Not Silent for Life in 2014

Today marks 41 years of legalized abortion in the U.S. This past Sunday I preached a Sanctity of Life message as I plan on doing every year until there is a great moral reform in the law, which I am hoping to see in my lifetime. Here is a summary of what I shared with my congregation. 

The Reality of Abortion in the United States
The following are statistics about abortion in 2014 taken from Abortion: The Ultimate Exploitation of Women by Brian Fisher. 

• Abortion is one of the most common surgical procedures in the U.S. 
• It is the leading cause of death (heart disease kills 600,000 annually while 1.2 million pre-born children die each year from abortion).
• Over 55 million Americans have lost their lives to abortion since 1973. 
• 3 in ten women in America are post-abortive by the time they are 45. This implies that around 30 percent of men are also post-abortive. 
• Abortion is an enormous industry, generating more than $800 million each year for abortion doctors, facilities, and providers.
• Virtually every major city in America has at least one abortion clinic. Most large cities have several. 
• Our political candidates declare a formal position on the topic before every election. 
• Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States, celebrated the 40th Anniversary of Roe v Wade by stating, “That’s 40 years of protecting every woman’s fundamental right to make her own personal medial decisions.” 
• “I remain committed to protecting a woman’s right to choose this fundamental constitutional right....[W]e must also continue our efforts to ensure that our daughters have the same right, freedoms, and opportunities to fulfill their dreams.”--President Barak Obama. 

What God’s Word Teaches About the Sanctity of Human Life
The following biblical passages show the value of human life as God’s image-bearers and how God’s sanctuary to form human life is in the womb.
(Scripture passages from the ESV)

Genesis 1:24; 27-28 "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.' 
So God created man in his own image, and in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.'"

Genesis 9:6-7  "Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood shall be shed, for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it." 

Psalm 127:3 “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward.” 

Psalm 139:13-14 “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” 

Jeremiah 1:5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.” 

Luke 1:44 “For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.” 

Luke 2:21 “And at the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.” 

Why Christians Cannot Ignore the Sanctity of Human Life

1. Because shedding innocent blood is an abomination in the sight of God (Prov 6:17).
2. Because legalized, abortion on demand in the U.S. brings disgrace upon our nation (Prov 14:34). 
3. Because Christians are called to be salt of the earth and light of the world (Matt 5:13-16).

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil. God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”    --Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Treasuring the gift of life in 2013

I want to begin a habit of blogging more regularly in 2013. Most will be shorter posts and the content may be centered around what I am preaching in church or some other aspect of life or ministry. Here is the first of my more "regular postings."

Today marks 40 years of legalized on demand abortion in our land. This is very horrific when we consider that well over 50 million innocent lives have been lost and dreams shattered in less than half of a century. As a pastor I was compelled to preach on the sanctity of human life this past Sunday. My text was from Proverbs 24:11,

"Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter."

I believe that the principle behind this verse is a call to stand up for those who are victims of injustice. In our context in the United States, that includes the 1.5 million each year who are innocently led to the slaughter through abortion.

It hit me last week how inconsistent our laws are in America. We adopted a dog last week through the humane society. In the process I signed a paper that warned me that if I do no treat my new pet humanely, I will face criminal charges. In the meantime, I can legally take my wife to an abortion clinic and end the life of our 22week old child, who is uniquely made in the image of God.

That is a horrific injustice: today my dog has more legal protection than the human being living inside of my wife. This must change and I trust that it will someday. I hope that more will join with me in treasuring human life in 2013.