RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-12-02	The Bible and Abortion
		Mat 6:7  And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. The Bible does not specifically address abortion as a topic. Yet there are numerous places in Scripture that makes it abundantly clear what is God's view of abortion. God tells us through the prophet Jeremiah that He knows us before He formed us in the womb. Jer 1:5  "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations." The Psalmist speaks of God's active role in our creation and formation in the womb. Psa 139:13  For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. Psa 139:14  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. Psa 139:15  My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Psa 139:16  Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them. Moses in Exodus 21:22-25 prescribes the same penalty of death for someone who causes the death of a baby in the womb as murder. Exo 21:22  "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. Exo 21:23  But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, Exo 21:24  eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, Exo 21:25  burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. Thus, God considers a baby in the womb to be just as much of a human being as a full-grown adult. God also tells us that He created us in the image of God (Ge.1:26-27; 9:6). This is not “Christian morality”. It is God's morality! If someone has a problem with God's morality, they have a larger issue. Also, it should be noted that there are many unbelievers who understand abortion is murder. There are “arguments” some have against God's view of abortion. First, “What about cases of incest or rape?” As horrible as it would be to become pregnant as a result or incest or rape, is murder of a baby the answer? If yes, then two wrongs would make a right. The child who is a result of incest/rape could be given in adoption to a loving family unable to have children on their own. Importantly, the baby is completely innocent and should not be punished for the evil acts of its father. The second “argument” is, “What about when the life of the mother is at risk? Now this is the most difficult question to answer. In truth, this reason is less than one-tenth of one percent of abortion done in the world today. Also, God is a God of miracles. He can preserve the life of a mother and her child despite all the medical odds against it. Plus, an early induced delivery of the baby or a C-section could be performed instead of an abortion. Though the death of the baby may still result from an induced delivery, it is very rare that abortion is needed to save the mother. Any woman facing this difficult situation should pray to God for wisdom as to what to do (Ja.1:5). The reason this is such a hot topic is because 98 percent of all abortions performed today involve women who simply do not want to have the baby. So less than 2 percent of abortions are for the reasons of incest, rape, or risk to the mother's life. The life of a human being in the womb is worth every effort to allow the child to be born. For those who have had an abortion, remember that the sin of abortion is no less forgivable than any other sin. A woman who has had an abortion, a man who encouraged an abortion, and a doctor who performed one can all be forgiven by Faith in Jesus Christ. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

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