Pastor David B. Curtis
Pastor David B. Curtis
During the 30's and 40's Adolph Hitler devised and carried out a horrible plan. Hitler believed in Eugenics. Eugenics teaches that some races are inferior and must be "weeded" out of humanity. For whatever reason, Adolph Hitler decided that Jews were one of those inferior races. Quietly, Hitler instituted a plan to destroy any and all Jews. Laws were passed stripping them of their legal rights. Jews were then quarantined to the poor parts of German towns. First, forced to wear armbands identifying themselves, then branded. They were forced to work as slaves and herded into concentration camps. They were used for medical experiments (Sadly, most of the medical data we have today about how much pain a human can tolerate before they die was discovered by Nazi doctors who experimented on Jews). By 1945, an estimated 6 million Jews were murdered in a systematic attempt to erase the Jewish population.
The Holocaust of Jews in Europe was a horrible event in human history. But, an even more horrible holocaust is happening today, legally, in our own country.
On September 11, 2001 terrorist killed several thousand people, and the outcry for justice was great, the cry of pain was heard throughout our nation. Swift and accurate justice was rendered. Yet, 4,000 unborn babies are being murdered everyday, but I see no weeping, no anger, and no outcry for justice.
Since Roe vs. Wade gave women the right to receive an abortion in 1973, more than 40 million babies have been aborted in the United States alone! 40 Million, that's more than 12% of the present population of U.S.A.!
No single issue divides the American people more than the abortion issue. Whose rights are most important, Mothers or Children? Those who favor the unlimited right of a woman to abortion have waged a meticulous, well thought out public relations campaign since the 1920's. Anti-abortion Christians have been portrayed as ignorant, narrow-minded extremists! Some, who call themselves Christians, have reinforced that view with violent attacks toward abortion doctors and bombings of abortion clinics.
Today, a majority of Americans (a little over 50%), believe that a woman has an inalienable right to murder her child while it is still in the womb! It's clear that Abortion is an emotional issue with pro-life and pro-choice advocates sharply divided. We're never going to agree on this issue. So who's right? Well, if you're a Christian, than you know that God is the Creator of all life, and that He has told us in His word what is right and wrong.
But if you do not recognize a Divine Creator Who has made us, then that opens a can of worms. If God did not create us, and we are only biological accidents, and If God did not create the world we live in, but it is only the results of a big bang, then why should we be concerned about the morality of taking the life of an unborn child? If we have no God to answer to, then we can do whatever society will allow. We won't have to face God, if God does not exist. "We own our bodies, and can do whatever we choose. We have the right to choose! If it is in my best interest, then abortion is okay". That is the feeling of the majority of American citizens today.
Since we know that God created all life, the real issue for us is: What does God think about the issue of abortion? What does God's Word have to say about abortion? God's Word is our ultimate guide! When we don't get our view from the Bible, we get man's view, and man has a heart problem that distorts his views:
Genesis 6:5 (NKJV) Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
The heart of man is so evil that we would send someone to jail for killing a litter of kittens, but would do nothing to someone killing human babies. God created animals too, but not in His image. Babies are created in God's image. So when did animals become more important than human babies?
C. Everett Koop and Francis Schaeffer wrote a profound and prophetic book in 1979 called, Whatever Happened to the Human Race? They argued that without a biblical view of life, what is unthinkable today becomes thinkable tomorrow. When law and conscience are not rooted in a transcendent source of authority, relativism prevails and anything goes if those in power can be persuaded.
At the beginning, abortion-rights advocates argued that only extreme and rare conditions warranted more liberal abortion laws. Today, almost 30 years and more than 40 million abortions later, a woman can end the life of her pre-born child, including using a partial-birth abortion, for any reason. The unthinkable becomes thinkable and legally protected.
Today, respected experts are arguing that it's okay to take the life of an infant even after it's born. In an article entitled "Killing Babies Isn't Always Wrong," philosopher Peter Singer, a professor at Princeton, writes, "Perhaps, like the ancient Greeks, we should have a ceremony a month after birth, at which the infant is admitted to the community. Before that time, infants would not be recognized as having the same right to life as older people." He's not alone. American University philosopher, Jeffrey Reiman, agrees, "Infants do not possess in their own right a property that makes it wrong to kill them." (BreakPoint with Charles Colson, 9/2/00).
What we must understand is that when the Bible speaks, God speaks. When we want to know God's view of the issue, we simply need to go to the Bible. Let me give you several biblical principles which I believe make abortion wrong:
This is perhaps the strongest Scriptural and theological argument against abortion there is. Biblically, God Himself is said to create the child in the womb. So then, those who have an abortion are not merely destroying tissue or protoplasm, but an actual work of God Himself.
We suppose that the power of reproduction lies solely within the ovum and sperm and is entirely controlled by the genetic code. But biblically, it is clear that God Himself is involved in the process. God creates, personally and individually, every human life. God not only starts a pro-creation process but is active in that process bringing into existence all those people whom He has foreordained to life.
Genesis 20:17-18 (NKJV) So Abraham prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his female servants. Then they bore children; 18 for the LORD had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife.
God is sovereign over conception. He opens and closes the womb.
Genesis 16:2 (NKJV) So Sarai said to Abram, "See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her." And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
Genesis 21:2 (NKJV) For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
God ordains who will live and when they will live.
Genesis 25:21-22 (NKJV) Now Isaac pleaded with the LORD for his wife, because she was barren; and the LORD granted his plea, and Rebekah his wife conceived. 22 But the children struggled together within her; and she said, "If all is well, why am I like this?" So she went to inquire of the LORD.
Although these two children were still "unborn", they were "alive." They were still "children" - which happens to be the same word used of Keturah's "children" (Genesis 25:4) who had already been born. The Bible makes no distinction between a child and a fetus; that distinction originated with man!
Genesis 29:31-32 (NKJV) When the LORD saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was barren. 32 So Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben; for she said, "The LORD has surely looked on my affliction. Now therefore, my husband will love me."
Genesis 30:22-23 (NKJV) Then God remembered Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb. 23 And she conceived and bore a son, and said, "God has taken away my reproach."
Ruth 4:13 (NKJV) So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife; and when he went in to her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bore a son.
Psalms 100: 3 (NKJV) Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Psalms 139:12-13 (NKJV) Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light are both alike to You. 13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.
From the Psalms we see that what goes on in the womb is a work of God.
Psalms 139:14-16 (NKJV) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
He attributes his making to God. Human life is God's work.
Psalms 139: 15-16 (NKJV) My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
When I was nothing but an embryo, you had my life all laid out. God is the power behind conception, and every life that begins, begins because God has foreordained that life to begin. And once begun, it is eternal. Conception is an act of God, and life begins at conception.
In the Old Testament the Bible uses the same Hebrew words to describe the pre-born, infants, and children. In the New Testament the same Greek words also describe the pre-born, infants, and children, which indicates a continuity from conception to childhood and on to adulthood.
The Greek word brephos is used of the newly born, infants, and older children in Luke 2:12 & 16, 18:15; and 1 Peter 2:2. In Acts 7:19 brephos is used of John the Baptist while he was still in the womb, a pre-born infant. Even three months before birth, John could miraculously recognize Jesus in Mary's womb:
Luke 1:44 (NKJV) "For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
There is nothing in Scripture that even remotely suggests that the unborn child is anything less than a human person from the moment of conception. So life begins at conception, and conception is an act of God. The life of a baby begins long before he or she is born. A new individual human being begins growing in the mother's uterus at fertilization, and if the baby's life is not interrupted, he or she will someday become an adult man or woman.
In 1981 the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee held hearings to discuss the question of when biological human life begins. The testimony was revealing. An overwhelming majority of the experts answered emphatically that biological life begins at conception or implantation.
The American Medical Association shared that perspective until the 1960s, calling abortion a criminal act that ignored the obvious medical fact that fetal life begins at conception. In 1967, however, citing Changing Social Views, the AMA began to officially back away from its anti-abortion stance, completing the retreat in 1970.
So abortion is wrong, because conception is an act of God and life begins at conception.
Proverbs 31:8-9 (NKJV) Open your mouth for the speechless, In the cause of all who are appointed to die. 9 Open your mouth, judge righteously, And plead the cause of the poor and needy.
Psalms 82:3-4 (NKJV) Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.
Exodus 21:22-25 (NKJV) "If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges determine. 23 "But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, 24 "eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 "burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.
The Hebrew word for "child" is yeled, it is used 88 times in the Old Testament of children. In verse 23, God has ordained that the killing of a child prior to its birth is to be paid for by giving your own life.
This law is perhaps the most decisive evidence in Scripture that the unborn in the womb is to be regarded as a living person. The sixth commandment, "thou shalt not murder," is equivalent to, "thou shalt not commit abortion."
The text in verse 22 literally reads, "So that her children go (or come) out." Some translations have erroneously rendered the word "depart," yatsa, in this verse as "miscarriage", but there is no linguistic justification for this interpretation. The Bible has a word, shakol, that is often used to mean miscarriage or accidental abortion (e.g. Ex. 23.26, Hos. 9.14), but shakol is not used in this case. Yatsa is used in every biblical case except one (Numbers 12.12 uses it for a stillborn child) for the birth of an ordinary child. Thus these verses are most naturally understood to refer to a case where a pregnant woman is hit and delivers a child.
The object of the phrase "and no harm occurs" is not specified, and therefore, is most fully understood to be the mother or the child. This means that the lex talionis (i.e. the attacker is punished in keeping with the victim's injuries) applies when harm comes to either the mother or the child in her womb. Only if the mother is spared serious injury, and the baby is born without injury is the lex talionis not invoked. The natural conclusion is that the Mosaic law considered the child in the womb to be fully a person, protected by the lex talionis.
What would be the point in giving up your life for something that is not alive? Why would God take the life of the one who caused the death if the little one was not alive?
This is not only biblical law, you can look up any law code for any city in the United States, and you will find that if a pregnant woman is harmed in an attempted murder-there are two counts. Meaning one for the mother and one for the baby.
The United States Military states that if a pregnant woman is murdered, it is a double homicide. One for the mother and one for the child.
Simply from a law standpoint, not only Biblical law, but the law of the United States, both civilian and military, this little miracle growing to maturity is a living soul and should be treated as such. We, of course, are most concerned with God's law, which clearly shows that this little unborn person is indeed just that- a person. That little one is alive, that is why not-yet-born John, in Elizabeth's womb, was able to jump for joy, he was alive and aware, even in the womb.
To summarize, the Bible does not specifically address abortion or categorically state when human life begins. The overwhelming preponderance of biblical evidence, however, consistently supports the sanctity of human life inside and outside the womb. To interpret the Bible differently reads our preferences into the text and does not do justice to the authors' intentions.
Exodus 20:13 (NKJV) "You shall not murder.
Genesis 9:6 (NKJV) "Whoever sheds man's blood, By man his blood shall be shed; For in the image of God He made man.
When Cain murders Abel in the Book of Genesis, Scripture says that his "blood cries out from the ground." Murder is a horrific act, which the Bible commands us not to do. God values life and wants us to do the exact same. Jesus confirms this in His teachings, not to murder, and goes on to describe how our hearts should even try to avoid anger. Because man is made in the image of God, life is by definition sacred and should not be destroyed.
Proverbs 6:16-17 (NKJV) These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood,
What blood could be more innocent than an unborn baby's? Here is a verse that the doctors who perform abortions should take a close look at:
Deuteronomy 27:25 (NKJV) 'Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person.' And all the people shall say, 'Amen!'
I hope you can see that the Bible clearly condemns abortion. Abortion is murder and murder is always wrong.
A professor in a college ethics class presented his students with a problem. He said, "A man has syphilis, and his wife has tuberculosis. They have had four children: one has died, the other three have what is considered to be a terminal illness. The mother is pregnant. What do you recommend?" After a spirited discussion, the majority of the class voted that she abort the child. "Fine," said the professor. "You've just killed Beethoven."
I'm sure you've heard of partial-birth abortion, but do you understand what it is?
The procedure for the partial birth abortion is this. First, the mother is given medication to induce labor. Then the doctor reaches into the birth canal and turns the baby so that it will be delivered breached (feet first). The baby is delivered completely except for the head which remains in the birth canal. The entire body of the baby is outside of the mother except for the head. The doctor then takes a pair of scissors and places them at the base of the infant's skull inside of the mother's birth canal. The doctor then punctures the baby's skull. The baby jerks, becomes stiff, and then becomes limp. The doctor then removes the scissors, and puts a suction tube into the baby's skull while it is still inside the mother's birth canal. The doctor then sucks the baby's brain out, thus collapsing the baby's skull. This is done for two reasons: One, to make sure the baby is dead, and the other is to ease the delivery for the mother.
One nurse tells of observing the procedure, the baby was kicking and showed all normal signs of movement, but after the abortion doctor inserted the scissors, the baby went limp. She walked away and has never been a part of the abortion business again. Many of the people who are against abortion today are those who have witnessed and participated in the abortion process. They can't sleep, they know it is wrong!
Dr. Bernard Nathanson was a leading abortionist in America. He performed numerous abortions in New York. In 1972 ultrasound was first becoming an available tool for medical uses. He used ultrasound to examine what went on during an abortion. He became convicted and convinced that it was wrong after watching the ultrasound of an abortion procedure.
He made a film called Silent Scream which shows the violence in the womb during an abortion. Dr.Nathanson became a Christian and now supports the Pro-Life movement.
What can we do about abortion?
1. Pray:
James 5:16 (NKJV) Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.
We need to be in prayer that men and women will realize that abortion is murder.
2. Share the gospel and the biblical view of abortion with those you have the opportunity to. Get involved in people's lives. A lawyer told me that a woman he was interviewing, who had had several abortions, said that she did not know any Christians and had never heard the biblical view of abortion.
Norma McCorvey was the "Roe" of Roe vs. Wade. In 1969 she found herself pregnant and on the streets. She sought an abortion but could not get one in Texas because of the strong pro-life laws in Texas at that time. She found help in an ambitious young attorney named Sara Weddington. Sara convinced Norma to lie and tell the courts that she had been raped (This means that the abortion case that destroyed every state law protecting the unborn was based on a lie).
In 1972 that case, Roe vs. Wade, was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, and in January 1973, this supreme court reversed not just the laws banning abortion in Texas, but in all 50 states. Before the case even went to the Supreme Court, Norma had already had her baby and given it up for adoption.
In 1989, she came out of seclusion and announced to the world that she was the Roe in Roe vs. Wade. The pro-abortion movement recruited her for their cause and a TV movie was made about her life. She then went to work for an abortion clinic in the Dallas area where her life would change forever. She was killing babies for money and she knew this. But one day Operation Rescue moved in next door to the abortion clinic.
Norma said that she would watch the women handing out pro-life literature. Norma said that the pro-life people were always smiling, and she was very curious about that. She began talking with the pro-life Christians, and they began witnessing to her. Norma remembers a young mother who had 2 little girls. Emily was 7 and Chelsea was 3. Their mother, Rhonda, became pregnant soon after marrying, and Rhonda's relatives tried to convince her to have an abortion, because they said, "Well, Rhonda, that's no way to start a marriage; with a problem." Rhonda had seen the results of abortions that some of her friends had, and she refused to abort her first baby.
One day Norma was looking out of the abortion clinic window and saw little 7 year old Emily take literature from adults, and she would just walk up to women and say, "I would like you to have this information, and please don't go in there and kill your baby." Norma began talking with Pastor Flip Benham, director of Operation Rescue. She was lead to Christ in 1996 by these Pro-life protesters next to her abortion clinic and by a little 7-year-old girl named Emily. Today Norma is a Christian working with Operation Outcry, trying to reverse the Roe vs. Wade decision that she had been a part of.
Believers, we can make a difference if we try. A recent study by the Alan Guttmacher Institute shows that the number of abortions in the United States dropped more than 17% between 1990 and 1997. The Centers for Disease Control has stated that one of the contributing factors for this decline is the changing attitude about the moral implications of abortion! Christians are making a difference!
3. Vote - support those candidates who are committed to protecting unborn human lives and oppose pro-choice candidates. Place in leadership those who will work to abolish abortion.
4. Support pro-life organizations with your time and money.
Mother Theresa said, "America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe vs. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has portrayed the greatest of gifts- a child - as a competitor, an intrusion, and an inconvenience."
An elderly man was out walking along the beach early one morning when he noticed a teenager ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Catching up with the youth, he asked him what he was doing. The student responded by saying that the stranded starfish would die if they were left in the morning sun. The man chuckled a bit and said, "But the beach goes on for miles and miles, and there are millions of starfish. You can't save all of them! How can your effort make any difference?"
The young man looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it safely into the water. He then turned, looked at the older man and said, "It makes a difference to that one."
Believers, we need to be busy fulfilling our mission statement. We need to be influencing our friends with the truth of God's word.
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