What does the Bible say about
the Sanctity of Life?
A LIFE CHURCH RESOURCE
The following document has been written to help equip the Christ-followers of LIFE Church in conversations regarding the recent Roe vs. Wade decision and our pro-life position.
The content of these pages is simplified and far from an exhaustive study. The goal is to provide the reader with tools and answers for the most commonly asked questions that may arise around the pro-life and pro-choice debates. With that said, our goal is not to create division, defend our position, or prove who's right and who's wrong. The 'win' is understanding what the Bible says about this subject, knowing God's plans and instructions regarding the unborn, and aligning our thoughts with His.
1. OUR MANDATE IS CLEAR
With all the controversial topics and heated media debates happening in our culture, it can be easy to get swept up in well-presented arguments and opinions that lack substance and a foundation of truth to support them. As a Bible-based and Bible-Preaching church, our opinions, morals, guidelines, and political persuasions must be clearly aligned with the Word of God in all areas of life, especially those dealing with eliminating life.
With that said, making the eternal canon of scripture our absolute authority in determining the value of life and where it begins is imperative. If the Bible is not determined to be the authoritative, inherent Word of God, then we have no criteria for moral absolutes, thus making man's opinions and experiences the highest court. This devaluing and ignorance of the authority of scripture, while exalting the ideas and morality of current culture, has led our nation and previous nations into moral, financial, and political collapse. So here at LIFE Church, or to quote Joshua, "As for me and my house," we have determined, by the grace of God, to remain faithful to the time-tested truth of God's Word as we navigate these waters.
Our mandate is clear:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
The two big questions that must be answered to establish a doctrinal position and future practice are: 1) Where does life begin? and, 2) Who has the right or authority to terminate it? All other questions and concerns surrounding pro-life vs. pro-abortion are secondary. Our conclusions in addressing and answering these two fundamental issues are taken straight from the Bible without regard to cultural sway or public opinion.
2. WHEN DOES A LIFE BEGIN?
Much of the discussion and differing opinions around abortion are based on the question, “When does a life begin?” If life doesn’t begin until the moment a baby breathes air on its own, then it is much easier to justify the elimination of a fetus. BUT if life begins at conception, then eliminating a fetus equals taking a life. What does the Word of God have to say about the matter? Again, the Bible is our non-negational foundation of truth in answering these significant and often divisive issues. The following verses address this question:
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born, I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.”
At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy.”
But he said to me, ‘You will become pregnant and have a son. Now then, drink no wine or other fermented drink and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite of God from the womb until the day of his death.’”
So, as you can see, the overwhelming and conclusive evidence of scripture affirms that life begins at conception and that God calls, anoints, makes plans for, and destines the unborn while they are still in the womb. This is so clear and dominant throughout scripture that in Exodus 21, the penalty for causing the death of an unborn child was a "life for a life." In other words, God considered and valued the life of the unborn as equal to any other life. The Biblical reality is clear that life begins at conception and that taking an unborn baby's life would destroy the destinies of men and women who are created in the very image of God and potential world changers. Regardless of what a child grows up to be, accomplish or not accomplish, every life is precious, and God has plans and a purpose for every unborn baby.
3. “MY BODY, MY CHOICE?”
You’ve heard this mantra, seen the signs, and are very familiar with the “battle cry” of the pro-abortion movement. I want to take a moment to unpack this statement around the following two questions:
To answer the first question, we would say, YES! We have all been given free will to do with our bodies whatever we choose, as long as it does not break the law or harm others. For instance, you can choose to work out and eat right or destroy your body through poor diet and lack of exercise. We can choose to inundate our bodies with drugs and alcohol or any variety of chemicals that lead to ultimate destruction. Our choices with our bodies are truly ours, and we will bear the consequences of those choices. Thus, the instruction for the Christ-follower:
Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So, you must honor God with your body.
This command does not apply to those who have not surrendered their lives to the Lordship of Jesus - although the consequences of dishonoring your body are universal.
Now to the second question: Is the life of the unborn “my choice” to keep or terminate because it is being carried in my body?
Based on our previous conclusions and overwhelming scriptural evidence, the life of the unborn is an eternal soul that God has entrusted to the parents. This means the pregnant mother is more a steward of the miracle of life than the owner. Only God has the power to give life and the authority to end it. The miracle of conception and childbirth is precisely that, a miracle. The design of the sovereign God, giving humanity the ability to procreate, is an entrustment that must be stewarded. Every parent will give an account to God for how they handled unwanted pregnancies and how they raised their children.
For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.
To bottom line is this: it may be “our body,” but that does not give us the right to terminate the life being stewarded during pregnancy. That baby belongs to the Lord. This is the biblical position and reality.
4. THE CHURCH, A PLACE OF HEALING
The Church is called to care for the spiritual condition as well as the physical welfare and healing of all people.
Because Jesus is the healer and we are his representatives, the Church is to be a place of healing. Our concern and ministry go beyond salvation and the spiritual healing we all need to the physical well-being of everyone. We would never support any law that would put the life of a pregnant woman in danger, yet this is the false narrative that is being asserted in our culture.
Much could be said around the statement and the commonly purported thought that "The limiting of abortions in many states is putting women at risk, taking away their healthcare and jeopardizing their safety."
The bottom line is that this is not a true statement. What is being used is the semantics of calling the right to abortion a health care right and an issue of safety. In fact, there are no laws or proposed legislation that would deny an abortion to a woman whose health and life would be put at risk by carrying the child to full term.
5. HOPE AND HELP: for those who have suffered the trauma of abortion
Numerous studies have proven that abortion is a traumatic experience that can result in “post-abortion syndrome,” which refers to intense distress that has a lasting impact on mental health (Healthline.com).
While this research is debated, some common symptoms women may experience following abortion are deep sadness, grief, depression, regret, relationship issues, and more. There can be an overwhelming tendency to feel inferior and unworthy.
This can certainly be true for those women who have experienced abortion before coming to Christ. Following their conversion, there can be a heightened response to their past mistakes as they grow more in their faith and understanding of the heart of God and the juxtaposition of sin, as well as the purpose of Christ’s sacrifice to bring abundant life and not death. Consequently, when the topic of abortion arises within a church (or any Christian setting), this topic may be a potential “trigger” for all the feelings mentioned above and symptoms some women may experience.
To counter those feelings when abortion is discussed, empathy and compassion are vital. It is good to remember and point out to women that while on earth, Jesus loved and ministered to women and was compassionate toward their circumstances, never critical or judgmental. Likewise, the Church must follow His example. Some women feel their past sin of abortion is too much to be forgiven for, and they can never be rid of the guilt, shame, and unworthiness. This is, of course, not the voice of the Holy Spirit but comes from the realm of darkness to condemn. It is important to state this clearly and “call out” this tactic that the enemy uses. Differentiating conviction from condemnation is beneficial as a start. We can further counter this accusation with the following scriptures:
Psalm 103:10-12 (NLT)
He does not punish us for all our sins; he does not deal harshly with us, as we deserve. For his unfailing love toward those who fear him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west.
Romans 4:7-8 (NLT)
“Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”
It can be a battle for women to fully believe that they are loved, so they need to be encouraged to know that God is Love and His love is unconditional. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. Most importantly, they should be encouraged to pray. To pour out all their feelings to the One who died to set them free. There is no emotion or sin too big for God. What the Holy Spirit can accomplish in just a few moments can be far more valuable and lasting than months of counseling.
Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
So, let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
Our full confidence rests in the love, fidelity, and continuous power of God.
Romans 8:38-39 (NLT)
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.
Our goal at LIFE Church is to provide any emotional and spiritual support to help women be fully restored to a place of wholeness.
6. MOVING FORWARD: The Church’s attitude, posture, and becoming the solution
This is not a time for Christ-followers to add to the noise of arguments, political rhetoric, and pointing fingers. While we celebrate the overturning of ROE vs. WADE, our hearts and countenance must reflect Micah 6:8 “O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
We will respect others’ opinions and right to their views on these matters while holding to the Biblical truths that we have established and are determined to live by. In other words, we can love and accept people who completely disagree with us, showing them the love of Christ without compromising our position.
This is a time for the Church (capital “C”) to step up in the areas of adoption, foster care, resourcing pregnancy centers, and walking closely with women facing the decision of abortion vs. giving birth.
7. CONCLUSION
For the past 50 years, abortion on demand has been responsible for the lives of over 63 million unborn children. Around 98% of those abortions were the result of an unwanted pregnancy from consensual sex. We believe this disregard for the lives of the unborn has been a key factor in the absence of God’s blessing on our nation, the escalation of sexual immorality, and the current state of the moral implosion of our nation. We say that not to be depressing and present a doomsday scenario, but to see the potential of this significant moment in our history. Throughout Biblical history, when women and children were viewed as commodities, eliminated, or sacrificed out of convenience or occult practice, and the laws of God were ignored, that nation was then positioned for judgment and destruction. However, when people turned to God, honored human life, and kept God’s commandments, then the blessing, favor, protection, and nearness of God were realized. We believe our Supreme Court and those who have “fought the good fight” to make these changes have positioned America to see a shift in the spiritual climate, an open heaven, and a turning back to God. This is our hope! Revival is our cry, and a strong local church that preaches the Bible is the hope of every community. Thanks for standing with us!