A Person’s a Person, No Matter How Small
Genesis 1:26
On December 14, 2012, a 20 year old man with a history of mental illness fatally shot twenty children and six adult staff members and wounded two at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown Connecticut.
As is to be expected as a result of such a tragedy, the nation was stunned and was sent into a state of grief and mourning.
The result has been a renewed debate about law and liberty.
It has truly stirred the heart of a nation.
And it was, by anyone’s estimation, a terrible tragedy.
What most people do not consider, however, is that on December 13, 2012, approximately 3,300 lives were also destroyed.
The same for goes for December 14, 16, 17 and everyday since.
Every day in the United States there are approximately 3,300 living babies whose lives are taken in what is called the Pro-Choice or Pro-Abortion movement.
That amounts to approx. 23,000 per week, 100,000 per month, and 1.2 million per year.
30 years ago the Supreme Court of the United States of America handed down their infamous decision in Roe v. Wade making abortion on demand a legal reality in this great nation - and putting into motion the destruction of over 40 million human babies since then.” (Don Jaques)
In the past few weeks, I have listened to a book entitled “Compelling Interest, the history of Roe v Wade”
The audio version had the actual recordings of the Supreme Court hearings, which I was very interested to hear.
I was amazed at the absolute lack in application of common sense which has led us to this national tragedy.
They argued that the state had “no compelling interest” (thus the name of the book), and that the baby in the womb was simply a sub-human, non-personal growth which the mother should be at liberty to have removed - similar to an appendix which was causing discomfort.
NOTE: When we consider the horrid conditions of the concentration camps under the mad dictator Adolph Hitler, most of us get understandably upset.
And most sensible people see what happened under Hitler and understand it as an appalling event in the history of the German nation.
Approximately six million lives were exterminated under Hitler’s rule, which is obviously an extremely high amount.
However, since the adoption of Roe v. Wade, America has seen 6 times this many lives destroyed under the banner of Pro-Choice.
When we really sit and consider the sheer numbers that are involved in this issue, the reality is staggering.
This morning, we are going to examine the tragedy of Abortion from the perspective of sacred Scripture.
The reason for this is simple: It doesn’t matter what my opinion or your opinion is on this subject. What matters is what God has commanded regarding the sacred nature of human life. It is God who gives life, and who gives us the foundation for our ethics.
We are going to see how this action of abortion is not just an affront to our human sensibilities, but is also an affront to the very nature and person of God Himself.
NOTE: Before I begin, let me say that I believe that the vast majority, if not all of you, are opposed to “abortion on demand”. As a church we have supported Pro-life causes, and continue to do so. I ask you, though, to not simply turn off your minds because you agree. Stay engaged, as I have found that many people who believe in the right to life do not always know what the Bible says on this important subject. And if we are going to be opposed to abortion on a biblical level, we should be confident that we know what the Bible says on the subject.
Likewise, if you stand on the opposing side this morning, I encourage you not to turn your minds off either. Listen to the message from God’s Word on this subject, and be willing to be confronted with the truth of Scripture.
READ: Genesis 1:26
QUOTE: "The Bible calls debt a curse and children a blessing; but in our culture, we apply for a curse and reject blessings. Something is wrong with this picture." ~ Doug Phillips
I want to begin by saying that the opposition of Abortion is a subject that has been, and likely always will be, close to my heart.
And I have tried my best to keep my personal feelings and emotional appeals out of this message.
As I was writing the opening paragraph, I was confronted with all of the stories I wanted to tell of times when, in ministry and in my personal relationships with friends and family, I have had to deal with this issue.
The pleas and cries that my wife and I have made to women who were considering abortions weigh heavily on my heart, and could easily cause me to take a very personal road in my argumentation.
I could talk about how, when I worked in the funeral business I was confronted with so many laws which are in place to protect the dignity of the dead bodies which we cared for. So much care was taken to ensure the proper care of dead flesh - which, if we were to dispose of in any way which would be considered demeaning would have been a criminal offense...
But yet, everyday living babies inside their mother’s wombs are killed with the full support of the law?
Such things easily cause me to get emotional.
However, my experiences and my feelings on this issue do not matter. What matters is what God’s Word says.
As I have said before, when it comes to truth, my opinion should not enter into the equation.
God’s Word is the truth, and it must be our standard for any topic, especially one as ethically divisive as this one.
So, this morning I want to seek to answer the important questions about abortion from God’s Word.
Q. But what are the important questions?
A. I have taken the vast array and narrowed the questions down to the following:
Is Human Life Sacred?
When Does Life Begin?
I believe these are the most relevant questions because they get to the real issue, which is this: Is abortion the destruction of a living human person; and if so, does that matter?
NOTEWORTHY: Other issues come up when this subject is raised, but they all rise or fall with the answer to this foundational question.
The right to privacy is often touted as a reason for the right to abortion.
However, this argument is predicated on the belief that abortion is not the taking of human life.
If abortion is the taking of a real human life, then it doesn’t matter whether it is done in private or not.
We do not differentiate between public and private murder, neither would this be an issue if all agreed that abortion was the taking of an actual human life.
Likewise, the right of a woman to have the choice over her body is often touted as a reason.
Yet, in the same way, if abortion is the taking of a human life, then the right of choice is not necessarily in view.
I cannot choose to end a person’s life simply because their life inconveniences my own.
Neither does a woman have the ultimate right over her own body, because suicide is illegal; she cannot choose to end her own life.
Furthermore, what about the infant’s right to life, if in fact it is a living human person?
This is why I believe that all of the issues surrounding the question of abortion are secondary to the question of “Is a fetus a living human person” and by extension, “Is abortion the destruction of an actual human life?”
Thus, again, I believe the foundational questions are:
Is Human Life Sacred?
When Does Life Begin?
And we seek the answers to these questions in the pages of Scripture.
QUESTION #1: Is Human Life Sacred?
Now, some may see this as somewhat of an inane question, as most would agree - at least conceptually - that human life is sacred.
We see this in events that happen in our world.
When a group of miners are caught in a collapse, the world watches intently with baited breathe to see if they will survive.
When we see the pictures on television of people suffering from malnourishment in third world countries, we often feel sadness at their plight.
But why does it matter?
Because we understand that human life has value.
But the question I want to address, more so than “Is human life sacred” is “Why is human life sacred?”
The answer to this question is found in our opening text.
“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”” (Genesis 1:26 ESV)
Right here, in this initial introduction to the creation of humankind, we see a particular stamp that is placed upon the condition of man that is not placed on anything else in all creation.
It is the stamp of being made in the “imageo dei” (the image of God).
This does not mean that human beings are ‘little gods” or “micro-deities”.
What it does mean is that we, above all other creatures, have been endowed with certain characteristics of the Creator.
We have an ability for intellect, for emotion, for wisdom, and for creativity that is not only above the other created beings, but is in a different class entirely.
As I often laughingly say when I talk about those who believe in evolution, I have never seen a group of monkey’s produce a symphony, and I have never seen an orangutan perform brain surgery.
There is something inherently special about the nature of mankind, and it is that we have been created in God’s image.
And just because mankind has tarnished the image of God through falling into sin, the image has not been removed.
All people bear this image as a stamp from the Creator.
As a result, when the Bible describes the value of mankind and his life, it is this quality that is considered most important.
Consider the first instance of governmental law that is prescribed in the Bible.
This happened when Noah came off of the Ark, and it deals with the subject of capital punishment.
““Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.” (Genesis 9:6 ESV)
Some have argued that this is in the prophetic sense, as in “whoever lives by the sword will also die by the sword”
But the literary structure of this phrase is actually in the imperative.
It is a command for life to be forfeited for the crime of murder.
If a person willfully, and unjustly takes the life of another, the only rightful fitting punishment is that his life be forfeited as a result.
But why is there such a high penalty?
Because the life that has been taken was an image bearer of God.
When a person willfully takes a life of another, they are treading upon the very image of God.
In fact, Jesus goes even further.
““You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire.” (Matthew 5:21–22 ESV)
You see, for Jesus even the act of being angry with someone without just cause was liable to the highest degree of punishment.
Why?--->>>
Because we are not dealing with a simple stray animal here.
We are dealing with a person made in the image of God.
This fact alone (that we are image bearers) is enough to prove to us that human life is sacred and of great value.
However, as I said earlier, this is not the question at hand.
Some might even argue that this is irrelevant, as most would agree with the sanctity of human life to some degree.
But I would argue that it is extremely relevant.
It is relevant because, when we talk about abortion, we are talking about the destruction of something.
Note: This is not debatable, everyone knows abortion destroys something.
And if what we are destroying is a living human person, then we are talking about destroying a being that has been created in the image of God.
That level of value makes this subject all the more important for us to consider.
It is bad enough to be wrong about secondary, non-essential issues.
But it is terrible to be wrong about issues of great importance.
And when we are dealing with the subject of real human life, we are dealing with a subject of vast importance.
TRANSITIONAL STATEMENT:
So, in actuality the issue at hand falls really more to the second question:
When does life begin?
Because if what we are dealing with is not human life, then the case is open for debate.
But if what we are dealing with is actual living human person, then we need to stand in fear as we are destroying a bearer of the very image of God.
QUESTION #2: When Does Life Begin?
I want to begin answering this question by admitting that the bible never explicitly says that life begins at conception.
However, even though something is not said explicitly, it can be inferred by examining Scriptural truth on the subject.
So we are going to look at some texts of Scripture that give us the inference that what is within the mother’s womb from conception is an actual human life.
The most famous verse on this subject is this:
“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.” (Psalms 139:13–16 ESV)
Now, this verse does not say exactly when life begins, however it does speak poetically of God’s intricate care in forming the baby in the womb of the mother.
Furthermore, it speaks of God’s having a relationship with the fetus while in the womb - God saw in the unformed substance, a life.
You see, God’s sees us as personal beings before we are born.
This is why He could say to Jeremiah:
“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.” (Jeremiah 1:5 ESV)
In this sense, we see the personal nature of the baby in the womb, as God speaks of it as a life.
NOTE: Someone may argue, well these are not talking about “actual” life, but rather “potential” life.
However, God’s law does not relegate the baby in the womb to simply “potential” life.
The baby in the womb is given the right of protection - personal protection - under the Law of God.
““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.” (Exodus 21:22–25 ESV)
Even though a child is not yet born, he still receives “protective” rights under the Law of God.
IRONIC NOTE: The great irony is that a version of this same law is true in our land. If a women is pregnant, and a man robs her and knocks her to the ground and she has a miscarriage as a result, that man will be charged with the life of that child.
In fact, this law even extends to animals. Once in California, a man was caught stealing a Bald Eagle egg. When he was brought before the judge, he was convicted of killing an actual bird because the judge declared that “the egg would have become life, so the taking of potential life is tantamount to the taking of actual life”
What I find most interesting is that this judge probably doesn’t see the inconsistency in his judgment on the man with the bird and the law concerning abortion.
If destruction of a bird egg is legally equivalent to the killing of a bird, then the destruction of a human fetus MUST be equivalent to the killing of a person.
However, many inconsistencies are found in the law when examining this issue.
So the Bible makes it clear that the baby inside the womb is a life worth protecting.
I believe this is illustrated in one of the most precious stories in the New Testament.
When Mary went to visit her cousin, having been given Jesus in her womb, and her cousin pregnant with John the Baptist, we read this account:
“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1:39–44 ESV)
Beloved, impersonal matter does not leap for joy.
In fact, impersonal beings are incapable of the emotion of joy.
But this text tells us that the “baby” in her womb leaped for joy.
NOTE: A linguistic point to be made.
In the Hebrews language, the word for a baby in the womb is the same word for a baby outside the womb.
The same goes for the Greek language.
Linguistically, a baby, whether prenatal or postnatal, was considered to be a living human person.
SHIFT GEARS: Now, I did say in the beginning that I wanted to just deal with what the Bible said on this subject.
I do, however, want at this moment to address what Natural Law, or Science, has to say on the subject of when life begins.
Not because science is our authority, but because when science agrees with the Word of God, it is good to recognize the symmetry therein.
Scientific advances, particularly in the past century, have given us a large volume of information that we can use to conclude when life begins.
What we now know, without any doubt, is this:
- All of the genetic information, the entire genetic code that generates the particular characteristics of a human being is established at the very moment of conception --- from that point, the growing being is not a part of the mother, but is an individual genetic person.
- The baby has his own DNA, and even his own blood type which often differs from the mother.
- Within 18-25 days, there is a discernible heartbeat.
- Within 8 weeks, brainwaves and fingerprints are present.
- Within 12-13 weeks, the fetus sucks its thumb, and recoils from pain.
NOTE: One person called a fetus an “undifferentiated mass of protoplasm”. This is simply intellectually dishonest.
Another described an aborted baby as “so much domestic sewage”.
This statement adds no intellectual aid to the discussion, and I have never seen ‘sewage’ with a heartbeat!
Illustration: “Silent Scream” There was once a film entitled, “The Silent Scream”. The film records an actual abortion, with sonogram images from within the womb. During the act, the fetus is seen to be contorting in horror against the invasion of its body with a knife and clamps, in much the same way as an adult human being would if he were subjected to the same type of torturous pain.
It is not unclear from watching the film that the child is very much alive, and able to feel the pain it is undergoing, as its tiny body is being drawn apart and destroyed.
Some want to argue and say, “Its not a baby, its a fetus”
Beloved, from the moment of conception there is life, and it is human life.
The terms zygote, embryo and fetus are simply designations of human development in the womb.
A similar language is used after birth, when we designate the human life as newborn, infant, toddler, child, adolescent and teenager.
Why is that stages of development after birth are stages of human development, but stages prior to birth are not?
In the final analysis, the evidence is very clear that the baby within the womb is a living, human person.
The Bible and scientific evidences both support the truth that the fetus is an individual living human person.
And because of this, we have no reason to deny that abortion is tantamount to murder....and that the 4,000 abortions happening everyday in our land are nothing short of a genuine holocaust.
Now, I do want to address another subject on this divisive issue.
When the subject of abortion comes up, a slew of questions are normally leveled at one who opposes the right of abortion. Normally the questions go something like this:
- What about the woman who is going to die if she has her baby?
- What about the baby that is totally malformed and probably won’t live anything more than a few days?
- What about the child who has a noted physical and/or mental impairment that will impair the child’s quality of life substantially?
To these questions, I would answer in the following way:
“Do we honestly believe that the overwhelming majority of the 3,300 abortions that occur everyday do so to save the life of the mother, or the quality of life for the child?
Seven states actually have reporting data on women who receive abortions, as to their reasons. These figures are self-reported by women obtaining abortions. However, they are independent data and involve a large sample. Based on that information, and that this survey goes from the year 1998 to 2006, I would say these numbers do reflect the reality of the situation. One of the states is Florida, and the survey is broken down as follows:
Those who received an abortion for:
Physical Condition: 0.52%
Mental Condition: 0.12%
Abnormal Fetus: 0.57%
Other/Unknown: 0.5%
Personal Choice: 98.29%
This means that of the 798,226 women surveyed in Florida alone, 784,596 made a choice without any mitigating medical reason.
In a period of only nine years, over 784 thousand babies still in the womb, were destroyed because in some way or another, they were considered to be unworthy of the right to life - in many cases, I would argue, for the simple reason of convenience.
I would further ask, “Of the abortions made for medical reasons, how many are actually necessary to save a life?”
Children born with physical and mental problems are not worthless. They still bear the image of God. They are still human beings with a right to life. Just because they require more care than a child without their problems does not mean they are any less worthy of life. Yet for many, this is place where it is perfectly right to “play God”.
And as for women who are in danger in pregnancy, the Bible never makes a case for one life being more or less valuable than another. But it does declare that both lives are equally valuable as both are in the image of God. In these rare cases, it would seem that all medical stops should be pulled to save both lives, as both lives are valuable.
Former U.S. Surgeon-General C. Everett Koop, M.D. stated, “Protection of the life of the mother as an excuse for an abortion is a smoke screen. In my 36 years of pediatric surgery I have never known of one instance where the child had to be aborted to save the mother’s life. If toward the end of the pregnancy complications arise that threaten the mother’s health, the doctor will either induce labor or perform a Caesarian section. His intention is to save the life of both the mother and the baby. The baby’s life is never willfully destroyed because the mother’s life is in danger.”
In the end, the goal of all of our efforts should be the preservation of life. Whether it be life that is inside or outside the womb, life preservation is the goal.
In fact, in the medical profession, Doctors are made to take an oath that they will work towards the preservation of life.
Yet so many are willing to destroy life in the name of Choice.
QUOTE: Our biggest cultural problem is that we have begun to treat human life like real estate. In real estate, desirability and location are the only things that matter. So too with human life. Location (whether inside or outside the womb) and desirability (whether or not a woman “wants” the child) makes all the difference.
CONCLUSION: Sadly, in our modern epicurean atmosphere where the pursuit of personal pleasure trumps all other pursuits, pregnancy has become a punishment and childrearing a prison sentence.
Even the current president of the United States has called childbirth a “punishment”, and this view is held by many in our society.
As a result, the goal of the preservation of life has taken a back seat to the goal of personal pleasure.
I pray that God would have mercy on our nation.
Not because we deserve His mercy, but because without it we stand precariously close to the precipice of His judgment and wrath.
The sins of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Assyria and Babylon, and even in Nazi Germany pale in comparison to the massive loss of life that is going on in our country everyday.
Only if God’s Spirit moves and brings revival in our land, will we see this horrible atrocity stop.
Without a moving of the Spirit, there is no hope, for only God’s Spirit can change the hearts of men and women.
I would encourage us all to pray for a genuine national revival, without which, all we can look forward to is judgment.
I would also encourage us, as a church, to continue to support groups that are on the front lines of this issue (like the Women’s Resource Center) and be willing to participate in roles of need as they arise.
[ As we prepare for prayer, extend a word of comfort to those who have been affected by abortion, and remind people of God’s promise to forgive those who repent. Abortion is a sin, but it is not an unforgivable sin. If you are living with the guilt of a bad decision, you can find peace with God by simply repenting and asking forgiveness ]
