A Closer Look at Abortion—Through God’s Eyes

by Bryan Gibson

Please consider carefully the Bible’s case against abortion:

þ      It is a very serious matter to take the life of another human (Genesis 9:6).

·         While there are times even today when God sanctions the taking of human life (see Romans 13:1-4), we cannot do so without God’s authorization. The Lord “hates…hands that shed innocent blood” (Prov. 6:16-17).

·         Pro-abortionists claim that a fetus is not a human life, but they can provide no evidence (scriptural or scientific) of this.

þ      The Scriptures depict children as a blessing from God, to be cherished and loved.

·         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” (Ruth 4:13).

·         “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has quiver full of them…” (Psalms 127:3-5).

·         Read also Psalms 128; 1 Timothy 5:14; Titus 2:3-4.

·         Those who favor abortion see them, not as a blessing, but as a curse.

þ      Several passages speak of the Lord’s care in forming the unborn.

·         “For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 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” (Psalms 139:13-16).

·         "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).

·         Who, then, would dare to destroy that which the Lord has had a hand in forming?

þ      Words used to describe the unborn are the same words used to describe those who have been born, indicating that they too should be regarded as “people.”

·         John the Baptist was called a “babe” while still in Elizabeth’s womb (Luke 1:41, 44). The same word is used to describe Jesus after He was born (Luke 2:12, 16).

·         Jacob and Esau are referred to as “children,” while still in Rebekah’s womb (Gen. 25:21-22).

·         So don’t dare speak of abortion as nothing more than the “removal of tissue.” Let’s call it what is really is: the murder of a baby, a child, a precious son or daughter.

Let’s look now at two different arguments made in favor of abortion, and the Bible’s answer to those arguments.

þ      “It’s my body and I should be able to do with it what I please.”

·         According to the Scriptures, your body is not your own. For one, your body must be shared with your husband: “The wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does…” (1 Cor. 7:4).

·         An even weightier consideration is your “body…is made for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1 Cor. 6:13). So instead of doing what your please with your body, you should use it to glorify God (1 Cor. 6:20).

·         So even if the unborn were nothing more than a part of the woman’s body, she still could not do as she pleased. But is that really the case? Actually, the unborn in the womb is a separate life. Those who say that the decision to abort is between a woman and her doctor have intentionally forgotten the rights of the unborn child.

þ      “We shouldn’t bring a child into this world if we know ahead of time that they’re going to have defects or abnormalities. They wouldn’t be able to have a quality life.”

·         Consider the Lord’s reply to Moses in Exodus 4:11: “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?”

·         God, the giver of life (Job 33:4; Acts 17:25; 1 Timothy 6:13), has not given us the right to arbitrarily take it away.

·         Is it the baby’s quality of life, or ours, that we’re considering? This may be more of a selfish decision than some realize. Could it be that some just may not be willing to extend the constant care that this child may need?

·         And what about those babies who defects were not detected during pregnancy? If “quality of life” is so critical, why not kill them at birth? Of course, we wouldn’t dream of doing such a thing. We realize now that these babies with special needs must be treated with special care. But if we realize that after they are born, why can’t we realize it while they’re still in the womb?