When it comes to the moral climate of a nation, two forces should work in harmony to promote righteousness: the church and the government.
In these times of moral relativity, it is important that we – the church of Jesus Christ – influence the government in every major issue of our culture, whether it is religious liberty, marriage, or freedom of speech. Even more importantly, we need to be doing all we can to influence the government to protect all lives from murder – regardless of age, ability, or geographic location. Abortion has been an evil running rampant in the United States for a long time, and the time has come for the church and the government to put an end to it.
The Government’s Role – law, passion, and courage
Those who stand for abortion “rights” will quickly say that the baby in the womb is not human life and therefore has none of the rights associated with human life. However, the evidence is overwhelming that the unborn baby is a living human from the point of conception. Here are some milestones of baby development:
At conception, a new life begins that possesses human DNA and is the offspring of human parents; it can only legitimately be described as human life.
A baby’s heart begins to beat between 18-24 days after conception.
At 8 weeks a baby can feel pain.
At 9 weeks after conception, a baby is able to bend its fingers around an object in its hand and sucks its thumb.
At 12 weeks, a baby can kick, turn over, make a fist, open its mouth and press its lips together.
At 20 weeks, a baby can hear and recognize its mother’s voice.
At 23 weeks, a baby can survive outside the womb.
It is simple: the law should protect every person’s life, including unborn children. Everyone has a God-given right to life and it is against the very character of God to take someone’s life in an act of murder.
There are issues that the government should have limited power to execute: issues such as taxation, immigration, economics, speed limits, etc. But it should have no power to decide that innocent human life isn’t worth protecting. In fact, God established the government to punish those who take an innocent life (Romans 13:4). Whatever we can do to protect life – voting in leaders, organizing marches, petitioning or calling our elected officials, etc. – we should do it.
If you are looking for a tangible way you can make a Christian impact on the political agenda of abortion you can visit our AFA Action page or sign up for our email alerts. While we cover a variety of different issues we put an emphasis on political actions related to the abortion issue.
The Church’s Role – compassion, grace, and forgiveness
When we address the issue of political action against the demonic agenda of abortion, we should approach it with a tremendous amount of passion and courage. This is a non-negotiable for the Christian, and protecting the lives of the unborn is a hill to die on.
However, when addressing the individual mother or father who is considering an abortion or has had an abortion, our approach must be very different: full of grace, mercy, truth, gentleness, and love. These are eternal souls who are in eternal danger and need saving just as much as their unborn child does.
We as Christians need to exercise great discernment when we are engaging the issue of abortion. Are we addressing the agenda of politicians or individuals who have been deceived? Sure, you will have some that will ridicule and say all kinds of evil about you because of the simple fact you stand in the gap to protect all babies, no matter how well you respond to the two separately. You must be unaffected by and pray for these people.
For the women who have had an abortion but are seeking to discuss it, be prepared to express God’s forgiveness and grace. Recognize that this is an opportunity to minister to her – not a time to discuss all the evil that is behind the agenda of abortion.
Please don’t misunderstand me; I am not minimizing the moral importance of law and the political agenda. I’m simply saying we need to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit to discern when someone is hurting from having had an abortion. This is the time to express compassion and encourage them to seek grace and forgiveness from God so that the healing can begin.
“And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9).
There are many great recourses out there for women who are seeking healing from abortion. Here is just one great resource, Surrendering the Secret.
(Editor's Note: This article first appeared HERE on the EngageMagazine website).
