God's Love for the Unborn
In early May 2022 news agencies across America were nonstop abuzz about an unprecedented leak from the United States Supreme Court. A draft opinion (later confirmed to be authentic) seems to suggest that the infamous 1973 Roe v. Wade case which legalized abortion across the United States might be overturned.
As expected, pro-life advocacy groups are ecstatic, albeit a bit reserved, until a final ruling is released later in the court’s session. On the other side, pro-abortion activists decry the opinion as “the worst setback to women’s rights in the past 50 years,” a slight to “reproductive justice” in the nation. On both sides of the issue, the historical significance of such a reversal cannot be overstated.
How should Christian believers think about the issue of the unborn and abortion? As always, we should take our cues from the Word of God where we find that God has definite things to say about this topic.
God created life from the beginning
First, it must be recognized that it is God who created humans from the get-go. Genesis 1:27 (ESV) states, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
Humans are different from the rest of creation. While trees and water and animals bring glory to God, only humans are created “in His image.” Only humans are designed to have an everlasting soul – one created to be in communion with Him. Only humans share the relational abilities, cognitive abilities, and creative abilities of God. Only humans were privileged to walk with God in the Garden of Eden and share intimacy with Him.
Humanity holds a special place in the heart of God. God’s creation brings value, worth, and dignity to everyhuman life, including those still inside the womb. Because God created life, we should honor and cherish it.
God knows life from the beginning
Far from creating life and then walking away with disinterested coldness, God knows and plans out the life He has created.
Psalm 139:13-16 (emphasis mine) says,
For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.
Notice that the psalmist David is not only attributing life-giving power to God, but also the ability of God to determine the days for that unborn child! God knows that child and plans out his life!
The prophet Jeremiah adds to this same line of thought in Jeremiah 1:4-5 (again, emphasis mine), “Now the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ‘Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.’”
Notice that God was giving Jeremiah’s life purpose, even before he was born! Far from being removed from the creation and commissioning of life, God is intimately and actively involved. Every human life is known by God and has a purpose from God.
God values life from the beginning
God’s Law is an expression of His character – how He views the world, relationships, and justice. If we want to know God’s heart, we should study His Law.
In Genesis 9:5-6, God makes clear the value He places on human life. To Noah He said, “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.’”
In those verses we see a tie-in between the value of human life and the fact that it’s created “in the image of God.” Now, clearly this “reckoning” of Genesis 9 applies to life already born. But can this same sense of the value of human life be found in application to preborn life? Yes!
In Exodus 21:22-25 we read, “When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.”
Clearly, the preborn child was considered to have life and life worthy of protection! So, the value God places on a human life does not change, whether outside the womb or inside.
The Hope of the Gospel
Human life begins at conception and should be valued, treasured, and protected. To have an abortion is to murder a human life, a clear violation of God’s Law in Exodus 20:13.
But is there hope for a woman who’s tragically chosen this route? A resounding yes! Jesus died on the cross for every sin, including the sin of abortion. When a woman turns to Jesus in repentant faith, He will mercifully forgive her and remove the stain of guilt and shame, having taken it upon Himself at the cross.
The good news of Jesus is that every sin in the life of the believer has been paid through the blood of Jesus. No longer will that sin be held against those who repent! May God’s love for life and hope through the gospel give all of us what we need to stand for life today!
