Abortion is one of those topics that can hardly be discussed anymore. Those who are against it are passionately so. And those who are in favor of it are almost religious about it. 

As believers, how should we view the subject? Is it always a sin? What about in cases of rape and incest? And if it’s a sin, is it an unforgivable sin? If it’s forgivable, why not terminate an inconvenient pregnancy and ask for forgiveness later? 

What about women who have had an abortion or men who have encouraged their wives or girlfriends to have one? How does God view them? How should we? These are important questions. How would you answer them?

Today’s Readings:

2 Samuel 21 & 22
Psalm 68.1-6
Proverbs 17.2-4
John 8.28-59

Is Abortion Always Wrong?

Psalm 68.1-6:

God of the Fatherless

Psalm 68.5 says that God is a Father to the fatherless and a defender of widows. That sounds very nice, but what does it mean and what does it have to do with abortion?

Let’s look a little closer at the subject of abortion.

Freedom & Abortion

There is so much debate today on the subject. Is it a choice? Is it a sin? If it’s sin, is it an unforgivable sin?

Pro-abortion advocates prefer the term “pro-choice.” They claim every woman should have the right to choose whether to carry an unborn child or not. After all, it’s her body.

But, as most of us would agree, our freedom to make choices in life only extends so far.

I have the freedom to choose to be debt-free. But I don’t have the freedom to borrow from my bank and simply disavow those debts without consequences.

Our constitution gives us the freedom to pursue happiness. But I can’t do so by taking something from someone else without facing legal penalties.

In any civil society, freedoms are limited by the freedoms and rights of others. As someone once said, “Your liberty to swing your fist ends where my nose begins.”

Whose Rights?

So, what about freedoms or rights as they apply to abortion?

Does a mother have the right to choose to end a pregnancy? Those who support abortion would say “yes” and they will not rest until that right is extended up until the moment of birth and beyond. But what about the baby? Does the baby have rights? According to what has become the law in at least some states, the answer seems to be “no.”

But whether a state has stricter laws or whether the law gives a woman the right to terminate her pregnancy, is the law of the land the ultimate authority? Who determines whether a baby in his mother’s womb is a person entitled to the same rights as other human beings?

The truth is, even though many try to deny it, this world and everything in it belongs to God. Each of us was created by Him. And as God and Creator, He has the ultimate right to determine what is right and wrong. So what does God have to say about the personhood of a child in the womb and, by extension, abortion?

To answer that question, I’d like to quote a portion of an article I read entitled “Is Abortion Murder?”

Is Abortion Murder?

The article is from the website GotQuestions.org. I encourage you to visit their website and read the entire article.

The Bible clearly points to conception as the beginning of human life. Samson said, “I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb” (Judges 16:17). He refers to his unborn self as having already been what God planned him to be—a Nazirite. David says, “You formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb” (Psalm 139:13). Again, we see David referring to himself as a person in the womb. Then, he says, “Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them” (Psalm 139:16). David is saying that God had all of his days planned out for him while he was still in the womb. Again, this evidence points to personhood beginning at conception, rather than at the moment of birth. We see God had a similar plan for the life of the pre-born Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5).

The Bible considers a fetus to be an unborn child, a planned human being that God is forming from the moment of conception. This being the case, it doesn’t really matter what human jurisprudence says or how socially or politically acceptable abortion is. God’s law takes precedence. A mother who decides to abort her child is unilaterally making a decision to end another person’s life—and that is and always has been the definition of murder.

Our Rights

As men and women, we do have the right to choose not to have children as long as we do so in ways that don’t violate Scripture. And some forms of birth control fit that description.

It also means we have the right to choose not to marry and not to engage in sexual activity outside of marriage. But we don’t have the right to take another life because we don’t like the consequences of our actions or because the pregnancy is inconvenient or because we believe the child will be handicapped or for any other reason.

What about Rape & Incest?

The question that often comes up is, “What about cases of rape and incest?”

Both are horrible evils. But the baby is no more to blame than the woman. It’s also clear that God is the One who opens and closes the womb (Is. 66.9; Gen. 29.31; Jere. 1.5) and, as the article above pointed out, He knows each person intimately even before our bodies are formed. Look at Psalm 139.16 again:

God has a plan and a purpose for every child whether planned or unplanned from a human perspective even when it’s hard for us to understand.

Perhaps He means for that baby to be placed with an adoptive family or maybe He has another plan but whatever it is, it’s for good. Our responsibility is to trust Him.

What If I Get an Abortion & Ask for Forgiveness Later?

Abortion is not an unforgivable sin. Like all sin, if we come to God in genuine faith and repentance, He will forgive and cleanse us.

So, if abortion is not the unforgivable sin, why not just end an inconvenient pregnancy and ask for forgiveness later?

Because that is not repentance. Genuine repentance is more than saying “I’m sorry” or performing some outward act of contrition. At its heart, repentance is brokenness. It is seeing our sin as God does and realizing that all sin is against Him. God is looking at the heart. And it is impossible to choose willful sin and be repentant at the same time.

If You Have Had an Abortion

But what if you have already had an abortion?

If you have had an abortion or if you are the father of an aborted baby, remember, grace and forgiveness are available to those who turn to Him in humility and repentance. I would encourage you to find a biblical counselor to help you or contact a Christian pregnancy center and find someone who does post-abortion counseling. If you live in El Paso, you can contact Pregnancy & Fatherhood Solutions, but most cities have Christian crisis pregnancy centers. Seek one out.

Abortion is a horrible evil. The blood of more than 63 million babies (from the inception of Roe v. Wade through 2022) is on our hands as a nation. May we pray for God’s mercy and grace and for the boldness to stand for righteousness. And may we, also, pray for the salvation of those who have had or are contemplating abortions and for those involved in the abortion industry.

Other posts on abortion:

“Abortion, What God Hates & Our Only Hope”

“Abortion & the Spirit of Anti-Christ”

Today’s Other Readings:

2 Samuel 21 & 22:

Divine Judgment

In chapter 21, we have the story of the seven sons of Saul being executed by the Gibeonites. This was divine justice being carried out. While from a human perspective, it doesn’t seem fair that it was carried out on the next generation, one phrase may help us understand why God allowed His justice to be carried out this way:

It is because of Saul and his bloodthirsty house …” (v. 1).

It appears that the violence was not limited to Saul, it may have been a predominant attitude among his descendants, including these men (remember Shimei who cursed David when he fled Jerusalem, 2 Sam. 16.9-12). This may have included judgment for other sins, as well. Sin always produces more sin.

No matter what, we cannot lay our own standard on it. God in His perfect justice and righteousness had determined judgment.

Sin has consequences. And, even though God in His mercy sometimes delays, giving us every opportunity to repent and go His way, He will, eventually, execute divine judgment on unrepentant sin.

Proverbs 17.2-4:

When God Turns Up the Heat

The refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, But the LORD tests the hearts (v. 3).

Just as silver and gold cannot be purified without the use of heat, neither can our hearts. So God in His wisdom and desire for us to become more like His Son refines and purifies us through the tests and trials of life. Those fiery trials bring the dross of our hearts to the surface so we can deal with it, turn, and go His way.

John 8.28-59:

Sacraments Won’t Save You

In chapter 8, Jesus challenged the Jews in their belief that they were God’s chosen people simply because of their religious heritage. He told them that the fruit of their lives, especially their failure to recognize Him, proved that their spiritual father was the devil and not God.

Sadly, many people today think they’re in good standing with God because they were brought up in a particular church or because they and their parents performed all the required religious ceremonies or sacraments, but genuine salvation comes from the heart. No one can do it for you and it is not granted or conferred on anyone. It comes from a recognition of our personal sin and need for a Savior, followed by repentance and a desire to change and go God’s way, and is validated by the resulting fruit.

Coming Up:

In the coming days, we’ll talk about how God uses the sins of others for our good, the rewards of serving God in our homes, knowing the voice of God, and whether we can lose our salvation.

I hope you’ll sign up so you don’t miss any of them. You might also like to check out our YouTube channel.

If you would like to receive a FREE downloadable and printable Bible study through the book of Mark, you can click here for more information.

Blessings as you grow in Christ,
Donna ♥

You might also like to check out this short series:

How Psychology Affects the Spread of the Gospel – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

Note about this post:

I began blogging through the Bible in 2012 and have done so every year since then. These posts are the product of many edits and additions throughout those years. Some days I make major changes, other days fewer. 

A while ago, I read Jen Wilkin’s book None Like Him about the attributes of God. One is His incomprehensibility. In it, she says, “God is incomprehensible. This does not mean that he is unknowable, but that he is unable to be fully known.”

I have found that to be true each year as I’ve gone back through the Bible. Sometimes I find myself feeling as if a passage just appeared there for the first time. I’m reminded that no matter how many times we read through the Bible, we have only scratched the surface. I hope you feel the same.

Indeed these are the mere edges of His ways,
And how small a whisper we hear of Him!
But the thunder of His power who can understand?” (Job 26.14)

I sometimes LINKUP with these blogs.