You shall not murder (Exodus 20:13).
In the book of Exodus, chapter 20, the Lord gave us the Ten Commandments. These were ten foundational truths that would bless us, our families, our societies, and our world if we would adhere to them and choose to live by the wisdom found in them. They were given for our good to make life better for us.
These commandments honor God and bless the people who live according to them. To violate them is to dishonor God and bring trouble, difficulty, and death upon the disobedient. It is in our best interest to hear, obey, and live by each of the Ten Commandments. Each one blesses our lives in a unique way.
The sixth commandment says “You shall not murder.” This commandment, perhaps more than any other commandment has extreme consequences when it is violated. One key reason is, when it is violated, a human being is taken out of this world. An individual made in the image of God is no longer in this world as a result of the actions of one or more other human beings.
Abortion is a form of murder – plain and simple. More specifically, abortion is first-degree murder. It is not accidental, but typically well-planned. Tragically, there is much deception, misleading, and the lies surrounding abortion. Sadly, many who say they are believers are taking the word “murder” and seeking to substitute it with words like “abortion,” “reproductive rights,” and “euthanasia.” It seems that they want to believe that murder is acceptable if we rename it. Yet whatever name you give the act of taking innocent life, it is still clearly wrong according to the Word of God. Abortion is murder. And it’s clearly against the Word of God and the will of God.
Sadly, because this specific kind of murder was repackaged and rebranded and sold to our culture with a brand new face and cover, so many have bought into it. So much so that now it’s been stated that one out of every three or four women has had an abortion. We have become a nation of murderers.
“That’s a very harsh way to put it” one might say. Well, sometimes the hard truth hurts. Sometimes it’s a very hard pill to swallow. Yet sometimes being faced with the hard truth head-on helps us to wake up and see where we are and what we are.
Now the God we serve is merciful and full of loving kindness and forgiveness. He clearly told us in His Word, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness “1 John 1:9). We serve a wonderful heavenly Father who majors in forgiveness. Our job is to confess when we have done wrong, repent of it, and ask for Him to forgive us. And He will certainly do it. He always keeps His word.
So, is abortion really first-degree murder? Yes, it is. And there are already laws on the books against that. God’s Word never changed. We did. We allowed ourselves to be deceived and lulled to sleep.
So what should we do? We need to be wise enough, bold enough, and committed enough to say that we have been wrong about the whole matter of abortion. It always has and always will be wrong to commit first-degree murder. God’s Word will never change.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live (Deuteronomy 30:19).
