By former PPL Board Member, Martha Leatherman, MD
Say with me the opening words of the Apostle’s Creed: “I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth.” What does that mean? It must mean that Sovereign God makes and owns everything.
What does this have to do with the sanctity of human life? Simply this: human children are made by God (“...Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”), in the image of God, and are therefore of infinite value and worth.
These children are not valuable because their parents want them or because they are convenient, but because Sovereign God made them in His image, and they are infinitely precious to Him. We also recognize that these children ultimately belong not to us, but to the God who made us, and that He has granted us an unspeakably precious charge: to care for, nurture, and love these babies He has made.
As Reformed people, we carry this belief through to the sacrament of baptism, and publicly promise to nurture and care for the child born into the church and we recognize that our Lord, Adonai, and Savior will hold us accountable for these vows. (Numbers 32:2, Deuteronomy 23:21) But, are we responsible only to the children we baptize? No, and forever, No! God would not stand for children to be given over to sacrifice in worship of Moloch and Baal and throughout the Bible, we are exhorted to care for the defenseless - the widows and orphans. Jesus instructed us to care for “the least of these” - even the least of these separated from church baptism by only a few inches of birth canal and the luxury of having been wanted.
I have attended many church gatherings where people stood three-deep to learn more about how they could serve God’s creation through worldwide mission. Churches that are proud to publicly proclaim their support for equity and justice and who generously pour out caring, love, and support for missions in exotic places abroad recoil at the thought of drawing attention to the sanctity of human life. In so doing, they turn a blind eye to the only group, stamped with God’s image, yet completely dependent, completely unable to provide anything for themselves, and completely innocent: the unborn. January 15th marks the recognition of Sanctity of Human Life Sunday, which occurs the third Sunday of January every year. Many churches will enclose a small bulletin insert, which is clearly insufficient, but at least acknowledges the issue. Too many churches, though, refuse to acknowledge either the great gift of life or the great sin of snuffing out that life in the womb.
Pastor, where are you? Why are you letting your congregation be ignorant of the great sin of child sacrifice? Why are you hiding behind the excuse that “we are not political?” “Not being political” has led to multiple states codifying abortion up to the time of birth in their constitutions. It led to Montana soundly defeating a constitutional amendment that would require newborn infants to receive medical care. “An act adopting the Born-Alive Infant Protection Act; providing that infants born alive, including infants born alive after an abortion, are legal persons; requiring health care providers to take necessary actions to preserve the life of a born-alive infant; providing a penalty; providing that the proposed act be submitted to the qualified electors of Montana; and providing an effective date.” (emphasis mine). Let that sink in: not only children born alive at full gestation after an attempted murder in the womb, but any infant is to be allowed to die from lack of care according to this law. The Bible speaks to this in Exodus 23:7: “. . .do not put an innocent or honest person to death for I will not acquit the guilty.”
Christian, are you willfully disobedient? Have you skillfully avoided proclaiming God’s sovereignty over life to your congregation? Have you scrubbed any discussion of the atrocity of abortion from your church? Have you participated in suppressing the truth by rationalizing that abortion is a “political issue?”
It is not. Abortion is a deeply spiritual issue that strikes at the core of God’s sovereignty and man’s value. Whether you acknowledge the problem or not, the church is contending with it. In many mainline and Evangelical churches, as many as 40% of members believe that abortion is acceptable in “all or most cases” (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/01/22/american-religious-groups-vary-widely-in-their-views-of-abortion/)
Is your congregation equipped for championing unborn human life? Are you avoiding the subject?
Pray, fast, repent, awake, and arise.
“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any one of them, that person is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. So you, son of man, I have made a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die, and you do not speak to warn the wicked to turn from his way, that wicked person shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. But if you warn the wicked to turn from his way, and he does not turn from his way, that person shall die in his iniquity, but you will have delivered your soul.” (Ezekiel 33:6-9 ESV)