You brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast upon you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God. Do not be far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. Psalm 22:9–11

Sex without regard for the gift of life is wrong.

We live in a world opposed to children. And it is not only governments that are at fault. Even churches sanction the murder of unborn children, and turn a blind eye when tiny new lives are destroyed. Once considered the greatest blessing of God, children are now considered a burden and a threat to the freedom and happiness of their parents.

This should not be the case in a God-fearing marriage. When husband and wife become one flesh, it should always be with the reverent recognition that through this act, new life may be formed. In this way sex is an expression of creative love. But how many couples view it in this way? For most, “the pill” has made intercourse casual, divorced from responsibility and supposedly free of consequences.  Sex has become an end in itself, and this is wrong, because it means closing the door to children, and despising both the gift and the Giver (Job 1:21).

As Christians, we must speak out against this contraceptive mentality. Of course, family size and the spacing of children are still matters of tremendous importance – as are the health and well-being of the mother, which must be considered with love and understanding. But contraception is not the only answer; a married couple also has a responsibility in self-control. Abstinence requires discipline, but it can lead a couple closer to God. If we place our uncertainties and fears before him in faith (Matthew 7:7–8), we can be confident that he will show us the way.

To abort any child is to mock God.

Abortion is murder, and there are no exceptions. It destroys life and mocks God, in whose image every unborn baby is created. Job exclaims: “Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One form us both within our mother’s womb?” (Job 31:15; 10:8–12). And to the prophet Jeremiah God says, “I knew you before you were formed within your mother’s womb; before you were born, I sanctified you and appointed you as my spokesman to the world” (Jer. 1:5).

These words clearly demonstrate God’s active presence in every human life, even while it is being formed in the womb. After Eve conceives and gives birth to Cain, she says, “With the help of the Lord, I have brought a man into being.” She does not say, “With the help of Adam,” but “with the Lord.” (Genesis 4:1).

We also read in the New Testament that the unborn are called by God before birth (Gal. 1:15)— and that their unique gifts are prophesied while still in the mother’s womb:

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:41–44).

Here an unborn child, John the Baptist, leaps in Elizabeth’s womb in acknowledgment of Jesus, who has been conceived only a week or two before! Clearly, the idea that life comes into being through something only physical or biological is false. It is God who brings forth life from the womb (Ps. 71:6), and abortion is therefore a rejection of God's will.

The early church universally rejected abortion, and called it infanticide. The Didache, the earliest (100 CE) instruction for new Christian converts, leaves no doubt: “You shall not slay a child by abortion.” And Clement of Alexandria writes that those who participate in an abortion “lose their own humanity along with the fetus.”

We must offer alternatives, not moral condemnation.

As Christians, we cannot merely demand an end to abortion without offering a positive alternative. Eberhard Arnold writes:

Moral philosophers may demand that the sexual life be purified by insisting on purity before and in marriage. But the best of them are insincere and unjust unless they clearly state the actual basis for such high demands. Even the destruction of incipient life…remains unassailable when people do not believe in the kingdom of God. The supposedly high culture of our day will continue to practice this massacre as long as social disorder and injustice last. Abortion cannot be combated as long as private and public life are allowed to remain as they are.

If we want to fight the injustice of social distinctions, we must fight them through practical means by demonstrating that a different way of life is not only feasible, but actually exists. Otherwise we can demand neither purity in marriage nor an end to abortion; we cannot wish even the finest families to be blessed with the many children intended by God’s creative powers.

Here the church has failed miserably. Very few women today are offered viable alternatives, and almost none are pointed to God. A woman who has had – or is contemplating – an abortion suffers great torment of conscience, and her isolation and endless pain can be healed only by Christ. We need to feel the pain that so many women bear, and can never cast the first stone (John 8:7). Woe to us if we ever become cold toward a woman who has had an abortion!

Who are we to judge whether a life is desirable or not?

Human life is sacred from conception to death. If we really believe this, we will never be able to accept abortion on any grounds; even the most persuasive arguments about “quality of life” or severe physical deformity or mental retardation will not sway us. Who are we to decide whether or not a little soul should reach the light of day? In God’s eyes, even the physically and mentally hindered can be used for glory (John 9:1–3).

Therefore we can never dare to judge which life is desirable and which is not. Even when the life of a pregnant mother is in danger, abortion is never the answer. In God’s eyes, the lives of mother and child are equally sacred. To do evil “so that good may come” is to take God’s wisdom into our own hands (Rom. 3:5–8).

In situations like this, a couple should also turn to the elders of their church:

Is anyone among you suffering? He should keep on praying about it. And those who have reason to be thankful should continually be singing praises to the Lord. Is anyone sick? He should call for the elders of the church and they should pray over him and pour a little oil upon him, calling on the Lord to heal him. And their prayer, if offered in faith, will heal him, for the Lord will make him well. (James 5:13–15).

In the end, our faith is meaningless unless it is brought to bear in life’s most difficult circumstances. Nothing in heaven or on earth happens outside of God’s perfect will, and therefore we can trust that he will always lead us through the most agonizing moral dilemmas.

 

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Your Turn. Tell us what you thought about this article:

Responses

I really appreciate what has been shared here with us. Eberhard Arnold deeply touches my heart when he says that without giving a positive alternative to abortion, infanticide will continue. And it is much deeper than human alternatives of law or protocols because it takes this radical change within each person to dedicate their lives to seeking for God's kingdom.

I took an ethics class going into pre-medicine that aimed to show many different situations that could arise with euthanasia and abortion among other topics. I think a primary goal of the course was to show that none of these issues is cut and dry depending on the situation and left many of us with more questions than answers by the end of the course.

If only the clear words of the church shared here was read to us--we would have had the answers immediately. There is no excuse to take life--it is not in our hands to choose life or death for anyone else. I personally feel that what we need is to find a deeper repentance as a society and like in the time of Jonah in sackcloth, really face eternity squarely knowing that this life is just a moment in the face of our greater tasks given by God.

I could never judge someone who has been faced with abortion, but I have also seen where it has destroyed the emotional and mental well being of those who chose that as an answer to situations they were in. Here society has failed these women because we allowed it to even be an "option" rather than offering support and love and life. That is why I think Eberhard Arnold's words are so important also that we must have a positive alternative to offer: God's Kingdom.

Nicole Solomon
Newnan, GA

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Mr. Arnold arguments raise an interesting spectre about the reality of abortion, which is since its legalization it has done little to lower the rise in unwanted pregnancies.  In fact, it seems to have done the opposite, which is cause an increase in unwanted pregnancies.  One may even go so far as to speculate that its use is a method of birth control.  The fact remains, that an action without consequences yields very little of a lesson.  That there is still a rise in unwanted pregnancies suggests the link between cavalier sexuality and its real world consequences.  Like Mr. Arnold I agree we must offer alternatives to this irreversible drastic step.  But we must also look at what sort of society we've become, when we celebrate the wanton and irresponsible embrace of open sexuality without an honest examination of its consequences.

Marlon

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I was very touched by this article and hope that it can touch others.  There are so many parents out there who would love to adopt a baby and yet is still remains very difficult for couples to adopt.  The agencies while there to protect often exploit the whole system and make it financially impossible for most families to afford.  It breaks my heart to hear of how many abortions are done all over the world but especially in India where parents only want boys due to cost of dowry for girls as they marry.
Some villages are only filled with men due to abortions!
Lord have mercy on us humans.
Thank you for sending us your articles.

Nancy James
Burnsville, NC

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Mankind......The only living creature on this earth, that knowingly kills it's own young, for the sake of convenience. Abortion is murder! No one has the right to kill!

Ray Stefens
Green Bay, WI