This week, we are spending our time
together addressing the issue of abortion. Specifically, we are asking and
answering the questions “What should the policy would
Jesus promote when it comes to abortion? Why would Jesus take the position that
He would take? How would Jesus engage in the conversation surrounding the issue
of abortion?”
Yesterday, we talked about the
reality that, in our current political climate, the
conversation surrounding the issue of abortion is still a very emotional charged
conversation and debate. At one end of
the conversation when it comes to the issue of abortion would be politicians and others who
advocate for the right to have
an abortion. On the other end of the conversation when
it comes to the issue of abortion would be politicians and others who oppose
abortion.
Today, I would like for us to look at what the
message and teachings of Jesus have to say when it comes to the issue of abortion.
Specifically, what do the letters that make up the Bible reveal about abortion?
Now whether you regularly attend
church or whether this is your first Sunday in church; whether or not you
regularly read the Bible, you are probably at least somewhat familiar with what
the letters that make up the Bible have to say about the issue of abortion. And
the reason why you are probably at least somewhat familiar with what the
letters that make up the Bible have to say about abortion is due to the fact
that Christians seem to have no problem telling people what the letters that
make up the Bible have to say about abortion.
And because of that reality, I
do not want us to simply spend our time quoting Bible verses as to the “what”
the Bible says about abortion. Instead, I want us to drill down deep into the
“why” behind what the Bible says about the issue of abortion. So let’s begin
where the Bible begins, which is in the very first letter of the Bible called
the book of Genesis, in Genesis 1:26-27:
Then God said,
"Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them
rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the
earth." God created man in His own image, in the image of
God He created him; male and female He created them.
As we have previously talked
about in this series, in these verses we see the Triune God’s design and desire
for the creation of humanity: “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our
likeness”. To be created in the image of God means that every human being bears
the thumbprint of God. We were created in God’s relational image. Just as God
the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit live in relationship with one another,
we were created for relationships. We were created for a relationship with God
vertically and for relationships with one another horizontally.
But not only were we divinely
designed for relationships. Here we also see that as a result of being created
in the image of God, we are created for relationships and to represent Him on
earth. And as part of that representation, humanity possesses a moral,
spiritual, and ethical nature that does not exist among the rest of the
creation.
For example, a cheetah does not
feel guilty when it kills a gazelle. A cheetah does not have any pangs of
conscience as it is eating its prey. A cheetah isn’t thinking “Oh, I really
feel bad for killing that baby gazelle”. Your family dog does not feel
conviction when it tears through your trash. Now as soon as you read that some
of you may be objecting. You are objecting and you want to say “Dave that’s not
true! My dog has feelings; he is really sorry and afraid when I confront him
over getting in the trash.”
No, your dog is not sorry and
your dog does not feel bad: your dog cowers as an instinctual response because
you are higher up and more dominant, not because he feels bad. Your dog, your
cat, a horse or any other animal does not wonder why they are here. Your dog,
your cat, a horse or any other animal does not wonder what happens when they
die: Your dog, your cat, a horse or any
other animal are not trying to find God.
Humanity has been divinely
designed by God in His image and is of greater value than any other animal. Only
a fool would say that any animal is of greater value than any human being. So
the question is not whether or not humans are more valuable; almost no one
except a crazy person would make such a claim. Instead, the question is when is
this moral, spiritual, and ethical nature present in the life of a human being.
We discover the answer to that question in a section of a letter that is
recorded for us in the Old Testament of the Bible called the book of Psalms.
Notice what the Psalmist says in Psalm 58:3:
The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak
lies go astray from birth.
Here we see the Psalmist reveal
for us the reality that we come out of the womb estranged from God in
selfishness and rebellion and we live out the reality that we are estranged
from God in selfishness and rebellion. And if you don’t think that is the case
this morning, here is a question to consider: Did you have to teach your kids
to lie? Did you have to teach your kids to say “no”. When did you sit down with
your kids and have the conversation “Hey I need to talk to you so that I can
teach you how to disobey your mom and I and selfishly not share your toys with
anyone else”.
No you never had that
conversation with your kids. And the reason why you never had to have that
conversation with your kids is because they were estranged from the womb. From
the womb, every human being has a moral, spiritual, and ethical nature within them.
First, notice what Job says in Job 14:4:
"Who
can make the clean out of the unclean? No one!
Then just one chapter over, we
read the following in Job 15:14:
"What
is man, that he should be pure, Or he who is born of a woman, that he should be
righteous?
Finally, we see the Psalmist
proclaim the following in Psalm 139:13:
For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my
mother's womb.
Every human being on the planet
has been woven together with a personality and a moral, spiritual, and ethical
nature from the moment of conception. Now as soon as made that last statement,
an objection formed in your mind. And if we were to have a conversation that
objection would sound like this: Well Dave, how can you say that life begins at
conception? Just because the Bible may claim that life begins at conception
that does not mean science claims that life begins at conception.”
If we were able to have that conversation,
here would be my response: That is an interesting objection, because the Bible
and science are not at odds with when life begins. Friday, we will look at what
science has demonstrated when it comes to when life begins...
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