On
Sanctity of Human Life Sunday (SOHLS) we remember the 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe
v. Bolton Supreme Court decisions that legalized the killing of unborn children
during all nine months of pregnancy. Since then, 56 million innocent children
have lost their lives to abortion, 71,503 in Florida alone in 2013 (by
County). By the age of 45, one in three American
women will have an abortion.
In
John 8:44, Jesus exposed Satan's intention with regard to human life. "You
belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's
desire. He was a murderer from the beginning...," later adding, "The thief
comes to steal and kill and destroy" (10:10). With these words Jesus
identified the agenda of man's arch enemy (Gen. 3:15).
As
pastors, SOHLS affords us an opportunity to apply the Gospel to abortion by
declaring that the unborn are created by God in His image and likeness (Genesis
1:26, 27), and affirming the personhood of the unborn from the moment of
conception (Jeremiah 1:5)…
by
exposing the guilt of shedding innocent blood and proclaiming the full pardon
available through the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Genesis 4:10; Leviticus 17:11;
Hebrews 9:14).
by
responding pastorally to the post-abortive who bear the trauma, guilt, and shame
that inevitably accompany child killing.
by
leading God's people to live a "pure and faultless" religion as we "look
after orphans and widows in their distress," there being no greater distress
than the orphan abandoned to death by
their parents (James 1:27).
And,
by challenging God's people to love "your neighbor as yourself,"
responding with Good Samaritan acts of compassion and mercy to those at risk
for abortion in their community (Luke 10:37).
"If anyone, then, knows the good they ought
to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin
for them" (James 4:17).
(See
Pastor John Ensor's message: "Leading Well: A Pastor
to Pastor Talk About Abortion" and resources at The Church for Life).
Jim
McGarvey is an SED official worker who has served in significant ways within
the pro-life movement.
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