As Christians, we know life begins at conception, as taught in both the Old and New Testaments. The creation of a new person doesn’t begin when a mother desires a child but when our heavenly Father does. And God loves all people (John 3:16).
Why is it common then, even among Christians, to care more about a baby in the womb than about the other lives involved in an unplanned pregnancy? If God loves everyone involved, shouldn’t we?
Before I get into how we as Christians can love better, I want to talk about abortion itself. An abortion ends a life. Unless it’s required to save the mother’s life, it’s a sin. However, if abortion is part of your story, please remember Jesus died for every sin; you are forgiven and saved! Whatever your situation, you are a loved child of God.
Maybe your situation is like mine. My daughters are amazing, but raising them is hard. And I have everything in my favor. My wife and I have two incomes and tons of support. There was no shame in our pregnancies, yet parenting is no picnic.
Imagine when the situation is much more complicated, when you barely know each other, when a baby will bind you together forever, when you’re depressed or addicted or broke, when your parents are pushing for abortion, when you can’t predict your church’s reaction.
Many of us don’t consider how saying “no” to abortion means saying “yes” to a completely changed life. Compassion requires Christians to consider WHY abortion happens.
Many Christians pray for life inside the womb. God encourages us not to care just about that life but about all the lives involved in an unexpected pregnancy. We need to be pro (every) life.
The very first Christians saw needs and met them. That’s because the early church was pro (every) life.
“God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need” (Acts 4:33-35).
Connect that to an unplanned pregnancy. What are the needs that make abortion tempting? What fears are people facing?
First, there are spiritual needs. For many, the need is truth. One report says that the number one and number three reasons women have abortions is convenience. It’s not an abusive father or a personal addiction but a preferred life that they don’t want to give up.
In that case, we need to share truth: “That’s a life within you that God created and loves. It would be murder to end that life.”
For others, the spiritual need is love. An unplanned pregnancy can bring shame. As Christians, we need to love people and share Jesus’ grace with those who are grappling with the consequences of their sins.
Second, there are financial needs. About 23% of abortions happen for financial reasons. The love of money might be a root of all kinds of evil, but the lack of money is a root of all kinds of reasons to get an abortion.
That’s where we come in.
Would you sell your cabin or skip a vacation to save a kid? Would you say to a scared friend or niece, “Whatever it costs, we got you”? Could we, like the early Christian church, create a culture with no needy people, where no one has to starve or abort because they’re broke?
Finally, there are relational needs. If she keeps the baby, she needs help. She needs to learn how to be a mom. He needs to learn how to step up. They need mentors, babysitters, counselors . . . us. That child will need us to love them. If there’s not a dad in the picture, that child will need men to model the faith.
If she chooses adoption, she will need support, love, and resources. Maybe you open your own arms and home. Jesus was raised by a man who wasn’t his biological father. Every Christian has been adopted into God’s family (Romans 8:15), which is why so many Christians love adoption.
When Jesus died and rose, he made a promise that through faith in him, God would adopt us as his children. All of us can come to Jesus and have every need met, every sin erased, every mistake covered so we might discover that God is pro-life, pro-your-life, pro-eternal-life.
Romans 10:11 promises, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” Anyone who believes in Jesus will never be put to shame. We will always belong. Because Jesus was pro-you-and-God-together-forever life. That changes you.
Are you willing to love everyone, to be pro (every) life?
Excerpt taken from “Taboo: Topics Christians Should Be Talking About but Don’t” by Mike Novotny (© 2024 Time of Grace Ministry).
