Sacred Life

Genesis 1:26-31

Genesis 1:26–31 NKJV

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so. Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Topic of conversation concerning abortion right now. As I understand, we don’t know yet whether RvW will be overturned until the ruling late this year from the SC, but it’s a good time for Christians to be thinking about this and a good time to consider the right kind of arguments we should be making about it. It’s more than just “abortion is murder” Abortion is not wrong just because it’s a disgusting practice. It’s not wrong just because babies are being killed. It’s wrong because it’s violence, and God hates that violence.

What we as humans have done is muddy the waters for so long, and politicize this subject for so long, that having a proper nuanced conversation about a complex subject such as this becomes very difficult. Each “side” in the conversation feels it has to “stick to its guns” and cannot allow for listening to alternative viewpoints. We have lumped multiple situations into one political mess, where people feel like they have to be all on one side (national abortion legality) or the other (national abortion ban). My personal opinion is that neither positions are actual solutions to the issue.

All this said, I have never heard someone who is “pro-choice” argue that abortion should be legal because of convenience. By law of averages, we can recognize, however, that the sheer majority of abortions that occur ARE of convenience, and not any kind of medical necessity. For the sake of our lesson today, let’s assume that we are talking about “abortions” that could have been avoided. Easy to say that ALL of them could have been, but some miscarriages are classified medically as abortions. That alone should tell us that what humanity has done about all this in the past 40 years has been disastrous. Planned Parenthood and organizations like it make statistics a near-impossibility to determine by lumping in their “good deeds” in with the abortions they sponsor.

We will never completely stop abortion in this world. However, we can follow our God, make the right decisions for our families, encourage the same for others, and support realistic solutions.

God sees Life as GOOD

Compassionate

Void of darkness transformed into something that GROWS

Full of Grace

Humanity is given everything they need to survive and thrive. No “work” required.

The Life God creates is given a MISSION- Genesis 2:15-17; 4:1,2,25,26

Be fruitful - grow, improve, provide good things

Multiply - bring about offspring

Have dominion - steward creation to the extent given you

It should be obvious to the Bible student that God cherishes Life.

He wanted the life He created to thrive and be successful.

Nature accomplishes this just as designed.

Mankind must choose to embrace this success.

We have a society that seems to embrace failure. At the very least, failure is robbed of its needed place as an impetus to grow and improve. At worst, failure is our M. O. and we lean on it as a crutch.

God hates violence.

God Punishes the Murderer of the Innocent- Genesis 4:8-12

Cain given every possibility to STOP, THINK, and SUBMIT.

He serves His own desires by slaying his brother.

Defined in Strongs, etc. as injustice or cruelty. Gen. 6:11,13; Ps. 11:5; Prov. 10:6,11; Jer. 22:3,17; Ezek. 7:11; 8:17; Matt. 11:12

Genesis 6:11, 13 NKJV - The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. ... And God said to Noah, "The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

Psalm 11:5 NKJV - The LORD tests the righteous, But the wicked and the one who loves violence His soul hates.

Proverbs 10:6, 11 NKJV - Blessings are on the head of the righteous, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked. ... The mouth of the righteous is a well of life, But violence covers the mouth of the wicked.

Jeremiah 22:3, 17 NKJV - 'Thus says the LORD: "Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place. ... "Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, For shedding innocent blood, And practicing oppression and violence."

Ezekiel 7:11 NKJV - Violence has risen up into a rod of wickedness; None of them shall remain, None of their multitude, None of them; Nor shall there be wailing for them.

Ezekiel 8:17 NKJV - And He said to me, "Have you seen this, O son of man? Is it a trivial thing to the house of Judah to commit the abominations which they commit here? For they have filled the land with violence; then they have returned to provoke Me to anger. Indeed they put the branch to their nose.

Matthew 11:12 NKJV - "And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

The CORE ISSUE - We serve our own desires/lusts.

Our actions reverberate - Ephesians 3:8-12; Gen. 4:23-24; 19:5-9; 1 Sam. 20:30-34; Matt. 21:28-32

Consider who is affected by what WE do.

With every decision, we impact God, the heavenly host, and even the Adversary.

There is a great responsibility to the place God has established for us.

Genesis 4:23-24 - Words of Lamech- Vicious responses to small slights

Genesis 19:5,9 - Sodom - LACK OF RESTRAINT

1 Samuel 20:30-34 - Saul's willingness to kill his own son Jonathan

Matthew 21:28-32 - It is indeed a question of WILL!

Abortion is a SYMPTOM of a lack of self-restraint.

“I don’t want it.”

“I don’t have the money to support it.”

“I just want to live my life.”

“A baby would complicate things.”

We are fighting a world that continually embraces self-absorption. We must let God fight our battles and remind others with the Scriptures that God wants LIFE, not death. Jn. 10:10

John 10:10 NKJV - "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Abortion in the Scriptures

The Bible suggests that life begins at conception, or very soon afterwards. Ps. 139:13-14; Jer. 1:5

Psalm 139:13-14 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.

Jeremiah 1:5 "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

Abortion was condemned among God’s People

Exodus 21:22-23 “If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman’s husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life,

Septuagint (Greek OT) specifies the baby as the one receiving the harm.

Many of the early church "fathers" wrote strongly against the practice of abortion (Didache, Basil, Augustine).

Pharaoh Ex. 1:15-16; Acts 7:19

Exodus 1:15-16 Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”

Acts 7:19 This man dealt treacherously with our people, and oppressed our forefathers, making them expose their babies, so that they might not live.

Herod Matt. 2:16-18

Matthew 2:16-18 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: “A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more.”

Policies of Ancient Empires

Assyrians had a grisly punishment for the woman who aborted her child.

It seems that in the time of the Roman Empire, abortion was either socially discouraged or punished.

Motives of these punishments were likely more about making sure male children grew up and became soldiers (required for Roman society to function).

Problems and Solutions

Simply, DON'T DO IT – abstain! Heb. 13:4

Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.

We could leave it here, but we must be realistic.

The world will always be worldly. We will always have our physical desires, and many will give in to that temptation, especially those who have not been taught.

Most of us would react with disgust to the woman wearing a shirt that says “I have had 21 abortions”. She is extremely misguided about life and God’s intention for it.

However, the lack of restraint we have concerning our temptations means that people will continue to make these bad decisions.

Some act as if the men should “control themselves” without giving one regard for how women should control themselves as well.

Only the love of God and the blood of Christ can help us with this.

We must accept that there is no perfect solution except what God intends and gives.

God's case for Adoption

Godly seed Mal. 2:15

Malachi 2:15 But did He not make them one, Having a remnant of the Spirit? And why one? He seeks godly offspring. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth.

Every child is intended to have a home that rears him/her toward Godliness. God not only wants us to LIVE, but live to be like HIM! NO child is "unwanted". God wants ALL of us. Adoption is not "giving up" a baby, but ensuring that that baby is provided for, physically and spiritually.

Of course, most children will not have this blessing.

Institutional brethren understood the problem in the 50s and 60s. They simply constructed an apostate solution for it in the orphan home business model.

There is no perfect solution to abortion.

However, if you oppose abortion, you are automatically obligated to support adoption.

Not necessary that you ADOPT, only that you find a way to support adoption (funds, awareness, etc. – Sacred Selections).

When I mention adoption here and in the following statements, I want you to assume this is adoption to the type of home that God wants children to be raised in - a home of Christians.

Adoption is the most effective answer for when a woman cannot take care of her baby.

The young woman who is raped never asked for the child. If such happened to our daughter, we might decide she cannot raise this child on her own. In such situations, adoption can be the best solution.

The older woman who already has a multitude of children and cannot financially provide for the child's care. Adoption is the best solution.

We must plead for the fatherless and the widow. Ex. 22:22; Deut. 24:17; Job 6:27; Ps. 68:5; Is. 1:17,23; Jas. 1:27

Exodus 22:22 "You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.

Deuteronomy 24:17 "You shall not pervert justice due the stranger or the fatherless, nor take a widow's garment as a pledge.

Job 6:27 Yes, you overwhelm the fatherless, And you undermine your friend.

Psalm 68:5 NKJV - A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.

Isaiah 1:17, 23 Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow. ... Your princes are rebellious, And companions of thieves; Everyone loves bribes, And follows after rewards. They do not defend the fatherless, Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.

James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

Do not neglect Justice, Mercy, and Faith. Matt. 23:23

Matthew 23:23 NKJV - "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Do not neglect the life that God has made. Help where you can, and especially where you think you “can’t”!