Have you ever heard someone say something like this when it comes to the topic of abortion and whether churches ought to be involved in pro-life issues: “Church leaders shouldn’t talk about abortion because the Bible doesn’t mention the word abortion. It’s a political issue, not a religious issue; therefore, it doesn’t warrant any attention in church”?
Many churchgoing people get the willies whenever they see announcements in the church bulletin promoting pro-life activities, or when their pastor preaches against abortion. Heck, many churches in America look more like the “see no evil, say no evil, hear no evil” monkeys than they do the One who triumphed over evil. “Don’t talk about abortion—and certainly don’t preach about abortion” is the position of many churches today.
Yet the future of the pro-life movement is dependent on American churches and parishes being educated and emboldened about what the Bible teaches about human life.
Though many wish we would remain silent, Scripture is far from silent on the sanctity of human life. And where the Bible speaks, the Church must speak. So my prayer is that the Church will end her silence and speak with the authority of Scripture.
Scripture is far from silent on the sanctity of human life. Click To TweetThe Bible provides a simple, yet elegant foundation regarding abortion and the Church’s involvement in ending it. The Bible answers three fundamental questions about human life:
- Is God the creator of all human life?
- Does God permit us to end innocent human life?
- Does God command the Church to protect innocent life?
Discovering the answers to God’s role in creating human life, what He allows us to do to that life, and what He calls His Church to do makes a literal difference in whether we have a responsibility to promote and protect human life. So let’s ask and answer each question in turn.
1. Is God the creator of all human life?
In the will and mind of God, there is no such thing as an “unplanned pregnancy.” Every time a couple gets pregnant unexpectedly, God doesn’t wring His hands or slap His forehead and say, “Well, I never saw that coming!” The couple may be surprised, but God NEVER is.
God is never surprised because God is sovereign. Psalm 103:19 declares, “The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all” (NASB).
The Holman Bible Dictionary defines God’s sovereignty this way:
[The] biblical teaching that God possesses all power and is the ruler of all things (Ps. 135:6; Dan. 4:34-35). God rules and works according to His eternal purpose, even through events that seem to contradict or oppose His rule.
Few were as proud, or had reason to be, as King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. Believing he was sovereign over his kingdom, he eventually discovered God’s all-powerful control the hard way. God inflicted him with a mental illness where he thought and acted like a cow. For seven years he ate grass and wandered in a pasture until he acknowledged God’s sovereignty. And when he did, he humbly declared:
“For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can ward off His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’” (Daniel 4:34-35)
God is sovereign over not only rulers and kingdoms; He is sovereign over the smallest details of our existence. For instance, He knows the exact number of hairs on each of our heads—which is greater for some of us than others (Matthew 10:29-31).
David expressed his amazement at God’s creative genius and power in controlling all the tiny details of his life.
O LORD, You have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
You understand my thought from afar.
You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
Even before there is a word on my tongue,
Behold, O LORD, You know it all. …
For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother’s womb.
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth;
Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;
And in Your book were all written
The days that were ordained for me,
When as yet there was not one of them. (Psalm 139:1-4, 13-16)
Wow! What an amazing statement! God is in control of it all, which is why David could write in Psalm 24:1, “The earth is the LORD’S, and all it contains, the world, and those who dwell in it.”
Simply put, God is the Author of all life. Every child is conceived within God’s complete control and plan. He creates each and every one of us, regardless of the circumstances of conception. We are His. Even if our families consider us unwanted or unplanned, in God’s mind we are always planned and wanted.
2. Does God permit us to end innocent human life?
Since God, by His sovereignty, creates every human being—meaning no one is accidental or a surprise to Him—the next logical question in relation to abortion is, “Does the Creator God permit us to destroy His creation?”
Consider an artist who creates a beautiful painting of a garden or a girl—say, Monet’s Water Lilies or da Vinci’s Mona Lisa. With paint-stained fingers, the artist labors over this painting. With painstaking attention to detail, every brushstroke, every hue of color is a masterpiece. And once the artist completes his work, he steps back—his clothes covered in reds, blues, yellows, oranges, and whites—and admires his creation. He frames it to accentuate the many colors, and he hangs it on a wall for others to see and admire. He is proud of his work and wants nothing more than for others to enjoy it.
But what do you think the artist would say if you walked into his studio, saw the painting, and said, “That’s the ugliest painting I’ve ever seen in my life. It looks like a barrel of monkeys were let loose and flung paint willy-nilly on the canvas. That’s no more ‘art’ than when I used to paint by number”? And what do you think the artist would do if you picked up a pair of scissors and began shredding his painting, or if you put a lit match it, or threw turpentine on it?
If I were the artist, I’d probably throat punch you and then call the police. But regardless of the artist’s reaction, destroying a masterpiece is not only criminal—it’s tragic.
Admittedly, this metaphor is crude. But it illustrates the point I was trying to make earlier: each child is a masterpiece whom God designed with care, intent, and love. And He does not permit us to destroy the lives of His creation.
God makes this clear in the sixth commandment of the Ten Commandments: “You shall not murder” another human being (Exodus 20:13). And if that isn’t clear enough, God—who does not stutter—speaks plainly in Ecclesiastes 8:8, “No man has… authority over the day of death….”
Let me repeat that: No man has authority over the day of death.
God ordains life and is responsible for the creation of every human being. And only God has the authority to take life. He alone determines the day of death. He does not give us the right to decide who should live and who should die.
3. Does God command the Church to protect innocent life?
God doesn’t permit us to end innocent human life, but the reality is we destroy womb-bound lives at an alarming rate every day. So, what is the Church’s responsibility, as God’s representatives on earth, to preserve and protect innocent life?
Many churches answer that question with, “Nothing.” They refuse to engage the abortion holocaust because, as they say, “Abortion is a political issue, not a church issue.” Those that hold to this view make two mistakes about abortion.
First, protecting the sacredness of life isn’t merely an “issue.” Abortion represents a level of rebellion against the life-giving and life-sustaining God that can only be spoken of as a grievous evil and worthy of divine judgment. Without mincing words, abortion is murder on a scale that defies imagination.
Second, it is a fallacy to regard abortion—a clear violation of the fundamental right to life—as nothing more than “political.” The right to life is the cornerstone of human rights and dignity, endowed by our Creator. This makes abortion theological and sociological, as well as political, and it places the reality of abortion at the front door of every church. To ignore abortion by relegating it as a matter of politics exclusively is to stand squarely in opposition to God and to condemn to death the most innocent among us and those most vulnerable to abortion—children in the womb.
To put it another way, if we accept the truth of the Bible—that God creates every human being, and our Creator does not permit us to destroy His creations—then continually downgrading abortion until we regard it as nothing more than a political football greatly dishonors our Creator.
Abortion is the killing of innocent human life. It is not about choices, reproductive rights, or Republicans versus Democrats. It is not about labels, marketing campaigns, or votes.
Abortion is about a mother, a father, and a child. The child loses his or her life, and afterward the parents suffer emotionally and spiritually and often physically. There are no winners in abortion.
If we allow abortion to remain solely in the political realm, then its holocaust is measured only by statistics, not by humanity.
The Church has an obligation to be intimately and passionately engaged in protecting and preserving the lives of not only preborn children, but also their mothers and fathers, and the communities that ought to be nurturing these children through every stage of life. And God’s Church must also be healing helpers of men and women who are suffering from abortions in their past.
Scripture is replete with commands to help, serve, heal, protect, preserve, forgive, feed, nourish, and rescue.
Proverbs 24:10-12a says,
If you are slack in the day of distress,
Your strength is limited.
Deliver those who are being taken away to death,
And those who are staggering to slaughter, Oh hold them back.
If you say, “See, we did not know this,”
Does He not consider it who weighs the hearts?
And does He not know it who keeps your soul?
Aren’t the preborn being taken away to death? Aren’t they staggering to slaughter? There can be no other answer than yes.
Jesus commands us to love God and love our neighbors, and to treat others the way we want to be treated. But how can we say we love God when we give so little care or concern for our neighbors in the womb and for the families of those not yet born?
The Bible speaks clearly, authoritatively, and passionately about the Creator of life and our obligation to protect and preserve the life He has created. The Church’s silence on abortion is sinful, and it has now become harmful and deadly as well. It’s time for the Church to be the hands and feet of Christ in caring for “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40 NIV).
Millions of lives—born and preborn—depend on it.
Mr. Fisher, I have noticed a high correlation between religious groups that ordain women as pastors and the acceptance of legalized abortion in the USA. Examples are: Unitarian Universalists United Methodists Presbyterian Church USA The Episcopal Church Reform Judaism American Baptist Churches USA The Evangelical Lutheran Church United Church of… Read more »
Once again, no ones business but those involved. Do not push your religious beliefs on others.
The Bible? When did the Bible become the official word on anything in America or for all of America? I resent those thinking that the Bible is to guide my life or anybody else’s other than those those who willingly chose it as their guide for themselves. Let those who… Read more »
Jim – thanks for the comments. Those denominations who support abortion rights are unbiblical. Most pro-abortion churches reject the authority of Scripture and thus are unbiblical on numerous issues. The United Methodist Church is beginning to walk back its long-standing abortion stance (primarily because of their African churches) and they… Read more »
Thank you for this word! It is so timely and now NYS has a governor looking to change the constitution to make it a permanent right of women. Please be in orated on this matter with us. We are taking people to the Capitol to pray and decree on Sunday… Read more »
Hi Brian,
I am reaching out to all the churches in our city.
Could you please forward your permission to Saskatchewan Pro-life to use this write up?
Hi Jane – go for it and hope it helps –
Brian
What do you say to people who say the fetus or embryo is not a human life? That it can’t be considered human until it breathes (the “breath of life” God breathe into Adam) or until the brain becomes active or until the heart beats or until it is viable… Read more »
Hi Andrea – 1. To say a fetus or embryo is not human is to deny irrefutable facts of science. We are unique, distinct, members of our race at conception. If a baby in the womb isn’t a member of the human race, what could she be? A frog? A… Read more »
Thank you for speaking the truth.
Preachers are afraid for 2 reasons they wrongly believe is just a political issue and they are afraid to offend the congregation and loss members(money). I believe a very high percentage of Christians have been involved (in the past)with abortion either directly or indirectly or at least know someone close… Read more »
I think the church needs to go way further than preaching about the evils of abortion. They need to reach out to those with unwanted pregnancies and give them moral, spiritual, and physical support to get those women (and their partner if they are in the picture) through it. And… Read more »
Excellent writing Brian Fisher, well choreographed to present the power and teachings of our Lord. It is our responsibility as Christians to preserve and protect the most innocent among us, the unborn child. Therefore it is at our doorstep and we should be vocal in our defense for these babies.
God time and time again has called us as His witnessing body (His Church) to defend life in all cases through his Word, especially in the womb from its creation and to nuture all human life, as we are all created in his image and called to a Devine purpose… Read more »
I read this to the end and found it helpful, humorous at times, and a wake-up call to those who are beginning to accept abortion and artificial birth control (which also kills human life) as “business as usual”. Thank you, Mr. Fisher, for reminding churches to kindle living fires of… Read more »
Its frustrating and heartbreaking enough to have to wrestle with the atheists and other so called ‘liberal’ minded people who somehow have convinced themselves that it’s righteous to support the brutal massacre of the most innocent and vulnerable human beings on the planet, but when I am faced with a… Read more »
Dear Brian, Many churches are involved in abortion…they support it! For instance, the Episcopal Church, the United Methodist Church, the United Church of God, the Presbyterian Church (USA), and the Mormon Church all allow abortion. Many belong to the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights. In 1967, Rev. Howard Moody of… Read more »
Indeed and great points. Check out Deliver Us From Abortion (a book we released a couple of years ago) that talks about denominations and their support of abortion in great detail. (www.deliverusfromabortion.com)
I am currently involved in a Catholic Christian community where we are working and praying against any forces or foreign influence that may want to legalize abortion in our little twin Islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Currently, we are looking at purchasing an Ultra Sound machine so pregnant mothers can… Read more »
Excellent idea. We use ultrasounds, as well as several other aids, as we counsel abortion-determined women. Go for it!
Hi Brian, I enjoyed reading your blog. I would like to add that I agree that the churches have all rights to speak out on abortion issues. The scriptures that came to my mind while I was reading was the times with Herod and the slaughter of so many innocent… Read more »
I went through and read some of the other comments and I noticed the issue of churches not wanting to get involved are common. Of course, unless the pastor or other leader takes an interest it’s not likely the rest of the church will either. As a former counselor in… Read more »
Mr. Fisher…..I worked as a counselor for women in crisis situations in a pro-life center for years. At the same time I attended an Assemblies of God church faithfully. Our procedure was to send out invitations for our annual banquet and walk for life, as well as other events, to… Read more »
ABORTION is not mentioned in the Bible–Because it was unthinkable! Lifw has always been precious and to be promoted—-not Demoted.God is Love –don’t ever forget!
The Church should definitely be involved in protecting innocent human life. The Church needs to take a stand against those who take innocent human lives!! Plain and simple, abortion is MURDER!!!
So true and so well said. Bill Nye the science guy posted a face book video. It basically slams anyone who thinks abortion is wrong to uneducated misled misguided unintelligent people who dont know sciences. I tried to debunk many of his arguments including telling my own story of not… Read more »
Bill Nye is a poster child for evolution, secular humanism, and the worship of science. If anyone should be against abortion, it should be scientists, as they have a deep grasp of life in the womb and the fact we are all human from conception. Thanks for choosing life! You… Read more »
Dear Brian Fisher, I just went to my Pastor today to ask them to be involved with a fundraiser, that is done once a year for the crisis pregnancy center in the area where I live. After speaking to the pastor I was told that because this is such a… Read more »
Roseanne – thanks for the question and I’m sorry you had that experience. You may or may not like my response, but take it for what it is worth. If church leadership is not willing to confront abortion in its community, teach about it, talk about it, and aggressively fight… Read more »
Hmm. I think the real issue is that the Church has largely ignored the clear teaching of Scripture on many subjects: money, sex, marriage, divorce as well as abortion. Pastors today seem to have a list of subjects they ignore and the list seems to grow every year. The goal… Read more »
Fantastic clear concise hits the spot thank youforthis.. My church won’t take a stand I’ve challenged them.
Keep it up! We need them!
Thank you very much for your efforts and fighting the battle when the church has been silent. I am trying to get my church involved in the fight and I have been hitting the pastor in heart in hopes of lighting a fire of passion in him for the unborn.… Read more »
Christoper – just email us at [email protected] and ask for Sean Martin to respond. He can get you connected to the right resources. Thanks!
It seems that the word Abortion is only an abstract concept to some people. Otherwise, there would be a global uproar of daily protests to end the atrocity of murder in the womb.
Rachel – I think most people understand that abortion kills a human being. However, most have not read about the procedure itself or understand the brutality of both surgical and medical abortion. I almost became physically ill just reading about the details of a surgical abortion procedure. It is worth… Read more »
I think it goes deeper than this. Satan is the author of abortion for it is he that requires human sacrifice of innocents. We forget that blood cults are not just religious – they are political as well. If Satan was the author of the holocaust, is he any less… Read more »
I have never believed in abortion AT ALL! But this message strengthens me even more in my belief. How wonderfully said and how biblically proven! Thank you for your quest in this area! It is so important that abortion be stopped and that the church address these issues.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and scripture truth about the sanctity of life and our responsibility as “Ecclesia” or “the church” to protect and nurture the unborn. I had an abortion when I was younger and it was the greatest tragedy in my my life. I realized as I… Read more »
Powerful, Mary, thank you for sharing.
On December 3rd I awoke from really a terrible dream about an aborted baby. Essentially, I felt it was a wake up call from the Lord for the unborn. I wrote about it in the following website I attached here for those who would like to read it. It is… Read more »
God has placed this message in my heart for days now! How can I get involved to help?
Brian, Great article and a call to arms for all Christian churches. Unfortunately many people will dismiss your argument as they don’t accept scripture as God’s word, rather they worship at the altar of secular humanism. Interestingly, they will hold fast to climate science theories as “gospel” truth and claim… Read more »
I agree. We also provide apologetics from other fields of study. See this blog series: https://hucoprod.wpengine.com/2016/08/24/four-points-proof-life-sociological/. Science completely supports the pro-life worldview, as you well know, and we need to do a better job of educating the public.
Abortion is a mortal sin, a sin unto death.
I have worked at a Pregnancy Care Center for over 30 years. I have seen it all and yet there is so much work to be done and we as Christians need to get involved. We need to encourage women to keep their babies. There are so many families out… Read more »
Very well written article. Fortunately I belong to a church that works very hard in making His Word the directive for our menmbers. Pro Life us very important to us as many in our congregation take part in the Pro Life movement. How any Christian church can do the work… Read more »
But our opposition will say “it’s not a human until it’s born, where does the bible say…” and we should have a reply – the annunciation was made before conception, not before birth, and to put an exclamation point on the fact that our God became man at that conception,… Read more »
Indeed, and of course Scripture is supported by science, which has proven beyond all doubt that we are human from the moment of conception.
The people and the priests and ministers have been silent too long. We all need to stand up and speak up for all innocent babies born and not yet born.
God allowed women to eat their young while in a famine due to war ravaging.
Moses wrote to the people in Deuteronomy ch 28 all but 14 verses the calamity that would occur if they abandoned His laws.
we are getting some of these here in the USA!
I think everyone knows deep in their hearts that unborn babies are human beings,just as deep in their hearts they know there is a God. By continually ignoring this their consciences become seared. May God forgive us for the evil in our country and have mercy on us, not allowing… Read more »
Charlie – fulfilling the commandment in Scripture to love our neighbor as ourself certainly has ramifications for all churches dealing with all victims of oppression. You are quite right. I also think that God’s direction to rescue innocent lives is a top priority, as life is a precious, invaluable gift… Read more »
The churches collective voice has silenced the indivdual Christians voice thru influence and may GOD help us..
Great insight into why abortion is intrinsically evil and why all believers in God are duty bound to oppose it. All human life is sacred from conception to natural death.
Really the church has a power to stop the killing of unborn babies. I always cry for those killed babies by abortion. I always pray for those unborn babies that God can keep them safe. every Christians has a responsibility for unborn babies. No more holocaust for unborn babies.
Thank you Brian. We all need to read/hear this to step to the front and be proactive for life. I’m thinking you made a mistake on your blog though..the 5th. Commandment is “thou shalt not kill” not the 6th. That is “thou shalt not commit adultery.”
I agree that the issue of abortion is not just political. What the church does or does not do about it proves who we really are. Since some churches have decided to support a woman’s right to choose, there is a widening divide in Christendom. Abortion brings a curse upon… Read more »
I have been seeing more and more TV advertising calling our attention to the thousands of abused, starved, sad, and wounded animals. Dogs and sometimes cats that need to be rescued from their temporary animal shelters. I too am appalled and loath people who could do such horrible things to… Read more »
Dodie – I actually think the increase in violence towards people or animals is tied to abortion. Violence begets violence. When we tolerate the killing of over 1 million pre-born humans each year in America, that violence creeps into our culture and mindset. After all, if we are comfortable slaughtering… Read more »
If Parenthood is defeated-will it not be the responsibility of the church to establish clinics to provide help to pregnant girls and women in distress? What is theChurch in the U.S. Currently doing to help these women?
Anne – that is actually the gap that Human Coalition fills. Our network of pro-life women’s care clinics focuses solely on reaching and ministering to abortion-determined women. Here’s a pretty good picture of what we do: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/meet-pro-life-group-cracking-planned-parenthoods-favorite-market.
May Gods people repent and seek Gods forgiveness ,this has gone on too long with too few in the struggle to stop the murder of these precious ones in the womb , may we all of Gods people have our hearts and eyes opened to the truth of this holocaust… Read more »
You are right Brian. I live in Canada in the province of Quebec and unfortunately our priests almost never speak about life as opposed to abortion. Maybe they are afraid ? Thank you for your devotion to those who cannot speak.
P. B.
Dear Brain, I totally agree with U. Taking an innocent life isn’t the way God’s work. Same as “easter, valentine, mother and fathersday ect. Those are some stuff made up by peoples law. That has got nothing to do with God’s law. Same as abortion !!! God bless a mother… Read more »
The Bible says, Thou shalt not kill, and life needs to be protected, and all Babies should have a chance to live, life is a miracle from GOD, abortion is not of GOD!!! If you are not a firm believer you are not going to have knowledge of these things.… Read more »
God Bless keep supporting our BABIES!