Where Do We Go? Moving Forward in Protecting Life

This past November surprised many people in the battle over pro-life issues, especially in the state of Missouri. It left many who support pro-life causes, especially Christians, reeling at the idea that in a state that seems thoroughly conservative in its political approach that an amendment enshrining abortion into the state constitution could pass. This has caused many people to question what we should do now. What is the next step for the pro-life cause? I would like to offer a point of clarity followed by a step that the pro-life movement must take.

Pro-life Policies are not Political

 It is worth remembering that the protection of life is not a political position but rather a Biblical one rooted in the Bible’s commitment to the life of the preborn. We are reminded in the opening pages of Genesis how God creates all of humanity in His image (Gen. 1:26-27). Further, Jeremiah reminds us how even before he was born, God knew him and had called him to the office of the prophet (Jer. 1:5). The Biblical life is that all life is valuable to God from the moment of conception until the point of natural death. Christians cannot allow the issue of the protection of life to be turned into a mere political equation. For Christians, the issues related to life are at the very core of their worldview.

Conservative Politics Does Not Equate to Being Pro-Life

For many in the pro-life movement, there has been a subtle trade-off that has taken place. We have assumed that if a person claims to be conservative in their political philosophy, then we conclude that they must also be pro-life. This is simply not the case. It is possible for many to appreciate the conservative fiscal policies of the conservative position while maintaining a pro-choice social position. Many Christians wrongly assume that if they know how a person votes at the top of a ballot, then that will translate to the social issues at the bottom of the ballot. Christians need to be careful of thinking that they understand how someone views the pro-life issue simply based on the candidates that the person states they will vote for.

 It is worth remembering that in this past election, we had a clue that this could be a possibility when the Republican Party moved away from clearly opposing abortion at a national level and sent the issue back to the states. The position taken by the party muddied the waters on where exactly they were on the issue of abortion. We must bring clarity to the issue of being pro-life and not confusion.

Continue to Educate with the Biblical Position

 One trap that we cannot afford to fall into is the thinking that Christians have fully understood the Bible’s position on protecting life. It is easy to assume that everyone sitting in our church understands what we are talking about, but that overestimates the understanding of the people we go to church with each Sunday. We need to remember that if our church is reaching out and sharing the Gospel with people and our church is a place where people hear the message of the Gospel and are saved, then it naturally holds that we will regularly have new people to share the message of the Bible on the issues of life. For instance, a new believer may need to be taught Genesis 1:26-27:

 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

 They will have to be taught Jeremiah 1:5:

 “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.”

 They will need to learn Psalm 139:13-16:

 13 For You formed my inward parts;
You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Marvelous are Your works,
And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You,
When I was made in secret,
And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 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.

 The simple fact of the matter is that as a church grows and new Christians come to our church, we have a discipleship priority that cannot be missed. Some people have never heard the arguments from the Bible. It is the responsibility of the church, then, to make sure to disciple the believers in every aspect of the Biblical argument.

Continue to Educate with the Practical Arguments

 We also have a responsibility to make sure that our people understand the basic practical arguments for the pro-life position. We have to make sure that people, especially our students, are exposed to the arguments that help connect the truth of Scripture to the practical realities of day-to-day living. For instance, the practical argument of dependence is an argument that we should expose people to in our church. This argument is that just because a baby is now out of the womb does not decrease its dependence on the mother. The day a baby is born it is just a dependent on its mother as when it was in the womb. There is no independent person just because the baby has exited the womb, rather it is just as dependent on the mother to care for the child.

Conclusion

 We still have much work to accomplish in advocating for the preborn. It is the responsibility of the Christian to advocate for their fellow image-bearers. We need to make it clear that no judicial ruling will silence us on this issue. We will argue for human beings, made in the image of God, to experience all of life, from the moment of birth to the moment of natural death.

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