Abortion and the Christian
Photo: Joshua Abaya/CRIT-LARGE
There is an inevitable question that arises in our contemporary evangelical climate: can Christians be pro-choice? In other words, should followers of Christ favor the political position that a woman has a right to terminate her pregnancy? Since God’s Word is the final standard of faith and practice, the Christian’s answer must come from there. Therefore, there is a more fundamental question than the one initially posed: Is abortion even biblical? The answer to this more basic question will inform our first. We must now turn to God’s Word and ask alongside Paul, “What does the Scripture say?” And by God’s infinite wisdom and grace, He has not left us without an answer.
There are two biblical texts that are primarily used (and rightly so) to argue against abortion: Psalm 139: 13, 14 and Jeremiah 1:5. The former 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.” In the latter, God says through Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.” Though with these two portions of Scripture one could argue that these texts are not explicit enough, there is one text that clearly and unequivocally reveals that life begins at conception. Matthew 1:20 says, “But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” From the moment of His conception in Mary’s womb, the Lord Jesus was considered to be a Child!
It is not a lack of biblical revelation that prevents people from seeing and accepting the truth about abortion. It is not even a lack of solid biological evidence or logical reasoning (of which there is an abundance) that hinders many from seeing the truth. It is their sin. Selfishness pervades every individual’s existence outside of Christ. If I may be so direct, it is wanting to have sex without the consequences of having to take care of a child. Some will immediately rise up and broach the argument, “What about rape or incest?” I in no way want to diminish the horrors of either, but I do want to say that, since it is absolutely true that abortion is a form of murder, the argument is irrelevant. If Person A hurts person B, that does not give person B the right to murder person C (an innocent third party).
So are we then without hope? If biological facts and logical reasonings alone are ineffective tactics used by the pro-life movement, what then must be done? The answer: the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. By the degree that the pro-life movement sees the gospel as irrelevant, to the same degree it will fail over and over again. According to God through Paul, “The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes.” This salvation brings about regeneration within the elect of God. The Spirit imparts life to spiritually dead sinners, giving them new hearts, and thus new affections, wills, and desires. Only something as powerful as God’s salvation through the gospel can bring about the change that the Pro-life movement seeks so earnestly.