The Sanctity of Human Life Sunday is now behind us. For most Christians that means that they won’t think about this issue again until it shows up in the news or the third Sunday of next January when this day comes around again. Let me encourage you to think about it before then.

Let me also encourage you to be ready to respond to pro-abortion arguments. This time, however, I want to talk about arguments given in favor of abortion from Christians, many of whom are actually against the practice but have social or biblical concerns about combatting the issue. The arguments come in various forms. Here a just a few:

This is a personal matter. The person who makes this case is probably pro-life. They would never imagine, never consider the possibility of getting an abortion themselves. They would be devastated if their daughter did so. Yet, they don’t want to force their morality on others. So far, so good. Beliefs are personal and should never be coerced. The problem is that all sins are a personal matter. If we were to apply this line of thinking to any of the Top 10 (the Ten Commandments), the consequences would be dire. We couldn’t object when someone committed murder. We’d have no moral legs to stand on when a loved one was raped. This laissez faire approach to morality is really little more than an abdication of our moral responsibility to post-modern theology: “That may be true for you, but it’s not true for me.”

As Christians we have a biblical mandate to protect the weak whoever and however old they may be. The rights of the strong are subject to the needs of the weak. Abraham rescued Lot after he’d been kidnapped. Jesus ministered to the needs of the woman with the issue of blood though doing so violated social standards of the day. Then, there’s that whole thing about ministering to Jesus when we minister to the needs of others. Does that apply to the abortion debate? Would Jesus think the abortion issue is simply a matter of personal beliefs or would he jump in and address the problem?

We can’t legislate morality. This is another classical argument against traditional Christian beliefs on any number of matters. In some ways it’s just a variation of the “it’s a personal matter gambit.” But, it’s more. The presupposition here is that while the behavior of an individual may be wrong and sinful, it is not my place to force my morality on others. This sounds very American but it’s not. Moreover, it’s also very unbiblical.

We do legislate morality in our country, contrary to what many seem to think. We have, as a nation, outlawed many things that are arguably moral issues. It is against the law for an adult to have sex with a child. It is against the law to post nude pictures of minors on the Internet.  I am not allowed to take my six year old to a pornographic film. Adults by any other measure are not allowed to purchase hard liquor under th age of 21. We legislate morality all the time to protect the innocent and to protect our nation. This argument doesn’t work.

This view doesn’t work biblically either. God didn’t take a popularity poll before He forbad certain behaviors. He knew that the people of Israel were going to do immoral things. He knew they’d want to. He knew that it would be bad for them individually and collectively. Rather than letting them run wild, He instituted, He legislated, morality. He handed down the Law. As Christians who are to be holy because God is holy are we not to believe and think as God does?

Judge not lest you be judged. This stance finds its voice often in Christian dialogue. It’s applied in the case of abortion and matters like the clothing choice of worship goers alike. As far as being biblical, the quote is. However, we need to ask whether our application of this passage is correct? Does Jesus mean to say that we are to judge nothing? That we are to tolerate all things? I’d say not.

While we are not to judge the motives or the eternal destiny of other human beings, we are to judge their beliefs and their behavior. If not, how are we to execute church discipline as Jesus Himself outlines in Matthew 18? If I am not allowed to say adultery among Christians is wrong, on what ground am I to approach the adulterer in my church? Based on this argument, I can’t. Moreover, based on this argument, I can’t obey Jesus’ command about church discipline. Based on this argument, Jesus contradicts Himself.

What about the beliefs and opinions of others? Are they off limits as well? Of course not. The New Testament is loaded with examples and admonitions about judging the teachings of others. We are to told to reject those teachings that are unbiblical. How can we recognize and handle those wolves in sheep’s clothing, if we’re not allowed to judge and condemn their beliefs? Again, if this argument is right, the Bible is wrong on this matter, too.

NO! We are to judge, to discern, to distinguish between right and wrong. We are to embrace what is right and reject what is wrong. We are to do so according to biblical standard not personal opinion. We are gunshy about this today because this has not always been handled wisely in the past. The failures of the past, however, cannot and should not prohibit our actions in the future. So long as we follow the Bible’s dictates and apply our discernment to sensitive issues like abortion with love we are well within our rights as Christians because we are doing what we’ve been told to do as Christians.

On last though. What would Jesus do? As Christians, we are to be “little Christs” (literal interpretation). We are to become more and more like Christ. We are to do what He did. We are to believe what He believed. We are to represent Him as His royal priesthood here on earth. As such, we need to do what He would do, if He were here Himself (which He is — in us). We need to ask, “What would Jesus do?

Would Jesus sit quietly by in the abortion debate? Would Jesus think it’s wrong but do nothing about it? Or, would Jesus weigh in with a biblical argument against murder? Yes, Jesus would love the women who’ve fallen prey to this problem. So should we. He would counsel the expectant teenager with patience. So should we. He would seek to redeem the lost. So should we. But, we need to remember, He would call sin a sin, too. And, so should we.

This entry is filed under Contemporary Issues, The Believer.

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