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The 27th October 2007 marked the 40th anniversary of the Abortion Act
becoming law. Since that time 6.7 million babies have been aborted in
the UK. It is estimated that twenty per cent of all pregnancies now
end in abortion.
At this time of anniversary, it is worth reflecting upon what the Bible
teaches about pro-life issues:
27th
October 2007: The figure of 6.7 million is projected
onto Parliament. A reminder of the human cost of abortion.
(with permission of "Alive and Kicking / Arcstream AV")
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Creation
 Genesis
1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
God as Creator is fundamental to the Christian faith.
Any attack on God as Creator is an attack on His authority and His
worthiness to be worshipped.
What the OT says about life before birth
God had plans
for us before we were born (Jeremiah 1:4-5; Isaiah 49:1, 5).
David discusses
the spiritual state he was in before he was born in Psalm 51:5.
Jacob and
Esau were distinct individuals before birth (Genesis 25:22-28).
Scripture
gives identity to unborn human life. In Psalm 139:13-16 - notice
the spiritual relationship the psalmist has while in the womb. "The
psalmist surveys his life in four stages: Past, present, future,
and before birth, and in all four refers to himself as 'I'. He who
is writing as a full-grown man has the same personal identity as
the foetus in his mother’s womb."
(John R.W. Stott)
Samson’s
mother is told to alter her diet while pregnant because Samson,
the child in her womb is to be consecrated unto the Lord. (Judges
13:2-5).
See also: Genesis 16:11; Isaiah 46:3-4; Psalm 22:9-10.
In summary: there is
no difference between an infant and an unborn child to God. Life begins
at conception.
Old Testament Law and the Sanctity of Life
Human life
is valuable (Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 8:4-5).
There is a
serious punishment for anyone who takes an innocent human life (Ex
20:13; 21:12).
"The Biblical ethic is that because man is endowed with the
image of God … to murder a person is to attack one who is the
image-bearer of God. Homicide
is regarded by God as an implicit attempt to murder God."
(Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue, R C Sproul)
If you want to hurt someone, you spoil something
of theirs. When someone we love is injured, we feel the hurt; even
the loss of possessions in a burglary is an affront to us. How much more God, when his creation is spoiled.
The pre-born
are protected in Old Testament Law (Exodus 21:22-25)
Permitting
the murder of innocents pollutes the land (Numbers 35:33-34).
Believers
are charged with defending life (Prov
24:11-12).
God hates
those that shed innocent blood (Prov 6:16-17).
The man who
accepts money to kill an innocent person is cursed (Deut. 27:25).
One of the
sins of Ammon that resulted in God’s
wrath was killing pre-born children (Amos 1:13)
The Humanity of the Pre-born in the NT
Paul was set
apart from his mother’s womb (Gal 1:15).
Jesus is spoken
of in the womb (Matthew 1:20-21).
John the Baptist
is spoken of in the womb (Luke 1:13-17).
As in the OT, a baby is a person (living soul)
from conception.
The Value of Human Life in the New Testament
Human life
is more valuable than animal life (Matthew 6:26; Matthew 10:29-31).
God's work
invests human life with value (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; John 3:16).
Jesus cared
for people who had a poor "quality of life" rating (Matthew
4:23- 25; 8:1-3; 9:1-8).
Jesus valued
little children (Matthew 18:1-14).
We should
have a Biblical attitude toward the poor and needy (James 1:27;
2:5-9).
In today's society, we find individuals getting angry
about cruelty against animals whilst arguing for 'choice' in the case
of abortion.
The Christian’s Responsibility
To repent
– for national sin. Daniel prayed for forgiveness for his nation
(beyond his own sins).
To act –
we have a responsibility to speak out and act, not just pray (Luke
10:25-37) also Ezekiel 33:8; Proverbs 31:8-9.
1 Cor 14:6, 8 "Again, if the trumpet does not sound
a clear call, who will get ready for battle?". The context here is speaking clearly. If
we whisper our opposition to genocide, we are not doing our job.
Perhaps if
we don't feel strongly enough about this, it is because we don't
feel strongly enough about God's holiness.
May we use
the opportunities we have to speak out about this and similar issues.
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