[Excerpted from John Ankerberg, John Weldon, “When Does Life Begin? And 39 Other Tough Questions About Abortion” (ATRI Publishing, 2001)]
(Continued from Part 1)
Last time we saw:
(A) Scriptures which reveal that God views the fetus in the womb as a full human life, a person;
(B) Scriptures which teach that God relates to the unborn in a personal manner;
(C) Scriptures which indicate some men are called to God’s service or purpose from the womb.
We now pick up with the fourth point:
The Bible teaches that people ultimately belong to God because all men are created by Him.
The Scriptures teach that men are “the offspring of God” (Acts 17:29) and that “in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). Malachi could ask, “Do we not all have one Father? Did not one God create us?” (Malachi 2:10).
The Scriptures teach that God “Himself gives to all life and breath and all things” (Acts 17:25) because He “made the world and all things in it” (Acts 17:24). Understanding this, Isaiah could say “O Lord, You are our Father, we are the clay, and You our potter; and all of us are the work of Your hand” (Isaiah 64:8).
The psalmist could say, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it” (Psalm 24:1).
David said, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all” (1 Chronicles 29:11).
Further, the Scriptures teach, “Your hands made me and formed me...” (Psalm 119:73), and “The Lord... forms the spirit of man within him...” (Zechariah 12:1).
God Himself makes the statement, “Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine” (Ezekiel 18:4).
Since all life was created by God and belongs to Him, no one has the right to kill another human being (Exodus 20:13).
Consider the following Scriptures which indicate God’s concern for the weak, the needy, the defenseless and those who cannot speak on their own behalf.
Proverbs 31:8-9—Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.
Psalm 82:2-4—How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked? Defend the weak and fatherless; uphold the rights of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.
The Bible is full of Scriptures like this. There can be no doubt that they also apply to the innocent unborn who are the most defenseless, innocent and needy. Indeed, God will hold us accountable for their welfare:
Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay each person according to what he has done? (Proverbs 24:11-12)
In fact, numerous Scriptures condemn the killing of innocent life. Many of the following Scriptures also apply to those who perform abortions.
Proverbs 6:16-19—There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a man who stirs up dissension among brothers.
Proverbs 17:5—He who mocks the poor shows contempt for their Maker; whoever gloats over disaster will not go unpunished.
Proverbs 12:6—The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.
Deuteronomy 27:25—“Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to strike down an innocent person.” And all the people shall say, “Amen.”
Deuteronomy 19:10—Do this so that innocent blood will not be shed in your land, which the LORD your God is giving you as your inheritance, and so that you will not be guilty of bloodshed.
Isaiah 1:15—When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood.
Isaiah 59:2-3, 4b, 7b—But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. For your hands are stained with blood, your fingers with guilt. Your lips have spoken falsely, and your tongue mutters wicked things.... They rely on empty arguments, they utter lies; they conceive trouble and give birth to evil.... They pursue evil schemes; acts of violence mark their ways.
Jeremiah 22:17—But your eyes and your heart are intent only upon your own dishonest gain, and on shedding innocent blood and on practicing oppression and extortion.
Luke 17:2—It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Hebrews 4:13—Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
Scriptures teach that God values those who are deformed or handicapped: “Who has made man’s mouth? Or, who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?” (Exodus 4:11). Isaiah warns: “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds [pieces of clay] among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’? Woe to the one who says to a father, ‘What have you begotten?’ or to a mother, ‘What have you brought to birth?’ This is what the Lord says—the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?” (Isaiah 45:9-11).
The Lord Jesus Christ taught that the man born blind from birth was born that way in order to glorify God (John 9:1-4). If a person’s deformity can bring glory to God, who are we to kill such persons and thereby prevent them from fulfilling God’s plan for their lives?
Can one imagine Jesus accepting the idea of denying life to the handicapped or deformed? Did He not teach: “See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven.... So it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones perish” (Matthew 18:10, 14). All of these verses and more demonstrate that the Bible is not silent on denying life to the unwanted or unloved who are handicapped (cf. Job 33:4; 32:8; Isaiah 42:5; 44:24).
The act of abortion was considered an act of murder and completely unacceptable to both Jews and Christians.[1] The opposition to abortion in the early church was so pronounced there was simply no need for an explicit command. Princeton University professor Bruce Metzger refers to “the opposition of the early church to contemporary practices of abortion. It is really remarkable how uniform and how pronounced was the early Christian opposition to abortion.”[2]
Indeed, the very reason the early church was so opposed to abortion was the clearly discernible biblical facts and principles we have already discussed.
(continued in Part 3)