The Sanctity of Human Life: Abortion

Introduction

The third Sunday in January is the day that we call Sanctity of Human Life Sunday.  It marks the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the U. S. Supreme Court decision that allowed abortions to occur for any reason up to moments before and even during birth.

Abortion is an emotional issue.  It strikes at the very heart of our existence.  Even though it is an emotional issue, and perhaps because it is an emotional issue, we need to examine abortion carefully, with a level head, and from the perspective of the One who created us.

When we speak about abortion, whether publicly or privately, our words must be seasoned with both righteousness and grace.

Where should the church stand on the issue of abortion?

We will take our stand on three mighty pillars established by God Himself:

·        We will stand on the truth of God’s Word.  The Bible speaks about abortion.

·        We will stand with those seeking forgiveness for taking part in abortions, whether they be women who have endured the pain and tragedy of abortion, or those who have encouraged and performed abortions.

·        We will stand for those whose voice cannot be heard.

We begin with the Bible because it is our guide for daily life and the Word of God Himself.

Body

     I.     Pillar 1: The truth of what God says about abortion.

A.  The Bible teaches us when human life begins.

1.   People have all sorts of opinions about when human life begins:

a)   Some say at birth.

b)   Some say when the preborn child is “viable.”

[Illus.: Dr. Terry Young saying, “Many embryos are conceived and miscarried without the mother even knowing about its existence.  If human life begins at conception, and miscarried children go to heaven, there will be a lot of people in heaven.”]

c)   Others say that human life begins at conception.

2.   What does God say?  The Bible indicates that human life begins at conception.

Psalms 139:13-16 says, “For You formed my inward parts; you wove me in my mother’s womb.  I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.”

3.   Planned Parenthood agrees!  A 1964 Planned Parenthood brochure said, “An abortion kills the life of a baby after it has begun.”

B.  The Bible teaches that the preborn child is a human being.

Isaiah 49:1 says, “The Lord called Me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named Me.”

     What is a human being?

1.   Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines a human as “having human form or attributes.”  It defines ‘being’ as “substance, nature, or essence of anything existent, one that exists.”

2.   Given those definitions, can anyone rationally conclude that a preborn child is not a human being?  If you say that he is not a being, you are saying that he doesn’t exist.  To suggest that the preborn child is not human is to suggest that he is some other kind of being.  Like what?  An animal, a vegetable, something inorganic?

3.   The Bible teaches what is obvious: A preborn child is a human being.

C.  The Bible teaches that a preborn child is as human as a born human.

1.   The Bible makes no distinction between the humanity and personhood of the born and the preborn.

[Illus.: Elizabeth’s baby (brefos) “leaped in her womb” (Lk. 1:41).  The infant Jesus is called a baby (brefos; Lk. 2:12).  The same word is used to describe the born and the preborn child.

2.   But humans sometimes make a false distinction between the two.

a)   With Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that the preborn child is neither human nor a person and, therefore, is not protected by the Constitution.  It is reminiscent of the Dred Scott case, in which the Supreme Court said that slaves were not really persons and, therefore, had no rights under the Constitution.

b)   Sometimes we even change our terminology in order to make this false distinction.  A pregnant woman who is looking forward to the birth of her child calls it “my baby” or “my child.”  But when an abortion is planned, in order to keep some emotional distance, the baby becomes a ‘fetus’ or ‘embryo’.

D.  The Bible teaches that all human life is sacred.

1.   In every instance in which God allowed or commanded the death of a human being, a serious crime was involved.

     Nowhere in Scripture does God condone the killing of an innocent person.  And nowhere in Scripture does God condone the killing of a preborn child.  In fact, if a preborn child was hurt or killed through the actions of another person, God required a penalty.

     Exodus 21:22-25 says, “If men struggle with each other and strike a woman which child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide.  But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

2.   You might say, “Well, that was a long time ago.  Today, are there any exceptions to God’s prohibition against killing preborn children?”  That’s a fair question.

a)   What about the possibility of abnormalities in the child?

Anytime we abort a baby because it may be handicapped, we are making serious value judgments which are beyond our prerogative as humans.

·        Even if it is possible for the doctor to determine that a preborn baby is seriously handicapped (and doctors are wrong sometimes), only God has the right to take away the life He has created.  Job proclaimed, “The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away.”

·        The “quality of life” argument is worthless.

For any society to determine who should live and who should die based on some arbitrary “quality of life” argument is an affront to God.  The Lord asked Moses, “Who has made man’s mouth?  Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind?  Is it not I, the Lord?” (Ex. 4:11).

But guess who said these words: “The demand that defective people be prevented from propagating equally defective offspring . . . represents the most humane act of mankind” (Adolf Hitler in Mein Kampf, vol. 1, ch. 10)?

b)   Is rape or incest justification for abortion?

Does an act of violence against an innocent woman justify an act of violence against an innocent preborn child?  To take the life of the baby would only compound the tragedy.

God says in Ex. 23:7, “Do not kill the innocent.”

God can do a miracle with anyone, even someone who may be the product of rape.

c)   Is there justification for an abortion if the mother’s life is in grave danger?

The Bible does not address this because it only recently in history has it become a medical possibility to save the mother by terminating the life of the preborn child.

Even so, it is extremely rare for such a dilemma to occur.  The best case scenario would be for the baby to be saved by Cesarean section.  But that is not always possible.

[Illus.: Joe and Mindi’s first child]

The Word of God is clear that selective and arbitrary abortion for convenience’ sake is wrong.  It is a sin against God.  It is an affront to His holiness.  It is murder.  And there will be a day of judgment.

But the good news of the Bible is that God offers forgiveness.  God offers healing.  God offers you an opportunity to escape the judgment that He will visit upon the guilty.

That is the second pillar upon which the church stands.

   II.     Pillar 2: God forgives and heals women who have aborted their children, and God forgives those who have encouraged and performed abortions.

A.  Can God really forgive someone guilty of abortion?  Yes.

1.   God forgave Moses even though he killed a man.

2.   God forgave King David even though he had an innocent and faithful man killed.

3.   The good news of God is that when He forgives you, He forgives you all the way.

The Bible says, “‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the Lord. ‘Though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they will be like wool.  If you consent and obey, you will eat the best of the land; but if you refuse and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword.’  Truly, the mouth of the Lord has spoken” (Isa. 1:18-20).

B.  How can you receive God’s forgiveness?

1.   You must turn away from living a selfish and sinful life.

2.   You must ask Jesus to save you.

The church is here to offer the grace of God to those who need it.

III.     Pillar 3: God hears the cry of those who have no voice.

A.  Those who have no voice are numerous.

Forty million babies have been killed by abortion in the United States.  Since the time I began this sermon, approximately 85-90 babies have been aborted in the U.S.

Forty-six million babies are killed by abortion each year around the world.

B.  Those who have no voice are innocent.  They have done nothing wrong.  They are guilty only of being found in the most dangerous place in America: the womb.

C.  Those who have no voice are loved by God.

Conclusion

What can we do?

·        You can volunteer our time and efforts at the Pregnancy Care Center on behalf of our church.  You can tell others there about the forgiveness that God offers.

·        You can vow only to elect governmental representatives who are opposed to abortion on demand.

I don’t care if you are a Democrat, Republican, Libertarian, Independent, or Whig.  If you believe what the Bible says about abortion, it should influence the way you vote.

Do you think when you stand before God that He will ask whether you voted for someone who would lower your taxes or who shared your concerns about Social Security?  Those may be important issues, but they pale in comparison to the eternal impact of abortion.

·        We can write our representatives when important moral issues like abortion come up for a vote.

·        But the most important thing anyone can do about abortion is to give his or her life to Jesus Christ.  Even if selective abortions became outlawed tomorrow, the most pressing need of people’s hearts would still be to trust Jesus.