What God Thinks of Abortion

While abortion has been a matter of legal debate in our country for well over the past 46 years, a few recent events have really elevated it. The signing of a new abortion bill in New York allowing for the procedure to be practiced up until the moment of birth. A similar bill has been proposed in Virginia seeking to remove current state restrictions for an infant to be aborted. Other state legislatures have also indicated that they plan to follow suit. States such as Alabama and Iowa recently have passed laws banning an abortion after the detection of the infant's heartbeat which can occur as early as six weeks of a pregnancy. Unfortunately though I have read that a state court has already struck down Iowa's law as being "unconstitutional." On top of all of this, VA's governor, Ralph Northam, in an interview discussing the bill referenced above, indicated the possibility of an infant in certain circumstances being killed shortly after birth!

What matters though is not what any governor might think, how any president may view it, or even how a judge might rule concerning it, but what the God of the universe thinks of abortion. And He doesn't leave us guessing as to His perspective on it. He lays it out clearly in His Word.

Part of the debate concerning abortion centers around whether or not a fetus can be described as a person. Is it just a glob of cells or is s/he a living human being? The answer to this question often will determine one's view on abortion.

All of the evidence that we are provided with in Scripture would lead us to conclude that the fetus is nothing less than an actual human being created by God with a purpose that He has designed for him or her. In Psalm 139:13, David acknowledged that he was knit together in his mother's womb. God declared to Jeremiah that He had a purpose for the prophet before He formed him in the womb (Jeremiah 1:9). The unborn infant John the Baptist who jumped for joy at the coming of Mary in light of the news that she was bearing the Lord is referred to as being a "baby" (Luke 1:41). And I think what takes the cake is that according to the Old Testament law, if a pregnant woman is hit and it harms the unborn baby, the situation is treated like it was the harm of a person (Exodus 21:22-25). The same law of retaliation ("life for a life," "eye for an eye," "tooth for a tooth," etc.) applies to the baby injured or killed who was inside the womb when his or her mother has been hit as it does to those outside the womb. God seems quite clear that a fetus is certainly much more than a "glob of cells." 

With this being the case, when it comes to abortion, God clearly sees it as a violation of the sixth commandment, "thou shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13); the intentional, deliberate taking of a human life. In each of the Ten Commandments, we find that every negative has a positive side to it. So, if the expressed negative here is not to take a life, the implied positive part of the command would be to preserve life. And since an unborn infant is a human life, this command calls for the preservation and protection of that life rather than its premature death by abortion. As God's law reveals a lot about Himself to us, this specific command shows us the value that God places on each individual human life.

All human life is so valuable and precious to God that He instituted the death penalty for those who take it. "And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: from every beast I will require it and from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in His own image" (Genesis 9:5-6). God didn't say that man's blood should be required if he sheds the blood of any animal but if his sheds the blood of another man. In fact, He even requires a reckoning from "every beast" that would kill a man. As His specific creation and a bearer of His image, God values the life of man so much that any man who takes another man's life actually forfeits his own. My point here is not to call for capital punishment for abortion but to demonstrate just how precious God deems life.

And God has a special place in His heart for those who are vulnerable and defenseless. This is seen in regards to His continual care of widows and orphans; those who could not care for themselves in ancient times and were left often without any earthly support and protection (Exodus 22:21-24; Deuteronomy 10:18; Psalm 68:5; 146:9; Jeremiah 49:11). He also commanded His people to look after such and chastised them for neglecting them (Psalm 82:3; Ezekiel 22:7; Zechariah 7:10; James 1:27). Surely the unborn also fit the category of being vulnerable and unable to defend themselves.

For further evidence of what God thinks about abortion, we only need to read His commentary on an ancient similar practice of the pagans. They would literally sacrifice their children in the fire to their false god known as Molech (Leviticus 18:21). We are told that this is an "abominable thing that the LORD hates" (Deuteronomy 12:31). When you come down to it, abortion is basically the sacrifice of a child to the god of "choice" or "self." Isn't that exactly what those who justify the murder of tiny babies in the womb claim to be the reason it should be permitted? That a woman has a "choice" of what to do with what (in this case "who) is in her body. That she is in charge of this living separate organism that is being housed inside of her and therefore she has the right to decide whether to carry him or her full term. It is all about her ("self") and what she wants depending on the circumstances that she faces. That trumps any rights that the child could be said to have. It really is not that much different when you think about it.

God certainly was not cheering along with the New York legislators when Governor Cuomo signed into law less restrictions on what God deems an abominable thing that He hates-the murderous sacrifice of a vulnerable, defenseless precious child knit together by Him bearing His image to the pagan god of "choice" or "self." He does not view the protection of caterpillars as being more important than the protection of a child in his or her mother's womb. (Delegate Tran from VA who presented the controversial bill in the VA House of Representatives also on the same day proposed a bill that would prevent the spraying of certain insecticides during certain months to preserve the life of the fall cankerworm.) While politicians, courts, and others may debate the issue of abortion, God is clear where He stands. And with Him being the Judge of the universe, His view is the only one that actually matters. Unless these government leaders and judges repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation that He offers, they will face this Judge and have to answer for the blood on their hands. Oh, may they heed the call of the gospel and experience the change that only Jesus can bring in their lives before they have to meet this Judge and give an account!

Love in Christ,
Lee