Welcome back, brothers and sisters! Peace be unto you in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Well, it’s been a few weeks, but today we will pick up right where we left off. Today, we are going to discuss the sanctity of life, and we are going to do some genuine soul-searching to see where each of us truly stands on the matter. Though most of us profess with our lips to believe in the sanctity of life, what often obscures those proclamations are the choices we make which evidence an actual disdain for life. Sadly, we tend to truly honor the sanctity of only our own lives, while having much less of a valuation of the sanctity of another’s life. In so doing, we unwittingly attempt to assume part of God’s role in deciding who should live and who should not based on our own set of criteria that we have established in determining the “viability” of one life versus another.
Beloved, abortion has been a point of intense contention for decades now. As with any point of serious debate, there are outliers supporting each end of the argument that sometimes engage in extreme, distasteful, and dangerous acts as a means of trying to drive their point/position home. Rather than reign in those outliers, the general consensus has been to pull back from the intensity of the face to face debates/confrontations held in times past. In today’s discussion we will not worry about who we do and don’t offend. Why? Well, precious one, it is much more important for us to openly discuss the ongoing and unmitigated slaughter of millions of defenseless and innocent babies than it is to maintain some semblance of political correctness. Let’s start by calling a spade a spade. Rather than using the more antiseptic term of “abortion” in today’s discussion, we will use the term “murder”? This is both more direct and more apt in describing what is taking place. Saying that a pregnancy has been “terminated” marginalizes the scale of what has just taken place as it tries to deflect the actual reality and gravity of the situation. Rather than stating that a “pregnancy has been terminated” we need to be more intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually honest by speaking plainly in saying that another defenseless and innocent baby has been killed. This brings up a question: Why do we put so much effort into “repackaging” this contentious topic. That’s a valid question. Consider the following passage from Scripture that also serves as one of the Ten Commandments:
“Thou shalt not kill.” – Exodus 20:13 (KJV)
We put so much effort into trying to “repackage” the killing of innocent babies, because we know deep down that the slaughter of these children is nothing more than a complete rejection of this commandment that God has laid out for us. Words like “abortion” and “termination” have been determined to be far less contentious than “murder” and “killing”. The more clinical and less contentious words were not put in place because they are more accurate; rather they were put in place in order to try and lower the heat on the debate by desensitizing all involved to the actual nature of the atrocities taking place. You see, when someone cannot make their argument based on merit, their only hope of “winning” is to change the nature of the argument. This is what has happened in the so-called “pro-choice vs. pro-life” debate. Rather than having everyone debate the right of a completely defenseless and innocent unborn child to live, the argument has been deflected into the following primary topics:
- A woman’s right to choose
- When does human life really begin
- Determining the viability/quality of life of a “fetus”
Let’s proceed to address each of these flawed arguments, one by one.
A Woman’s Right to Choose
This argument resonates with quite a few people, because it is geared to appeal on a raw, emotional level to women by insinuating that a woman’s civil rights are being infringed upon in order to require that she carry her baby to term. This argument stipulates that protecting an unborn child’s life and preserving a woman’s right to choose are two mutually exclusive matters. In fact, this is a lie. A woman can make her own choices and still refrain from authorizing the cold-blooded murder of her unborn child.
The general rule that gets left on the sidelines in this particular argument is that each of our civil rights are to be protected. This includes the civil rights of the baby, who unfortunately is unable to articulate his or her position on the matter. Furthermore, while I have the right to make my own choices, the law does not allow me to make choices with impunity that will cause serious harm to others. This is why Charles Manson remains on death row. He had a right to make his own choices, but the choices he made were wrong and cost other people their lives. He is in jail, where he belongs, as a result of the choices he made. The point is, Charles Manson could have made any of a number of other choices that would not have resulted in him going to jail for the rest of his life. Instead, he made choices that inflicted undue harm on others. As a result, he is dealing with the consequences of the very poor choices he made. Do we have a right to make our own choices, good or bad? We absolutely do. However, that right is only unmitigated in being protected as long as our choices only affect us, individually. My right to make my own choices for myself does not extend to allow me to infringe on the rights of others by forcing my choices on them.
Now, one of the justifications used to attempt to validate a woman’s right to choose is when a woman is “not ready” to be a mother. Even our current president once said that if one of his daughters became pregnant before she was “ready” to be a mother, he didn’t feel she should be “punished” for making a bad choice (having intercourse) by having to become a mother. Punished? Really?
First of all, let me say right now that if you are not ready to become a mom or dad then you have no business engaging in intercourse. Even if you are taking birth control, there is no guarantee that it will work in preventing a pregnancy. If you are not ready to accept the responsibility of becoming a parent then you’re not ready to have physically intimate relations with another person.
Second of all, a child is never a burden. Children represent some of God’s most wonderful blessings bestowed upon us. How does God view children in terms of being a burden versus being a blessing? Consider the following passage from Scripture:
“Lo, children [are] an heritage of the LORD: [and] the fruit of the womb [is his] reward.” – Psalm 127:3 (KJV)
Beloved, is there any way to read that passage and interpret it to mean that a child is a burden being cast upon you by God? No! The Lord is clear that children are a blessing from above.
Lastly, for those women that are pregnant and really do not want to raise a child, or feel “ready” to do so, there is another option: adoption. Precious one, there are thousands upon thousands of people who are unable to have children that would cherish the opportunity to open their home and welcome a baby into their family. When a woman makes this choice, she preserves her right to choose what is best for her while also allowing the baby an opportunity to live in a loving family. This is the perfect example of how preserving the mother’s right to choose and the baby’s right to life are not mutually exclusive matters. Both objectives can be accomplished if we incorporate love and compassion into the equation.
Now, someone will make the argument that what if a woman is raped and becomes pregnant as a result of this atrocity committed against her. First of all, let me make clear that my heart absolutely breaks for any and every victim of rape. No one should ever have to suffer such an ugly and evil act. I am also sensitive to a woman being constantly reminded of the rape/rapist as she progresses through the pregnancy, and I know that this can cause a great deal of emotional torment and anguish as there can be a tendency to relive that horrific event. However, being the victim of rape does not give one the license to take the baby’s life. Rather than making a tragic event (the rape) even more tragic by compounding it with the murder of an innocent and unborn child, I would encourage the mother to seek Christian counseling and support throughout the pregnancy. Then, once the mother gives birth, she can either decide to raise the baby herself, or she can decide to put the baby up for adoption. God can help you turn any situation that man meant for evil into good if you will only ask Him to and allow Him to help you do so. Furthermore, just as the woman was undeserving of being raped in the first place, the baby is also undeserving of paying for the sinful act of his or her father (the rapist). Consider the following passage from Scripture:
“The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.” – Deuteronomy 24:16 (KJV)
The rape of anyone is almost as hateful an act as can be committed against another human being. The only more hateful act I can think of is to respond by murdering someone that had nothing to do with the rape and is completely innocent. Again, my heart breaks for every victim of rape, and I know that the anguish and pain that results from such a terrible act can be extremely excruciating and consuming. However, I would implore you to be the beginning of God’s healing rather than unwittingly becoming an extended tool of the rapist’s damage and destruction by responding with your own evil act.
The last potent subset of the “woman’s right to choose” argument is the one that stipulates a woman should have a right to choose to kill the baby if carrying the baby to term endangers her own life. Being blessed to be the husband of a phenomenal woman that is in a high-risk pregnancy currently, this is the argument that resonates most deeply with me. I know how much I love my wife (completely), and she has definitely been one of God’s greatest blessings to me. I would do anything to protect my wife, and I would pay any price to keep her from harm. If I could lay down my own life in order to protect her, I would do so without needing time to deliberate the matter. However, as we are waiting for our next child to be born in July, we both realize that there is so much more to life than just what we see in this world. We both put our ultimate faith in the Lord, and just as we would lay down our lives for Him and for each other, we also would not hesitate to lay down our lives to save our children. We have talked about this many times, and we have prayed about it. However, ultimately, Jesus Himself best exemplifies the appropriate response to this situation, and perhaps He best exemplifies the difference between what we call “pro-life” and “pro-choice”. Consider the following:
- The Pharisees were primarily concerned with preserving their own position in life. They deemed the best way to preserve their own stations in life; they needed to crucify Christ Jesus.
- Rather than choosing to escape the pain, torment, and suffering He would experience in order to save us, Jesus gave Himself up for us and suffered to the point of death on the cross in order to give us an opportunity to be saved and to receive eternal life.
Do you see the contrast here, beloved? The bottom line is that the pro-choice stance is based on sacrificing another (the unborn and innocent baby) for the sake of one’s self, while the pro-life stance is rooted in doing whatever is necessary to preserve the life of another (the unborn and innocent baby). Could the differences be more extreme? No. We were not created to glorify ourselves. We were created to glorify God. There is no better way to glorify Him than to follow the examples that Jesus set for us while here on earth, including being willing to lay down one’s own life for a loved one that cannot save himself/herself.
When Does Human Life Really Begin
Indeed, when one argument doesn’t work, Satan just plants the seeds for another argument to try and accomplish what the first argument couldn’t. Such is the case with the argument of when human life really begins. Where the first argument was meant to play on emotions, this second argument is intended to appeal at an intellectual level. This would not be the first time Satan has attempted to use science to oppose God, and it will not be the last. The effectiveness of this intellectual argument is enhanced by attempting to give the audience a means by which to be completely clinical and emotionless in discussing the matter at hand. The more clinical the discussion becomes, the easier it is to factor out complications like love and compassion. How is this done? Well, you simply make the baby less than human by discussing him or her as a scientific matter. The only problem with this argument is that it is completely baseless and cannot stand up to critical scrutiny or even basic common sense.
There have been various arguments about when a “fetus” actually becomes a person. Some have taken a position that this happens after 12 weeks, while others have pushed for 24 weeks, etc. Regardless of the timeframe that a person champions, the argument does not have merit. First of all, referring to a baby as a “fetus” does not in actuality change the fundamental truth that the baby is in truth alive and is a baby. A “fetus” should not be seen as a pre-human form that precedes human life; rather the word “fetus” should be seen as merely a description of the life-stage that the baby is at. This only makes sense, as we use this type of life-stage labeling all throughout life, don’t we? Upon birth the baby is a newborn, then an infant, then a toddler, and so forth all the way through being a senior citizen. The term “fetus” should merely be seen as the description of the life-stage that the already existing baby/human being is presently in. When does God consider a person’s life to have started? Consider the following passage from Scripture:
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, [and] I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” – Jeremiah 1:5 (KJV)
Did you notice that God was telling the prophet Jeremiah that before He (God) formed Jeremiah in the belly, He had already ordained Jeremiah to be a prophet? This is not insignificant. Consider also King David’s mention of life before being born into the world when he said:
“For Thou hast possessed my reins: Thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise Thee; for I am fearfully [and] wonderfully made: marvellous [are] Thy works; and [that] my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from Thee, when I was made in secret, [and] curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in Thy book all [my members] were written, [which] in continuance were fashioned, when [as yet there was] none of them.” – Psalm 139:13-16 (KJV)
Precious one, did you notice that David is acknowledging that God gave him life prior to himself reaching any significant stage in his own development in the womb? Beloved, when the sperm and egg come together, each of our DNA is written into us determining the color of our eyes/hair, the height we will grow to, the tone of our skin, etc. We begin growing along the path laid out in our DNA code immediately. How then could anyone come to the conclusion that life begins after “x” amount of weeks/months after that point. The very basic and fundamental truth is that dead things do not grow, right? You know a tree is dead when you see it begin to wither and you notice the absence of any growth/life being present. I want to challenge you right now to show me one thing that grows once it is dead. Only the living continue to grow and develop. The dead just rot and decompose, some very slowly and some very rapidly. Real and honest science will also reinforce this. More importantly, the ultimately authority (God) has spoken on this issue through His Word (Bible), and He couldn’t be clearer. Any misinterpretation, therefore, is self-induced on this matter, and any ignorance is of a willful nature. This will not cleanse anyone from being awash in the blood of innocents when standing in front of the judgment seat of Christ.
Determining the Viability/Quality of Life of a “Fetus”/Baby
The last major argument Satan arms his servants with in trying to justify the murder of unborn and innocent children is to try and make the decision to commit such an act appear to be a noble gesture rather than the atrocity it really is. What better way to do this than to predetermine that the “fetus”/baby is headed towards a quality of life not worth living? The idea is to paint a picture of a fetus/baby that will struggle to survive to birth, and if the fetus/baby does survive to be born then the quality of life that he or she will live will be one of incredible misery and suffering. This then positions the decision to “terminate” to be a glorified and selfless “mercy kill”. Again, the only problem with this is that it presumes upon God’s authority, and it is completely misguided and wrong.
Beloved, first of all we need to establish whether we are more concerned with achieving a high “quality of life” than we are with leading a quality life. The two cannot be more different.
If we are more concerned with achieving a high “quality of life” then we are going to be more focused on the procurement of the products the world has to offer (i.e. shiny things, larger bank accounts, mansions, etc.). If we are more concerned with living a quality life then we are going to be more focused on the things that heaven has to offer this world (i.e. hope, love, compassion, joy, etc.).
My oldest daughter is autistic. When she was born, this disability was immediately apparent. When my daughter turned 3 years old, she was diagnosed as being autistic as this disability really began to make its presence known in her slowed progression in different areas. We have altered our lives (i.e. careers, geography, etc.) in order to work with our daughter in combating this disability. My wife and I have invested a large amount of financial and emotional resources in working with our daughter through this disability, and she has made phenomenal progress towards being able to live independently later in life. With all that being said, my daughter leads a quality life that I constantly try to aspire to. She meets each day with unbridled enthusiasm, overflowing optimism, completely unrestrained love, and a beautiful heart that seemingly never cease to forgive offenses that others direct her way. We do not pity our daughter; rather we try to emulate her. She incorporates qualities/characteristics into her everyday life seemingly as naturally as we each breathe in and out. She has never been close to being a burden. God has blessed us so bountifully through our princess. Our daughter absolutely loves life, and she loves God. Does that sound like misery and suffering to you?
During one of our recent visits to the doctor for my wife’s current pregnancy, the doctor asked my wife if she wanted to have the tests done to determine any birth defects/abnormalities in the baby before moving forward. My wife declined to have these tests done. When the doctor asked her why, my wife replied “Regardless of the results, it wouldn’t change a thing.” Have I already told you how phenomenal my wife is? The doctor understood the message to be that we were going to carry this baby no matter what. Who are any of us to determine whether a baby’s life is worth living or not?
There have been scores upon scores of accounts of babies showing abnormalities during these tests that were resolved by the time they came to birth. There have been even more accounts of babies showing abnormalities during these tests who were actually born with the abnormalities/disabilities. Interestingly, many of these children came to enjoy God’s grace and mercy in life. While they can’t do things that come so easily for you and I in some cases, they can often do things that you and I often struggle to do. Many of these children appreciate the most important things in life, even the important of something as simple as a smile. These children are not a saddle to be burdened with; rather they are a blessing to be bestowed upon us. We ought to cherish them as the blessings they are.
Beloved, just as God protects us as His children, He positions us to follow His example by protecting the children that He has blessed us with. There is no middle ground on embracing the sanctity of life. We either cherish and nurture the lives that God has entrusted to our care, or we don’t. For such an emotionally-charged and controversial topic, it really is as simple as that. Make no mistake about it, regardless of what the world determines as being an acceptable reason for killing an innocent and unborn child, God’s position on the matter remains unchanged. Once the baby is in the womb, regardless of stage (i.e. “fetus”, # of weeks, etc.), we are charged with protecting and nurturing that precious life that we have been blessed to receive. It is an abomination to disregard the sanctity of life and to murder innocent, unborn children. Consider the following passage of Scripture describing God’s sentence on the Ammonites for sanctioning the murder of pregnant women in order to secure and expand their realm by eradicating the people of Gilead:
“Thus saith the LORD; ‘For three transgressions of the children of Ammon, and for four, I will not turn away [the punishment] thereof; because they have ripped up the women with child of Gilead, that they might enlarge their border:’” - Amos 1:13 (KJV)
Precious one, when you become pregnant God has already started His craftsmanship in your womb. While at the earliest stages of development, the baby is already a baby. Only the living continue to grow and develop. You will never give birth to a goldfish, a unicorn, or a horse. That baby is nothing less than a human being at the earliest stages of development, and his or her life is no less precious and valuable than yours or mine. Rather than seeking public validation from a flawed and fallen world, seek the Lord God Almighty on this. He has spoken, and He will lead you to the right choice. At the end of the day, regardless of what the world says, only what God says on the matter is really relevant.
Beloved, if you have ever had an abortion, contemplated abortion, or advised/assisted someone in getting an abortion, you need to understand the gravity of the offense committed. That offense is that you were complicit in the murder of a defenseless, innocent child that God created, and that child’s blood is on your hands. I do not say this to condemn you. Frankly, I would never judge you or anyone else. All judgment is reserved to the Lord. However, I would not have you be ignorant to the abominable nature of the transgression that you have taken part in. I do not say this to denigrate you. Rather I say this so that you better understand the nature of this act so that you might avoid doing it again. Regardless of what you have done, God loves you and so do I. We do not want to see you suffer. The only way to be cleansed from having the blood of innocents on your hands is to be washed in the blood of the Lamb of God. Jesus knew what you would do before you did it. He knew before He offered Himself to be crucified that you would make the choice you made. Why did He still decide to give His life for you? Well, beloved, He died for you so that you could receive a salvation that none of us could ever earn ourselves. Furthermore, Jesus gave you the opportunity to receive a new life in Him that you could also live for Him.
Most people don’t realize that the woman plaintiff in the Roe v. Wade case that was suing for her “right to choose” to have an abortion later repented of her sins and gave her life to Christ. She has been a “pro-life” supporter for quite some time now. She has been cleansed, beloved, just as Jesus offers to cleanse each and every single one of us for the sins we have committed in our lives. When she steps in front of the Heavenly Father she will be presented blameless to her Creator as a result of having received Christ into her life. She was born-again spiritually and became a new creation in Christ Jesus the moment she found herself at the foot of the cross.
Beloved, are you ready to be renewed and to be washed clean? Are you ready to truly become a protector of life rather than a witting/unwitting purveyor of death? Would you lay your life down for another rather than clinging to this life as though it’s all you have to live for? Do you want the strength to be able to do so? You can have the strength to make the decision that Christ Jesus made by letting Him into your heart. Turn your life over to Jesus Christ, and He will strengthen you to make the impossible all too possible. He will give you a new beginning free of the “baggage” that your past sins have accumulated.
If you are ready to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please join me in praying the following prayer:
“Lord God Almighty, I know that I am a sinner and that I am lost. I know that I need to be saved from sin, but I also know that I can’t save myself. Lord Jesus, I know that only You can save me. I know that You paid for my salvation with Your own life and blood on the cross. I know that when You rose from the grave on the third day, You conquered death and provided everlasting life to all who trust in You. I now lay down my life and let go of my pride, my vanity and every other sin that has kept me from You. From this moment on, Lord Jesus, I completely trust my life to You. I open my heart to You, Lord. Please come into my heart. Please forgive me of all of my sins, and please accept me as Your child. From this point on, I commit my life to You. Please guide me and provide me strength as I begin to live the rest of my life for You. In Your precious and matchless name I pray. Amen.”
Beloved, if you just prayed that prayer sincerely then you are now spiritually born anew in Christ Jesus. The stains of your past sins have been washed away. You may still have to face the consequences of some of your past mistakes, but the Lord will strengthen and sustain you to face and endure those consequences. Furthermore, though you will still face new trials and tribulation throughout the rest of your life, you will never again do so alone. The Lord is with you now, and through Him there is nothing too big for you to face and deal with. I want to encourage you to commit yourself to growing in your new relationship with the Lord by studying His Word every single day (Bible), communicating with Him frequently (prayer), while seeking out fellowship with your new brothers and sisters in Christ (Christians). Your relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship you will ever have, and I would encourage you to treat it that way. I want to welcome you to the eternal family of Jesus Christ! The angels in heaven are rejoicing at your decision to accept Jesus the Christ as your Lord and Savior.
I would like to add one more thing to today’s message before we come to a close. While we are to be protector’s of the lives of unborn children, we are not to respond to evil with evil. People who kill doctors that perform abortions, or bomb abortion centers, are serving Satan and not the Lord. God never encourages us to respond to evil with evil. We are to fight to protect the lives of unborn children through prayer & supplication to the Lord, through ministering to those facing these decisions, as well as through non-violent means of protecting the lives of these precious babies.
I want to thank you for joining us for today’s message. Please plan on joining us for next week’s concluding message in the “Can You Handle the Truth” series. It is always a blessing to have you with us!
Go and enjoy this blessed day that the Lord has made! Share the Lord and His bless Word just as freely as you have been blessed to receive.
If ever I can be of assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me. It is always a blessing to support you in prayer and in any other way that I am able. You are precious in God’s eyes. He loves you, and so do I. You can reach me by phone @ 520-288-9261, by email @ revjasont@gmail.com, or through the “Comments” section under this message.
May the Lord bless you, keep you, guide you, strengthen you, and make His face to shine upon you and your loved ones always. May you always cherish the blessed gift of life that comes only from the Lord God Almighty.
Your brother in Christ,
Rev Jason Thurwanger
. I would value the opportunity to join with you in prayer and/or to converse with you.
