion
While clarity and conviction are necessary to motivate us to consistently speak up, compassion is what helps our words reach hearts. Additionally, compassion is what helps us convert our care to real actionable steps.
With that in mind, what compassionate steps can we take to respond to the abortion controversy?
We can pray
Pray for mothers struggling with choices about their unborn children. Pray for churches and Christian counselors who interact with mothers making these choices. Pray for lawmakers to understand what is at stake as they consider legislation to protect innocent lives.
We can speak
Speak up when people you know voice pro-abortion sentiments, including considering personally having abortion.
Speak out for the needs of pregnant women and single moms. Participate in helping them through the challenging times when they need a friend to care. You might consider volunteering time or donating resources to a local pro-life pregnancy resource center.
We can foster and adopt AND SUPPORT THOSE WHO DO
One of the tragedies of the pro-abortion climate in the United States is that it is so slanted against adoption. For instance, adoptions typically cost between $8,000 to $40,000, but the average abortion is only $500. Adoption is not the right decision for everyone, but if the Lord leads you to adopt, He will provide for you.
Additionally, there is a great need for Christians who will provide loving care to children in the state foster system. Like adoption, fostering is not the right decision for everyone. But if the Lord leads you into this ministry, He will enable you.
We can educate
There are many people who don't understand what abortion is and others who think that it is too big of a fight to get involved in. You can share the biblical truths about the sanctity of life as well as the scientific aspects that reveal life beginning at conception to those who don't understand or are struggling to decide if they should keep their own babies.
We can vote
There are many political issues that amount to a difference of perspective in what solutions one party or another might propose. But the biblical clarity on the sanctity of life makes this an issue worth determining your vote over. When given a choice, vote for a pro-life candidate and pro-life legislation.
In whatever ways God leads you to respond, do it.
The reality of lives being taken and mothers being hurt through abortion is too great a need to do nothing.
Conclusion
We started this lesson pointing out that life is formed by God. We then saw that humanity is fallen. The best news of all, however, is that humans can be forgiven.
It's not just the abortionist or the mother who has chosen abortion who stands in need of God's for-giveness. It is all of us. We are all fallen. We have all sinned. And we all need a restored relationship with God through Christ.
Even in the immediate aftermath of the Fall, God promised Adam and Eve that He would send a Savior.
Genesis 3:15
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Jesus, who has lived since eternity past, humbled Himself to take on the form of humanity when He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary. In His amazing mercy, He offered Himself as our sacrifice that we might have eternal life with Him.
Hebrews 1:3
Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
If you have already trusted Christ as your Savior, remember that the most significant way you can invest your life in helping others choose life is to tell those who don't know Christ how they can have eternal life.