The Holy Bible, King James Version
John 8:1 through John 8:11
1Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2And early in the morning he came again
into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught
them. 3And the scribes and Pharisees brought unto him a woman taken in
adultery; and when they had set her in the midst, 4They say unto him, Master,
this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act. 5Now Moses in the law
commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou? 6This they
said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped
down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
7So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them,
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8And
again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground. 9And they which heard it,
being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the
eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing
in the midst. 10When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman,
he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned
thee? 11She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn
thee: go, and sin no more.
The Holy Bible, King James Version
James 5:16
16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
James 5:19 through James 5:20
19Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; 20Let
him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall
save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.
Twenty-Six years ago, the Supreme Court ruled in the case Roe v. Wade that
abortion was legal in the United States. For twenty-six years our country has
been involved in a civil war of epic proportions pitting neighbor against
neighbor, men against women, brother against brother. For twenty-six years we
have fought against abortion; fought against a rising tide. This one issue
polarizes communities, politicians, and even churches. In the name of the
greater good, many actions have been undertaken, some good, some bad. Some of
them abhorrent.
The question that comes to mind as I watch people from Operation Rescue, and
some other Pro-Life organizations is how would Jesus handle this issue? How
would Christ approach the young women having abortions? Would he stand on the
street curb screaming insults at them? Would he engage in name calling? Would he
take a gun and shoot the doctor? Would he bomb a clinic? Would he? No, I don't
believe our Lord would do any of these things. So, if he wouldn't---Why do we?
Abortion is indeed a hot topic, pushing many buttons but one thing rings true.
We must learn how to reach out compassionately and redemptively to those who are
being affected by abortion. We must become healing helpers rather than hurting
hinderers.
This morning we are going to look at a familiar passage of scripture, which I
believe can give us insight into how Christ would treat abortion. Before we go
any further, allow me to make one point crystal clear. I don't want anyone
mistaking my position or thinking I'm condoning or accepting the practice of
abortion. It is my stance that abortion is murder, and forbidden in God's Word.
It is my stance that people who have had an abortion have committed a sin. It is
also my stance that the redemptive blood of Jesus Christ covers those sins and
washes them away.
Before we become harsh and judgmental we need to look at some Biblical
principles to be found regarding abortion and how we deal with it. If we are
going to fight the battle in favor of life we must remember what God has to say.
We Are All Created In The Image of God
The Holy Bible, King James Version
Genesis 1:27
27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them.
Life is sacred to God. He created us in his own image. Each of us are created
with inherent qualities that make us unique among God's creation. He created us
with a soul. The thing is, the scripture there does not say God created a select
few in his image, or just the wealthy, or just those on 'the right side of the
tracks', instead it says he created man in his image. Each of us has the same
propensity to get caught up in the world and make poor judgement choices that
ultimately lead us into sin. We read in John 8 the story of a young woman who
had clearly done wrong. She had clearly committed sinful acts. The Pharisees who
brought her before Jesus clearly expected Christ to condemn her. To them she was
worthless. She was a woman in the first place which put her in the position of
property, but on top of that she was an adulterous woman. To see her put to
death would have literally made their day.
To Jesus, however, this woman had worth. She had potential, and she could change
her life and effectively serve our Lord. Jesus reminded us through his kindness
and compassion that even the imperfect are valuable creations of God. No one was
so damaged that Christ could not restore them.
Like Christ interacting with this unfaithful woman, we must deal with compassion
for those who have sinned. Rather than hurl harmful verbal missiles at a
hopeless young woman we should be looking at them through the eyes of Christ and
realize that they too were created in the image of God.
We are Not Tasked to Be the Judges of Mankind
When dealing with the fallout in this civil-war over abortion we need to also be
sure that we remember this: No one passed us out a black robe and told us to sit
in judgement over mankind.
The Holy Bible, King James Version
Psalms 75:7
7 But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
1 Peter 4:5
5Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
We who call ourselves by Christ's name are becoming increasingly quick to pass
judgement. We run the risk of acting just like the hypocritical Pharisees who
were ready to execute the woman. Jesus however reacted with love and calm
understanding. It's easy for us to condemn a woman who has had an abortion, but
in God's eyes it is no worse than a sin which you and I might commit. Let us
allow God to judge their sin as well as ours while we help them to overcome
their sin. We too are stained with sin, and we have been given a cleansing that
we have need to share.
Forgiveness is Our Hallmark
The woman brought before Christ was not beyond the scope of God's forgiveness.
God's forgiveness can touch any person, no matter what they have done. We must
emulate Christ in this manner. It is our place to extend forgiveness over and
over and over again, as many times as it takes to share the one thing that will
bring a person out of a lifestyle of sin. See, in our forgiveness we don't
simply condone what was done, we forgive the act but exhort the person to go on
their way and sin no more.
Prayer Changes People
Finally if we are going win this civil war raging in our society we must use our
most potent weapon. We must use prayer to bring about change in our society.
The Holy Bible, King James Version
1 Thessalonians 5:17
17Pray without ceasing.
James 5:16
16Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be
healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
If we are truly going to make a difference we must begin on our knees Prayer
doesn't change things, it changes people. We must pray to see God heal the deep
wounds that abortion causes, we must pray to see God change the lives of those
who have had abortions. We must remember that our battle is being fought against
Satan and his demonic hordes, so the only way to gain success is fight with
God's weapons and not our own.
Begin The Healing
Touch Lives
Once we are fighting the battle in a Godly manner rather than a worldly way,
then we can begin to exert a healing influence. I have become increasingly
convinced we are fighting in the wrong war. The problem is not at the doctor's
office, the problem is manifested long before the woman reaches an abortion
clinic. The way to shut down abortion clinics is not to picket their entrance or
to kill the doctors, but the way to do it is to remove the demand. If we can
reach out to young women and remove some of the despair and hopelessness that
leads to abortion we can make the profession unprofitable. If women are not
going in for abortions, the abortion doctors will quit offering the 'service'.
Let's quit treating the symptoms and cure the disease. We must touch lives in a
positive way if we are to influence people. Most often, women reach the decision
to have an abortion because they have already decided that they have no other
options. With education, love, and Biblical guidance we can instill in our
younger generation the values that we once held dear as a nation. We can and
should expect our children to live holy lives, but we must lead by our example.
Share The Truth
We must share with women facing the prospect of an unexpected pregnancy the
truth of God's Word. We must share how he forgives, how he can change a life,
how he can make things right. We must also share that abortion is prohibited by
God, but that there are alternatives. Let's not fuel the despair already present
by heaping more judgmental hatred upon hurting people. Instead, may we share the
life changing gift of salvation. We cannot ignore the battle altogether, but
neither can we fight it incorrectly. Far too much damage has been done by
zealots fighting in a worldly way while claiming to be doing God's work. Let's
begin to start fighting by God's standards and not our own.
csmims@n-jcenter.com This was based upon an outline found at
www.christianteacher.com and resources found in the Life and Work Series of the
weekly Sunday School lessons.
