Abortion and the Gospel

— Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 —

As today marks the fortieth anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, most Christians recognize, and rightly so, the loss of millions of unborn human lives. What we often forget is the second casualty of an abortion culture: the consciences of countless men and women.

Too often, pastors and church leaders assume that, when talking about abortion, their invisible debating partner is the “pro-choice” television commentator or politician. Not so. Many of the people endangered by the abortion culture aren’t even pro-choice.

In your congregation this Sunday, and in the neighborhoods around you right now, there are women vulnerable to abortionist propaganda, not because they reject the church but because they’re afraid they ‘ll lose the church. Pregnant young women are scared they will scandalize church people when they start to show, so they keep it secret. Parents are fearful their pregnant daughter, or their son’s pregnant girlfriend, will prompt the rest of the congregation to see them as bad families.

As they keep all of this secret from the Body of Christ, many of them fall prey to the false gospel of the abortion clinic. “We can take care of this for you,” these people say. “And it will all go away.”

Moreover, there are thousands of men and women in our churches who have aborted their children, or urged the abortion of their grandchildren. Bearing the shame of this, they keep it secret. And in the concealment, the satanic powers accuse them: “We know who you are; you’re a murderer, like us.”

Every time pastors and church leaders speak, they are speaking, at least potentially, to these men and women, the aborting and the abortionists. Many of these people don’t argue that the “fetus” is a “person.” Their consciences testify to that, and they’re either tortured by this or violently trying to sear over that persistent internal message.

The answer, for the church, is to preach the gospel to the conscience.

For many evangelicals, to “preach the gospel” seems to be obvious and ineffective because they think this means to, by rote, prompt people to accept Jesus and go to heaven. But the gospel speaks right where the abortion culture is in slavery, to the conscience.

For one thing, those guilty of this silent atrocity often don’t think we’re talking to them. For some, the demonic structures have helped them to conceal this secret, and to convince them the safest thing to do is to try to forget it altogether. Others are so burdened down by guilt, they really don’t believe they are included in the “whosoever will” of our gospel invitations.

Speak directly to these people. To the woman who has had the abortion. To the man who has paid for an abortion. To the health care worker who has profited off of tearing apart the bodies of the young and the consciences of their parents.

Speak clearly of the horror of judgement to come. Confirm what every accusing conscience already knows: clinic privacy laws cannot keep all this from being exposed at the tribunal of Christ. When the Light shines, there’s not enough darkness in which to hide and cringe.

But don’t stop there.

Proclaim just as openly that judgment has fallen on the quivering body of a crucified Jesus—accused by Satan, indicted by the Law, enveloped by the curse.

An abortion culture knows that hell exists, and they know judgment waits (Rom 2:14-16). Agree with them, but point them to the truth that God is not simply willing to forgive them. Show them how in Christ God is both just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Rom 3:26).

The woman who has had the abortion needs to know that, if she is hidden in Christ, God does not see her as “that woman who had the abortion.” He hasn’t been subverted from sending her to hell because she found a gospel “loophole.” In Christ, she’s already been to hell.

And, in the resurrected Christ, God has already told her what he thinks of her: “You are my beloved child and in you I am well-pleased.”

The consciences around us don’t believe what they’re telling themselves. They’re scared and accused. Shine the light in the eyes of their consciences. Prophetically. All for justice, legally and culturally, for the unborn. But don’t stop there.

After all, the spirit of murder doesn’t start or end in the abortion clinic (Matt. 5:21, 15:19; Jn. 8:44; Acts 9:1; Rom. 1:29; Jn. 3:15). And the blood of Christ has cleansed the consciences of rebels like all of us.

Warn of hell, but offer mercy. Offer that mercy not only at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but in the small groups and hallways of your church.

This commentary is based off an earlier version published here in 2012

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 22nd, 2013 at 8:55 am and is filedunder Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

18 Responses to “Abortion and the Gospel”

Mrs. Gore January 22nd, 2013 at 10:45 am
I have often thought about the conundrum our young girls are in today.
We (in the church) have encouraged them to graduate from college before marrying and yet send them on unchaperoned dates during the most tempting years of life. And then we are often the harshest judges when that flimsy little True Love Waits card they signed didn’t keep them out of trouble…

We have to do a better job, first at protecting and parenting them, then by making much of marriage and family life, and finally, at offering mercy and compassion to those who find themselves with a child and no husband - because, like you said, these girls have the unprecedented opportunity to hide those pregnancies in the most horrific way. Should they forgo abortion, they have been very brave indeed, and need our help and guidance, not our cold censure.

Thank you for this article. I pray that God will develop a heart in me that is gospel-saturated.
T. Russell Hunter January 23rd, 2013 at 10:54 am
And this is why Abolish Human Abortion is a gospel centered and gospel driven movement.

As moder day Abortion Aolitionists and not just “Prolifers” We are committed to an unfettered, untainted, uncompromising adherence to the Good news that Jesus Christ is Lord of heaven and earth and stepped down into space-time-history to redeem a lost, wandering, and wicked people from sin, certain death, and eternal separation from God. We are abolitionists because we have been adopted by God. Our work is biblically mandated and sovereignly ordained. We are called to be salt and light in a darkened, and defiled world; we are commanded to care for the fatherless and bring justice to the oppressed and preyed-upon. We have been exhorted to expose deeds of darkness, and destroy all speculations raised up against the knowledge of God. We are exhorted to rescue the weak from death, snatch the falling from flames, and hold back the stumbling from the slaughter.

We seek to contrast two visions of reality and morality and demonstrate how one vision, the Christian view, centered on God, leads to the Humane and dignified treatment of human beings, while the other view, centered on man, leads to the inhumane and undignified treatment of human beings.

If we abide in Him and walck in His spirit. He will empower us to do this.

Russell
A//A
empathologism January 31st, 2013 at 1:59 pm
There seems to be a fulcrum under teaching and preaching on certain things and the church straining to keep the topic just balanced right on the middle. I do not have an answer, nor would I force my opinion into the fray. I will simply point to an example of how this has manifested in a different arena.

Would that you teach on divorce with similar concerns in mind, bearing in mind that it is an abortion of sorts in most cases where one unwilling partner is rent from another and a family, yet there is no reference to even the need for grace and forgiveness AFTER describing the sin…..the message goes straight there and leaves no room for conviction.

I certainly hope this is not a sign that abortion teaching goes the way divorce teaching has or we will have the same pat response to both:

“yes its sin but its forgivable”, which functions like a catholic indulgence
dr. james willingham February 4th, 2013 at 11:53 am
Perhaps the only thing that will likely change society, interrupt our mad dash to disaster, and provide hope for the future is a Third Great Awakening for which I have been praying for nearly 40 years (it will be 40 this Fall). Few people really understand or have any grasp on what an Awakening is and does to society. The promises which can be pleaded in prayer have been admirably set forth in Jonathan Edwards’ Humble Attempt which inspired William Carey, Andrew Fuller, and others to launch the modern missionary movement and the Great Century of Missions. It is also likely that the same writing had an influnce upon the Second Great Awakening, at least, until 1820.

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