Downloadable Files:
Does God Approve Of Abortion?
Abortion refers to the willful termination of a pregnancy in which process a human embryo or fetus is killed. Many support abortion procedures by claiming it is a woman’s right to choose what she does with her body and whether she desires to continue the pregnancy or not. Others will focus the issue on various circumstances of unwanted pregnancies or pregnancies in which the unborn babies are believed to possess developmental problems. Yet, the real issue that must be considered is how God views an abortion.
1) God is the Giver of life. It is often tempting for people to become their own gods or view modern science as being a god that is in control of life and death. After all, many people believe that life has originated as the product of random chances involved in an evolutionary process. And, if this view was correct, it may be reasonable to view people as having the right to choose who will live and who will die. Yet, when you recognize that God really does exist and His word is true, you should quickly discover that it is God (and not us) who is the giver of life! For example, Genesis 1:26-27 describes God creating human life on day 6 of creation week. Furthermore, Genesis 2:7, 21-22 gives more details about how God created the first two human lives. Then, God gave the people He created in His image the responsibility to procreate (Genesis 1:28). Therefore, any life that exists comes because God has given it (Job 33:4; Isaiah 42:5)!
2) The unborn are fully human. Perhaps someone believes these fundamental truths about the origin of life but does not believe an unborn child is truly a human life and, therefore, does not believe this unborn child must be protected. However, the Bible demonstrates that God’s perspective is clearly that an unborn child is a human being– just as much as any person! For example, Luke calls John, the Baptist, a “baby” while he was still inside his mother’s womb and says that he leaped (Luke 1:41). Furthermore, God gave the same punishment under the Old Testament law for those who cause the death of an unborn baby as He does for someone who murders any person (Exodus 21:22-25).
3) Each unborn life has been created by God. It is not just that God considers each unborn child a living human being while he/she is in the womb. More than that, He actually considers each life as one He created! For, God did not just create the first humans and then let “nature” run its course. Rather, there is an essential part that God plays in each human life. For example, God told Jeremiah he had been chosen before God had formed him in the womb and set apart before he was born (Jeremiah 1:4-5). Then, David wrote that it was God who created his inward parts and knit him together in his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13-16). Therefore, we can confidently say that every unborn human life has been remarkably and wondrously made by God (Psalm 139:14)!
4) The unjust killing of a human life is condemned as murder. Very few would argue that murdering another human being is wrong – legally and morally. Certainly, the Bible agrees and God has forbidden murder (Exodus 20:13; Romans 13:9). Having established the fact God considers the unborn child a living human being He has created in His image, there can be no other conclusion besides that abortion is murder and is condemned by God! In fact, we have already seen that God did institute a punishment under the Old Testament law concerning those who would cause an unborn child to die (Exodus 21:22-25). Today, God has warned all murderers that there will be an eternal punishment for them in the fires of Hell (Revelation 21:8) – unless they repent and seek His forgiveness!
God absolutely does not approve of abortion. In fact, He calls it murder! Although it is possible for someone who has had an abortion (or even multiple abortions) to be forgiven through Jesus Christ, it is not acceptable to ignore what God teaches that is applicable to abortion and to think that such is acceptable to Him.
