Abortion is sin. It is the premeditated murder of unborn children in the womb with malice of forethought. It is a heinous, abominable crime and an affront against a holy God. Now that we have that out of the way, let’s talk for just a moment about how pervasive the Pro-Choice (Pro-Abortion) position has become, not only in the culture at large, but particularly within the Christian Church. We have been conditioned to think of child sacrifice as something that only exists “out there” in the world. Surely, none who call themselves followers of Jesus Christ could ever believe it acceptable to retain the label of “Pro-Choice,” right? Well, it should be the concern of every genuine believer that abortion is not just something promulgated among pink wearing feminists who donate their time and money to serving Planned Parenthood. It is a sin that resides in the walls of conservative, evangelical churches. Yes, even the Reformed ones with the creeds, confessions, expositional preaching, and all of the wonderful orthodoxy.
You may be tempted to say, “that’s absurd,” but how many times have those who faithfully minister on the sidewalks outside of the clinics been met with the opposition of professing believers with the ready quip of “don’t judge!” If you have spent any extended period of time on the public sidewalk in front of an abortuary (think morgue, but for aborted babies), you know all too well how pervasive it is to be accosted by those who care more about protecting the emotional well being of women than they do the actual baby who is moments away from being brutally murdered. How many crosses and Christian bumper stickers have we seen on the vehicles of abortion minded mothers pulling into the driveways? Is there a number that can properly put into perspective how often mothers on the verge of doing the unthinkable drum on about the forgiveness of God before they walk through the door to pay money for the execution of their own offspring?
It must be recognized that this thinking does not happen in a vacuum. It is the result of discipleship, and not the right kind. It’s what happens when men who occupy Pastoral offices as shepherds of God’s people neglect the weightier matters of the law, doing and saying nothing about the injustice of the bloodshed that has publicly defiled our land for almost five decades. Their perplexing silence can be accounted for by a few possibilities. Perhaps they are cowards and do not want to suffer the backlash that comes from blaspheming a cultural idol. Or, it is entirely possible that they themselves are “protecting” women in their church (maybe even their own daughters) from experiencing the grace of God’s shame. Either way, it’s critical for us to realize that abortion is a sin that the church is complicit in allowing. It is not something unbelievers do “out there” in the world. The leprosy is inside the walls. Where did Christians, yes, baptized Christians who go to church and Bible study every week get the idea that God is OK with abortion? Media and the education system are the easy answers. That is low hanging fruit. It’s much harder to acknowledge the failure among us to confront child murder in our own families. We simply won’t speak about this issue the way that the Bible does. We won’t call our members to repentance and obedience. This includes the necessity of disciplining all manner of sexual immorality, fornication and adultery among us. But, it also includes casting the gloriously good view of Biblical marriage and sexuality, of which a primary purpose is the propagation of a godly seed. We have instead adopted the secular mantra of autonomy, lathering it with a Christianese veneer.
It is time for faithful men of God to proclaim the counsel of God’s Word on this matter, starting from the pulpit of every Christian Church in America, and in the west for that matter. However, we must first examine ourselves for the gangrenous sin that clings so closely and declare all out war on it before it destroys us. I dare say that the reason the sin of abortion dwells within our churches is because unrepentant, un-killed sin has found safe harbor in the hearts of its leaders. We are less likely to expose evil by the light if we allow darkness to leave our own transgressions covered. That is why we must be the first to take our sins to the cross of Jesus Christ where they may be laid down in exchange for the costly grace secured for sinners. God is infinitely Holy. Our sin offends Him infinitely. Jesus had to die because God takes sin so seriously. The question is: do we? If we want to see this grave injustice end once and for all, Christians must be the ones who, by the power of the Gospel, through the means of the Spirit, show the world how it’s done.
Isaiah 1:16-17: 16 Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, 17 learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause.
