Looking at the Abortion Debate
Through the Supremacy of Christ
Through the Supremacy of Christ
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What About the Relative Silence of Scripture
on Intentional Abortions?
on Intentional Abortions?
Third of a Four-Part Series
David Bryant
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John 1:1-5
Before anything else existed, there was Christ, with God . . .
Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind.
His life is the light that shines through the darkness—
and the darkness can never extinguish it (TLB, emphasis added).
Eternal life is in him, and this life gives light to all mankind.
His life is the light that shines through the darkness—
and the darkness can never extinguish it (TLB, emphasis added).
As I stand at the Throne of Grace, looking unto Jesus, there’s an unspoken factor about the debate on abortion today that gives me pause. Yet, it should shape how I express myself as I serve the critical cause of advocating on behalf of the preborn. It is this:
How do I deal with how little
the Bible itself has to say on the topic?
The Bible has 23,145 verses in the Old Testament and 7,957 verses in the New Testament, for a total of 31,102 verses.
But out of those thousands of verses, only a handful can properly be applied in any literal way to the situation or treatment of the child in the womb. Why is that? What does it means?
A few verses, like Jeremiah 1:5 come to mind. Jeremiah was called to be a prophet before he was born. Certainly, the words of the angel to Mary about the One conceived in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit is another passage. And we must include the miracle God performed in Elizabeth’s shriveled body to allow her to conceive and give birth to John the Baptist at her advanced age.
Yes, in Luke 1, we read about God’s intentions regarding the destiny of the preborn Son of God and the preborn messenger called to prepare the way for Jesus. Clearly, in both cases, an intentional abortion would have sabotaged the very hope of the world’s salvation!
To be generous, let’s assume that 100 verses speak specifically about caring for the unborn. That would mean the percentage of God’s Word that addresses the treatment of the preborn in any way, including anything directly related to intentional abortion, would come out to just 0.321%.
That brings us back to the original question:
Why is there so little in Scripture about the act of intentional abortion?
To be sure, children granted by God to all people are to be reckoned inherently sacred and should be treasured. “Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him . . . How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them!” (Psalm 127)
Furthermore, a couple of passages describe God’s involvement throughout the development of a human being inside the womb. The most familiar is from Psalm 139 (NLT), where the psalmist poetically paints it like this:
You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit them together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! It is amazing to think about. Your workmanship is marvelous—and how well I know it. You were there while I was being formed in utter seclusion! You saw me before I was born and scheduled each day of my life before I began to breathe. Every day was recorded in your book!
Every pregnant mother should meditate on that passage daily!
Even so, in the Mosaic law that deals with just about every issue or deed inherent in human society, we find just one reference about abortion, indicating it is rather lightly regarded compared to all other serious shortfalls. Note:
- The punishment for murder is death (Genesis 9:6; Exodus 21:1; Numbers 35:30-31).
- The punishment for accidental manslaughter is exile to a city of refuge (Exodus 21:1; Numbers 35; Deuteronomy 4:41). Note this punishment applies even when the offender was not intentionally doing any wrong.
- HOWEVER, if someone causes a miscarriage while actively fighting (of course, assault is a crime), the perpetrator of the abortion doesn’t face death or even exile. That person simply pays a monetary fine (Exodus 21:22).
So, think about that. If a fetus was regarded as a fully human life, wouldn’t causing a miscarriage at the least require the offender be exiled to a city of refuge rather than the far lesser punishment of a monetary fine?
More specifically, the New Testament record provides an additional cautionary fact for all of us in the “Pro-Life” camp to ponder: Jesus never once talks about abortion—nor do any of the New Testament writers. Why is that?
Of course, Jesus never talked about pornography, incest, or transgender rights either. I’m pretty sure if he carried out his earthly ministry in 2024, he would address those issues, along with abortion.
Also, we must not forget his general teachings about the treatment of children in Matthew 18. Certainly, Jesus’ concerns and warnings there speak directly to our 21st century witness of rampant child abuse and, by extension, to the terminating of life for preborn children, as well.
But we can’t say this silence is simply because intentional abortion was unknown in Jesus’ day. On the contrary, from ancient times, the practice existed as a medical “art,” as it does among most of earth’s peoples today.
Furthermore, in Roman culture (within which the New Testament church spread across the empire), infanticide—leaving an unwanted baby in the wilderness to die—was quite common (which feels even more repulsive to most of us than abortion). Yet even that crime is never addressed at any point in the process of discipling thousands of newly converted pagans.
However, it must be said that early Christian communities formed the first societies that rescued these abandoned infants to raise them as their own.
In conclusion, what implications should we draw from the apparent relative silence of Scripture about intentional abortions?
At the very least, this absence of comment should give us pause about how we view and approach the topic—and especially about how we shape our witness to the supremacy of Christ as we engage in this debate.
On the one hand, we know the Bible is abundantly clear—forthright, consistent, and insistent—in its call to Jesus followers to pour ourselves into ministry on behalf of the countless post-born lives all around us, especially giving every living, breathing little child our full attention. The world needs to see that in our passions and actions.
We are sent to serve those who dwell outside the womb all around us, to do so sacrificially, if necessary. We must bless, even “rescue,” others at their points of deepest human need while at the same time bringing them the gospel. (Read Parts 1 and 2 of this four-part series.) This includes how we serve, witness to, and even plead with those in the pro-choice movement.
In fact, Jesus taught that ministering to the vulnerable and helpless (and spiritually blind) is as if we were serving him. It is our way of demonstrating how much he means to us (Matthew 24)! That’s because whether in or outside the womb, all of God’s image bearers are the focus of his love and the reign of his Son.
On the other hand, the entire tenure of Scripture about the sacredness of human life strongly advocates that God’s redeeming mission in Jesus Christ calls us to not forsake or cease fighting for the preborn in every way that’s appropriate, godly, winsome, and biblical.
As we do, however, Jesus followers must honestly embrace the overwhelming emphasis throughout God’s Word concerning how God’s people deal with the post-born all around us—and even more so with those at the ends of the earth where billions remain totally unreached with the gospel today.
The comprehensive view we gain on this topic by sitting at Jesus’ feet should bring biblical balance to our words and ways, especially how we respond toward those who are outside God’s Kingdom who choose to rally for “reproductive rights” or for “a woman’s right to her own body.” The fact is that those who are not “pro-lifers” have valid arguments at points and deserve a respectful hearing if we’re to win them over to Jesus and his more fulsome Kingdom perspective.
By the work of the Holy Spirit within us, we should become as open and respectful toward them as Jesus (and God’s Word) is towards them.
Sidebar:
How does Scripture address
How does Scripture address
the countless abortions God allows?
Along with the relative silence of Scripture on abortion that we pro-lifers must consider, there’s a parallel discomforting but undeniable reality. It is this:
There are millions of “spontaneous abortions”—miscarriages of fetal life— taking place worldwide, day after day. What does the Bible say about this?
Each year in America alone, unintentional abortions add up to millions of miscarried preborns.
This phenomenon is quite natural—it is “built into” how God designed the uterus to work, allowing “nature to take its course.”
Primarily, what is happening is the woman’s body is eliminating genetic abnormalities within the embryo (i.e., chromosomal abnormalities); this is the most common cause of spontaneous abortions and accounts for 50-65% of all miscarriages. Could this, in fact, be seen as a manifestation of God’s grace toward many seriously corrupted fetuses?
Here, we confront a different scenario on the issue of “choice.” This is not about our choice but God’s “choice”—his permission for innumerable miscarriages to continue unabated, going on like that throughout the entire span of human history.
What does Scripture say about that reality? To what degree, if at all, should this fact reshape the sensitivity and respect with which we engage others in the abortion debate?
As I try to see these things through the supremacy of Christ, here’s what I wonder about:
How does Jesus express his saving reign toward the countless
“humans with potential” who never get to see the light of day?
“humans with potential” who never get to see the light of day?
Of course, the Bible is clear that, like all of us, even the preborn are reckoned members of a sinful race. However, knowing the strong, sacrificial love of Jesus as we see him in Scripture—and as he remains forever on the Throne—can we not anticipate that ultimately, he will cover them with his redeeming work, especially since they never sinned personally? Or are they all doomed to be cast into the darkness forever?
Could it be that our supreme Savior has secured for them (and for all aborted preborns) a place in the New Heaven and Earth (Revelation 21-22) where their God-given, essential “potential” and “purpose” to glorify and serve the Lamb will be allowed in the end to be thoroughly developed into a full and vivid reality? Does the cessation of physical life in the womb end all hope for the spiritual destiny God desires for all who end up belonging to Christ Jesus?
I can’t prove my suspicions about the answers to those questions, not definitively from Scripture anyway. Once again, God’s Word is basically mute about the final destiny of the countless preborn miscarriages and aborted children.
But I know my Savior King well enough to feel at peace that the ultimate outcome for each one will provide further evidence of Jesus’ redeeming victory, the Spirit’s life- giving power, and the unbounded grace of God that flows from his throne. Scripture does make this much clear:
When we were utterly helpless, with no way of escape,
Christ came at just the right time
and died for us sinners who had no use for him . . .
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ
to die for us while we were still sinners.
And since by his blood he did all this for us as sinners,
how much more will he do for us now that he has declared us not guilty?
Now he will save us from all of God’s wrath to come.
Christ came at just the right time
and died for us sinners who had no use for him . . .
But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ
to die for us while we were still sinners.
And since by his blood he did all this for us as sinners,
how much more will he do for us now that he has declared us not guilty?
Now he will save us from all of God’s wrath to come.
(Romans 5:6, 8-9, TLB)
About the Author
Over the past 50 years, David Bryant has been defined by many as a “messenger of hope” and a “Christ proclaimer” to the Church throughout the world. Formerly a minister-at-large with the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, president of Concerts of Prayer International (COPI), and chairman of America’s National Prayer Committee, David now provides leadership to ChristNow.com and Proclaim Hope!, whose mission is to foster and serve Christ Awakening movements. Download his widely read ebooks at ChristNow.com. Enjoy hundreds of podcast episodes. Watch his weekly vlogs at David Bryant REPORTS. Meet with David through Zoom or in-person events through David Bryant LIVE!
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