We Are The Same Person In The Womb And Out
Psalm 139:1316 describes the intimate involvement of God in the formation of the unborn. From a Christian worldview, this should be sufficient to discourage abortion, since it interrupts the sovereign work of God in the womb. However, the psalm further teaches a continuity of personal identity from the earliest points of pregnancy forward.
The psalmist who is intimately known by God in the first few verses is the same person who was described as intricately formed in the womb by God later in the psalm. And he is the same person who asks God to search him and know his heart at the end of the psalm.
Some raise the objection that Psalm 139 speaks only of the development of a person in the womb, not of the fact that what is in the womb is indeed a person. However, these texts suggest that in the womb from conception is a person with potential for development, not merely some being that will develop into a person at some point in the gestational process.
These texts, particularly Psalm 139, strongly suggest a continuity of personal identity that runs from conception to adulthood.
The People Of The Word
This group consists of people who believe that life is worth defending. And they do this with words and actions. These people are not fearful about the worlds opinion of abortion instead, they are only concerned with promoting Kingdom values.
From the peaceful protests of the March for Life to the cries that arose after the tragedy of George Floyds passing, we find evidence that todays young people are aching for Truth. The quest for Truth is a problem that only one man, Jesus Christ, can solve.
Being the body of Christ, the Church must take the initiative to extend our hands and hearts out to those who are desiring to know the Truth. Moreover, the Church must become the source of inspiration for those overcome with fear when considering speaking their views on abortion. This issue matters to God, so we must respond with acts of worship and surrender as we advocate on behalf of the defenseless.
How You Can Join the Pro-Life Movement
Preborn Children Protected By The Same Punishment As For Adults
Fifth, perhaps the strongest argument against abortion from Scripture is the fact that the same punishment is applicable to someone who kills or injures an unborn child as for one who kills or injures an adult. Exodus 21:22-23 states, If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the womans husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life . . . This strongly indicates that the Mosaic Law viewed the unborn as persons worthy of the same protection and rights as adults.
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God Forms Us In The Womb
Perhaps the clearest indication that the unborn are objects of Gods knowledge may be found in Psalm 139:1316, which clearly shows that God is intimately involved in forming the unborn child and cultivating an intimate knowledge of that child.
For you created my inmost being you knit me together in my mothers womb.I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made your works are wonderful,I know that full well.My frame was not hidden from youwhen I was made in the secret place,when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.Your eyes saw my unformed body all the days ordained for me were written in your bookbefore one of them came to be.
Heres What The Bible Says About Abortion
For thousands of years, abortion was not condemned by Judaism, and for almost 2,000 years the same was true with Christianity.
But its no longer the Bronze Age, and sometimes the world feels more complicated. Modern Christians trying to live faithful lives must deduce what a biblical perspective would be on a variety of modern issues where scripture is silent.
But abortion is not one of those issues because of Numbers 5:27.
If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse.
The water that brings a curse is an ancient method of abortion.
This is the only passage in all of scripture that explicitly acknowledges abortion. And, not only does this passage fail to condemn abortion, it actively commands that abortion is the prescribed course of action in certain circumstances.
From this passage alone we can conclude that the Bible is not pro-life, at least, not in the modern pro-birth sense of forcing a pregnant woman to give birth against her will.
The Bible does not see a fetus as legally or morally the same as a fully-formed human, and as far as it acknowledges abortion at all, it recognizes that it may be the preferable action in some cases and indeed commands it in certain situations.
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What Are The Rights Of The Innocent
The Bible consistently defends the rights of those who are innocent and undeserving of punishment or death. For instance:
- Do not kill the innocent and those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty .
- There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that hurry to run to evil, a lying witness who testifies falsely, and one who sows discord in a family .
- The Babylonians attacked Jerusalem for the sins of Manasseh, for all that he had committed, and also for the innocent blood that he had shed for he filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the Lord was not willing to pardon .
It is clear that God cares for the innocent and defenseless of the world. Children, whether before their birth or after, would be among his most valued creations.
Abortion As Justified Homicide
The unborn child is clearly alive, and the medical world and abortion industry know this beyond a shadow of a doubt. Since the unborn child is clearly a person, some pro-abortion people claim abortion is justified homicide.
What is justifiable homicide? It is killing another person, but with a justifiable reason. Examples include killing someone when you are in imminent danger of being killed by that person. For instance, if an intruder breaks into your home and points a gun at your child, you can shoot that person and most likely not be prosecuted for murder.
Some abortionists and their supporters argue that abortion is justifiable homicide. For instance, an article published in Solon magazine was titled, So What If Abortion Ends Life? Its author admitted that a fetus is a human life, but then goes on to say, All life is not equal. She argues that a fetus does not have the same rights as his or her mother. The mothers rights trump her unborn child. What this author and others are proposing is that some lives are simply worth sacrificing. Well, from a Biblical perspective, weve already pointed out what God has to say about child sacrifice.
But the abortion industry and women seeking abortion argue that other reasons justify killing a child growing in the womb. Having a baby will interfere with my education or career. My boyfriend doesnt want a baby. Im embarrassed for people to know I had sex outside of marriage. I cant afford a baby.
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Sharing Your Faith With Grace And Purpose
You can confidently and lovingly share your faithyou just need to learn some new tactics to do so! In this Focus on the Family Daily Broadcast, apologist Greg Koukl outlines the Columbo tactic of asking questions, the self-defeating argument tactic to find holes in your opponents arguments, and other specific methods for engaging in faith-building conversations with others. Greg pulls from his over 30 years of experience debating atheists and agnostics to help you share your faith with grace and truth.
Having The Abortion Conversation
When were discussing the issue of abortion, we need to remember that the conversation needs to focus on love and not winning an argument. We give valid reasons for why we support life for the unborn, but we do it with respect, acknowledging the pain and desperation many mothers in crisis pregnancies experience.
- Carefully and respectfully listen to their ideas. Concentrate on building trust and mutual respect.
- Gently ask questions and request clarification and evidence for their viewpoint.
- Politely explain why you believe what you do. If they say a pre-born child has no right to life because he or she is completely dependent on the mother, point to an infant or toddler. Ask whether that child has a right to live. After all, its still dependent on the mother.
- Find places where you both agree for instance, caring for women and children after birth. Point out how pro-lifers are active in supporting mothers in crisis pregnancies during and after birth. Point out legislation supported by pro-life politicians that support life after birth.
Check out more tips for having the abortion conversation here.
Above all else, we must share the compassion of Christ with women in crisis. We must offer them love and hope along with tangible support. We must support organizations and legislation that care for women and children. We need to do whatever is in our power to eliminate the perceived need for abortion.
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God Calls Us To Protect The Defenseless Including Children
One of the key themes throughout the Bible and historical Christianity is that we should be concerned about the welfare of the poor, weak, and helpless. Many Scriptures make this very clear. For example:
Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
Rescue those being led away to death hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, But we knew nothing about this, does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done?
In addition to the previous verses, read James 1:27 to see how the Bible describes religion that is pure and faultless. Although James was not writing about Gods attitude about abortion, the principle is clear: We should be concerned about those who are unable to care for themselves. An unborn child is totally helpless and unable to care for himself or herself.
Effects Of Criminalizing Abortion Based On Christian Beliefs
Criminalizing abortion does not automatically end the practice. However, it creates more difficulty for abortion seekers who need the service irrespective of their reason for it. The barriers created by illegalizing abortion pushes abortion seekers to resort to unsafe methods just to have and take control of their body.Most abortions in religiously strict countries take place in clandestine settings which sometimes are operated by individual lacking the basic and necessary skills and resources to perform a safe abortion. People risk their lives anyway because its a matter of choice and healthcare. Some end up with irreversible health issues due to fake pills or unsanitary conditions during the process. Abortion seekers should have the right to choose and decide for themselves.
Christians can develop Bible-based arguments from an ancient text for modern issues. But it is important for us all to know that the Bible never directly mentions abortion or addressed the issue head-on. All faith based opponents of abortion have to go on is interpretations of scriptures as they see fit.
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All Life Has Inherent Value
Christians must never falter at this point all life has intrinsic and inherent value and worth. The value of all human life is one of the first foundational principles of Scripture. In the very beginning, God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him male and female He created them . The image of God thus extends to each person of humanity, as Paul states, he is the image and glory of God and James affirms, who have been made in the likeness of God . This biblical principle fundamentally means that regardless of biological differences, every single human is made in Gods image. As a human, Gods image is imprinted on every fabric of your being. Nowhere does Scripture offer a spectrum of worth, value, or personhood based upon viability. A persons humanity is based upon the image of God imprinted on them, not their context, stage of development, or even circumstances at conception. A child born out of wedlock has no less intrinsic worth as an image bearer than one born in wedlock. Christians must be clear that the image of God is inherent to all human beings without distinction. At every stage of human development, the Bible ascribes personhood.
What Bible Passages Do You Cite To Justify Your Position
Horn: The Bible does not explicitly mention abortion, so it doesnt say that abortion itself is wrong, but it also doesnt say that infanticide is wrong or that pedophilia is wrong. Instead, I use scripture to inform me with general principles. The Bible is clear in Exodus 23:7 and Proverbs 6:16-17 that it is wrong to kill innocent human beings. Proverbs 6 says that God hates the hands that shed innocent blood.
If the Bible says that its wrong to kill innocent human beings, and science and sound reasoning tell us that human embryos and human fetuses are human beings, then the Bible informs me that it is wrong to kill them. The Bible doesnt say that its wrong to lynch Black people, but clearly it is wrong because the Bible says its wrong to kill innocent human beings. That would apply to all born and unborn human beings.
Whats more relevant is that the Bible says human life exists in the womb and the Bible prohibits killing innocent human beings . This prohibition would apply to abortion as it would to any other homicide. Because the unborn are just smaller, more dependent human beings, those differences dont nullify their inalienable right to life.
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A Wealth Of Other Passages
Until recent times, when Christians have reflected about the status of the unborn child they have rarely thought far beyond this one passage of Scripture, or they have preferred their moral intuition and natural reason to any use of Scripture. The wealth of the rest of the Scriptures has gone largely untapped. It was only in the late twentieth century, in the face of a dramatic rise in abortion, that Christians began to turn to a much wider range of texts to inform their beliefs.
Theologians now appeal not only to Exodus and the Commandments, but also, for example, to the many passages in the Scriptures which refer to God forming, naming and calling the child in the womb .
The infancy narratives, especially the slaughtering of the innocents by Herod , the presence of Jesus in the womb of Mary , and the leaping of John the Baptist in the womb of Elizabeth are also now invoked in the critique of the practice of abortion.
Theologians also relate abortion to the identification of Christ with ‘the least’ in society and to the parable of the Good Samaritan . Dare we say that the unborn child is not our neighbour?
Not all of these other texts are equally relevant. Nevertheless, the broadening of the number and scope of texts discussed in relation to abortion is undoubtedly a positive thing. It encourages us to ask not simply what the Jewish law says about abortion, but where we see Christ in this situation – which is surely both in the mother and in her children.
Abortion And The Bible
The Christian religion uses the Bible as their main information source to ensure theyre living according to their beliefs. It serves as the basis for all Christian inquiries. However, several scholarly research maintains there is no direct mention of abortion in the Bible. The Bible was compiled during a time that abortion was practiced but seen as a nuance. Yet the word abortion was not directly mentioned in either the Old or New Testament.
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Raising A Strong Daughter In A Toxic Culture: 11 Steps To Keep Her Happy Healthy And Safe
Meg Meeker has been a pediatrician for more than thirty years, is a mother and a grandmother, and has seen it all. She knows what makes for strong, happy, healthy young womenand what puts our daughters at risk. Combining that experience with her famous common sense, she explains the eleven steps that will help your daughterwhether shes a toddler or a troubled teento achieve her full human potential.
Is The Bible Against Abortion
It most certainly is! Abortion is a type of child sacrifice, where a baby is killed for the abortion centers profit, and supposedly for the mothers benefit. The Bible makes it clear that child sacrifice is among the worst of sins an abomination.
- When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter
- They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters.
God also condemns murder and prescribes the death penalty for it. Killing innocent preborn children by abortion is definitely premeditated murder.
- You shall not murder.
- Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed for in His own image God has made mankind.
The abortion industry and its deluded followers sometimes try to argue that an unborn child isnt alive because he or she hasnt begun breathing yet. They might tell the expectant mother, Its just a blob of cells. This is a huge deception that thousands of naïve folks have fallen for.
Trying to define a fetus as a non-life form is enormously unscientific. Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines life as: the state of existence characterized by such functions as metabolism, growth, reproduction, adaptation, and response to stimuli.
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