Earlier I mentioned why I’m no longer indifferent to the issue of abortion. I also mentioned that it’s a gospel issue and said that I’d explain why. Before I give you those five reasons (and I could have given more), I want to give you a disclaimer. I am not saying that if you are not pro-life that you are not a Christian. I believe that I was not pro-life (not sure I was pro-choice either) for the first couple of years after coming to Christ. God had changed my heart but He had not yet changed my worldview. So, I do believe that one can still have faith in Christ and be mistaken on this issue.
Though I could probably give more than five reasons why supporting abortion reflects and unchanged heart here are five:
- It places my freedom as ultimate. The way of Christ is to place others before Himself. It is to lay down personal freedoms for the good of the lesser. While the woman’s choice is very important—and could have been violated, as in cases of rape—the choice and freedom of the lesser needs to hold more weight. In other words, the Christian way of doing things is to surrender your own personal freedoms and comforts for the good of those that are “weaker”. You don’t get any “weaker” than an unborn baby.
- It preaches that life is found in stuff. Some argue that abortion should be legal because the child’s quality of life will be terrible. Often what is meant by that is what I will address in point 3, but some actually refer to opportunities. At times it is a reference to the opportunity of a teenage girl that finds herself pregnant that will be surrendering many chances in life. As our President said, “I don’t want my daughters to be punished with a baby”. Life isn’t found in “stuff” and in “opportunities”. Christ proclaims that life is found elsewhere. To believe otherwise reflects a heart that is still infatuated with worldly pleasures.
- It proclaims that the answer to suffering is death. Many who support abortion do so while adopting an Ecclesiastes 4:2-3 mentality, which basically says that for some death is far better than life. But the mentality of Solomon in Ecclesiastes 4 is that of a despairing man that is devoid of Christ. The gospel gives hope in the midst of suffering. The gospel proclaims a good purpose of God even in the midst of suffering. An Ecclesiastes 4 proclaims death as the solution to suffering. Whereas Scripture says that death is part of suffering and not a solution to it. The solution that Christ provides for death and suffering is found in His redemptive acts. Abortion on the grounds of an Ecclesiastes 4 mentality denies the power of the gospel.
- It teaches that it is okay to return evil for evil. Pregnancy because of rape and incest is horrendous. It should be mourned and fought against. Those committing such crimes should indeed be punished, and punished severely. But arguing (even as many Republicans now do) that it’s okay to abort a child that results from such evil is morally acceptable is backwards. Scripture proclaims that we should not overcome evil with evil but to overcome evil with good. You aren’t punishing the perpetrator by aborting your child. You are punishing the child and even yourself. A gospel changed heart overcomes evil with good.
- It looks more like Rome and less like the early church. Rome paid little regard to children. As one letter from a husband to his delivering wife shows, “”I ask and beg you to take good care of our baby son, and as soon as I received payment I shall send it up to you. If you are delivered (before I come home), if it is a boy keep it, if a girl, discard it.” The early church fought against infanticide from a very early point. They were the ones finding discarded babies and taking them into their communities of faith. They were the ones that eventually ended the practice. Those that were closest to the time of Christ reflected the heart of Christ to “let the little children come to me”. They understood that the gospel is a message of life and should foster a community of life and not one of death.
Those are only five reasons why supporting abortion reflects and unchanged heart. In saying that my point is not to say, “therefore, you had better vote Republican”. Personally, I don’t think the solution is solely political. Perhaps that will be one means that the Lord will use to end abortion. But it is not the only way. What I am saying is that as believers we ought to be involved in fighting this social injustice.
Check out Abort 73 and get involved. (Warning: The videos on that site are graphic)
