While sitting in a moral philosophy class at a community college in Washington State, the professor stated that he could disprove any view by using an extreme example. To prove his point, he stated that there must be exceptions to the pro-life position, therefore, the pro-choice position must be true. While it’s been some eleven years now since I took this moral philosophy class, this teacher’s statement has stuck with me and caused me to think through my own position on this issue several times over. As a Christian, I firmly believe in the pro-life position not only because the Bible teaches it but because the pro-choice position is murder.
My professor at the time stood in front of his class and decried the pro-life position by stating that he could use an extreme example to disprove the pro-life position. In recent days, we’ve seen the horror of the pro-choice position up front and personal through the publication of the Planned Parenthood undercover videos. While my former professor would now likely take issue with me flipping his statement on its head, that’s what I intend to do now while showing the absurdity of abortion and the importance of life.
I’m an old-fashioned Christian who believes the Bible. So when the Bible says that God created life and that murder is murder, I take God at His Word. Exodus 20:13 reads, “You shall not murder.” The word murder is the transliterated word Ratsach and according to Strong’s means, “To murder, slay, kill, premeditated, accidental, as avenger, slayer intentional, and to assassinate.”[i] There is a difference between a child in a mother’s womb and one outside of it; yet the early church saw both as equally living people and taking their lives as murderous. Charles H.H Scobie said, “Scripture uses the Greek word brephos for Elizabeth’s unborn child (Luke 1:41,44), unborn Jesus in Mary’s womb (Luke 2:12) and also for the children brought to Jesus (Luke 18:15).”[ii] God in His Word reveals that a child in the womb and a child singing and dancing around in worship are equally human beings, who both bear the image of God. Abortion is wrong because it is the killing of an unborn child created in the image and likeness of God.
When someone commits first-degree murder, justice says to try them in the court of law. The evidence is examined, arguments are put forth, and the person is either declared guilty or innocent on the basis of the evidence and the arguments in the court of the law. When a pregnant woman walks into an abortion clinic, she walks in with a living child in her belly and chooses to murder the child. Some people might take exception to this—especially those who hold to a liberal political philosophy. They would say it’s not murder, and that the lady had a “choice” and she simply choose to end the life of the baby. My question is, “What is the difference between someone who commits first-degree murder and is convicted of it and the lady who walks in and aborts her child?” According to the Bible, there is no difference since murder is murder. When the Nazi’s tried to exterminate the Jews during WWII, their evils were met by an entire generation rising up to fight against and defeat them. Yet, young ladies go into abortion clinics every day and “choose” to abort their child even though there are other options, including giving up the child for adoption.
The absurdity of abortion is truly appalling. Entire generations are being wiped out by abortion and yet many people sit idle by and do nothing. Some even continue their support of the pro-choice position even while it kills our future leaders in every sphere of life. These are the same people who want the first-degree murderer to be convicted of their crime, and other criminals to be convicted of their crimes, too. As someone who holds to a biblical worldview, I find it absurd for people to argue for morality and ethics at all when on the one hand they argue that someone who commits a capital murder offense should be convicted of their crime, while on the other hand, someone who walks into an abortion clinic and aborts their child is not convicted of a crime.
Choices have consequences. If you think you can walk into an abortion clinic and have an abortion, I must ask, what differentiates you from the person who is convicted of murder? Furthermore, what separates you from the Nazi’s who killed generations of people? These are alarming questions to be sure. To be clear, there is no difference. People who murder people are murderers. The truth is the Bible goes further than the mere act of physically killing someone. We can murder through our words and our actions, since our words and actions stem from our heart. Luke 6:45 says, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Matthew 15:19 reads, “For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander.” Mark 7:21 is similar, “For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery.” Romans 3:12-14 also describes it this way, “All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; ‘no one does good, not even one. Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive. The venom of asps is under their lips. Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness’.”
You might be thinking, “I’ve had an abortion, is there no help for me now?” I want you to know that there is hope for you. No one is beyond the gaze of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord is mighty to save, promising to forgive, and gracious to cleanse people of sin, including those who have had an abortion.
Behind the positions that people hold to are people created in the image of God. It’s easy to miss this point when speaking about the pro-choice position. It’s easy to see the horror of the Planned Parenthood videos and be justly outraged by them. It’s much harder to love people like Jesus does, praying for them and speaking the truth in love to them.
My intention in this article has been to help you understand the worldview of the people around you who support abortion. Yes, you might think that their worldview is faulty and I don’t disagree with you. With that said, as Christians, we’ve been commanded by Jesus to love our neighbors. This command is not an option; it’s given to us by God because He knows that we’ll want to run away from those who reject what we believe. It’s easier to dismiss people who disagree with us but it’s much harder to walk alongside them, love them, listen to their thoughts, pray for them, and speak the truth in love to them.
I encourage you today to pray for your neighbors. Instead of casting judgment on people who have had an abortion please love them, pray for them, and speak the truth of the gospel to them. Befriend them for the purpose of imparting the truth of God’s Word. Yes, abortion is wrong and it’s murder; but so is verbal abuse, or swearing at your spouse. So the next time you think you’re better than someone—think about how you’ve acted in the past towards your spouse, your friends, or your neighbors. Then repent, apologize to those you’ve offended, and begin again to pray, speak, love, and live the gospel all to the glory of our God who pardons sinners, reconciles them to Himself, and shows them the meaning of life. Go and speak about the importance of life as created by God in His image, along with the absolute necessity of being born again.
[i] Strong, James, The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson), 943.
[ii] Charles H. H. Scobie, Ways of our God: An Approach to Biblical Theology (Grand Rapids: MI: Eerdmans, 2003), 834.
