Two weeks ago today the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and returned the issue of abortion to the people’s elected representatives on a state by state basis.
On January 20th of this year I wrote about the abortion issue and shared several biblical insights. That was before “Mornings with Bishop Robert” was being recorded (either audio or video). Now tens of thousands of people are seeing these messages, and I believe this is an important message for our time. So I’m going share it again for the benefit of the broader audience.
Some days you NEED to hear hard things. TODAY is one of those days. I love you enough to tell you; I hope you trust me enough to listen.
Let me begin by introducing today’s verse:
I AM FEARFULLY AND WONDERFULLY MADE
Abortion is not a topic most people enjoy talking about. But when necessary, it is a topic that cannot be avoided. So I’ll begin by stating my position, then I’ll share some information you may or not know and try to put it in perspective. Then I’ll share THREE OTHER WORDS that have more power to change your life than “You’ve got cancer.”
My position is simple. Abortion is murder.
The first thing you may NOT know is this: JESUS LOVES MURDERERS. So, if you have had an abortion, you are NOT excluded from the grace of God. There is grace and forgiveness available for you, and you do not need to carry a burden of guilt. If you had an abortion or convinced someone to have one you’ve committed a grievous sin; but Jesus can and will forgive you, cleanse you, heal you and restore you if you ask Him.
Jesus doesn’t hate people who have had an abortion. Nor does He hate adulterers, thieves, liars, homosexuals, alcoholics, or any other sinners you can categorize. He loves them all; and His Church ought to love them as well. But loving someone means that we care enough to identify the things that are killing them from the inside and destroying their lives. We do this because we know sin is serious, we know that if sin is ignored it will eventually end your life.
The second thing you may not be fully aware of is the scope of this issue. I’m going to give you some horrific numbers, and then add some perspective.
In the forty-nine years since Roe v Wade made abortion on demand legal in the United States, 63,459,781 lives have been aborted. Yes, over sixty-three million!
I made a clear point that Jesus loves murderers, and He does. His grace is sufficient to forgive any sin that we repent form and lay at His feet. But you know who else Jesus loves? He loves each and every one of the 63,459,781 babies who were aborted. Every single one of those 63 million were innocent and defenseless human beings. It is always wrong to directly and intentionally kill innocent, defenseless human beings.
I know that some of you may disagree with my characterization of abortion victims as “human beings” and so I want to address that. Whenever a specific element of society is marginalized and isolated, a common tactic is the deliberate dehumanization of the group. One of the best explanations I’ve ever heard made in this respect was made at Baylor University by Matt Walsh; and it’s the foundation for what I’m about to write.
People who favor abortion often claim the unborn child is not a human person and thus does not have the same moral standing as the mother; so she ought to be allowed to kill it. But does that argument actually make sense?
It’s simply a scientific fact that the being in the womb is indeed a “being” – because it exists. It is clearly a “living being” because there are only 3 states of being – Living, Dead, and Inanimate. If it wasn’t a living being, there would be nothing to abort.
It is also a member of the human species. All living things must be a member of some species. If it is not a member of the human species, then what species is it? (By the way, “fetus” is not a species, it’s a stage of development within a species.) We know that it’s of the human species because it has human DNA. It was created by two humans, and human people could never ever create anything other than another human being.
So growing within the mother is a living member of the human species. It is a human being. Efforts to dehumanize it notwithstanding, it cannot be anything else. It’s innocence is undeniable. It’s inability to defend itself is evidenced by the 63 million abortions we are discussing. It is therefore an innocent, defenseless human being. And it is always wrong to directly and intentionally kill innocent, defenseless human beings.
ABORTION IS SIN. As I’ve said before, sin is always destructive, always causes pain and never leads to peace and joy. When Christians speak of freedom from sin it is not a condemnation of the sinner, whom Christ loves; but a hatred for the sin which is killing the one trapped in sin. God hates sin, He loves us. Because He loves us he leads us out of sin and into freedom.
Twenty years ago when my doctor told me I had cancer, he knew the cancer was serious; he knew that if I ignored it the cancer would eventually end my life. Along the way to killing me, that cancer would cause incredible pain. Either I had to kill the cancer or the cancer would kill me. Sin is no different. Not just the sin of abortion, either. But every sin in your life and mine.
I hope you never hear the three words that changed my life – YOU’VE GOT CANCER. Those are horrible words from which there may be no escape.
But let me close with three words that will certainly change YOUR life forever —
Here they are: JESUS FORGIVES SIN
Every sin. and all sin. He will take it (and the guilt and pain) away if you ask Him. It may take some time, but He will do it.
Want three more? JESUS IS WAITING
He truly is !! He wants you to come to Him, and He wants to embrace you and let you know that He has forgiven you.
Here’s the final three for today —
JESUS LOVES YOU
