What the Bible Teaches about Abortion

What the Bible Teaches about Abortion

What the Bible Teaches about Abortion

Abortion as a medical procedure does not appear anywhere in biblical texts. However, this in no way means the bible has nothing to say about abortion. Abortion is one of the most critical issues our nation faces today, and not just our generation, but the next, and the next, need to be informed as to what the Bible has to say about the subject.

Many accept that the the Bible clearly condemns murder, so much so God has place it in the 10 Commandments. Murder is not the same as killing, which is another subject all together. The Bible obviously allows us to kill animals, and the accidental killing of a human is not condemned, because it was an accident. In fact, humans may be killed if they have committed a capital offense. The issue at hand with abortion is not killing, rather murder, which is the intentional killing of an innocent human being.

"Thou shalt not murder" ~ Exodus 20:13 YLT

So the question we must answer is this, is abortion murder, the intentional killing of a human being?

God's Word applies equally to the unborn baby as it does to the young child, mature adult and even the senior citizen. The question of Abortion being the intentional killing of a human baby actually causes us to examine more questions, such as "Is the unborn baby a human being?", "Is the unborn baby a person?", "Is it wrong to terminate the life of an unborn child?", and these questions are explicitly addressed in the Word of God, and by answering them, we can ultimately discover the biblical answer to our original question, is abortion murder?

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT WHEN LIFE BEGINS

"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life" ~ Job 33:4

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life..." ~ Genesis 2:7

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT THE UNBORN CHILD AS A HUMAN BEING

"The Lord called me from the womb; from the body of my mother He named me." ~ Isaiah 49:1

"I will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made" ~ Psalm 139:14

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT THE UNBORN CHILD AS A PERSON

"For Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother's womb. I will give thanks to Thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Thy works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from Thee, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them" ~ Psalm 139:13-16

God told Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations" ~ Jeremiah 1:5

As Mary shared the good news of the Messiah's coming, Elizabeth's "babe leaped in her womb..." ~ Luke 1:41, 44.

Luke further declares that John (Elizabeth's "babe"), was "filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb" ~ Luke 1:15

It is clear throughout the Word of God that the Holy Spirit only fills people, not "tissue" or "cells".

WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT WHETHER ABORTION IS EVER JUSTIFIED

"Whoso sheddeth a man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God made He man." ~ Genesis 9:6

IS TAKING A HUMAN LIFE EITHER BORN OR UNBORN EVER JUSTIFIED?

Even though the Bible commands, "Thou shalt not murder" in Exodus 20:13 YLT, and even though the Bible repeatedly affirms the sanctity of life, Scripture allows the taking of a criminal's life in instances such as crimes of murder (Exodus 21:12), rape (Deuteronomy 22:25), incest (Leviticus 18:6, 30), and child sacrifice (Leviticus 18:21, 30).

In each instance in which God allowed or commanded the death of a human being, a serious crime was involved. God's Word commands "the innocent and righteous slay thou not" in Exodus 23:7. Nowhere does the Bible teach or God condone the death of an innocent unborn child.

The Bible allows the civil magistrate to order the taking of lives for acts of war or in necessary police actions.

Exodus 21:22-25 NIV
"If men who are fighting hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise."

WHAT ABOUT RAPE OR INCEST, SHOULDN'T THAT JUSTIFY ABORTION?

Does an act of violence against an innocent woman justify an act of violence against an innocent unborn child?

The tragedy of a woman being raped is only compounded by the killing of an unborn baby. (Deuteronomy 22:25; 24:16)

Does destroying an unborn baby eradicate the tragedy of rape?

"There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood..." ~ Proverbs 6:16-17

CHILDREN ARE A GIFT FROM THE LORD

"Behold, children are a gift from the Lord; The fruit of the womb is a reward" ~ Psalm 127:3


WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES CHRISTIANS ARE TO DO ABOUT ABORTION

"Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins" ~ Isaiah 58:1

Jesus said, "You are the light of the world" ~ Matthew 5:14

THE LOGICAL AND BIBLICAL SOLUTION TO THE QUESTION IS THIS

Abortion is the intentional killing of an innocent human being, and therefore has to be regarded as murder. So, although the Bible doesn't mention abortion specifically, it is clear from the Word of God that abortion is murder.

OTHER SCRIPTURES REGARDING THE SANCTITY OF LIFE

  • Exodus 23:7
  • Deuteronomy 18:10
  • Deuteronomy 24:16
  • Deuteronomy 30:19
  • Psalm 100:3
  • Psalm 106:37, 38
  • Isaiah 49:5
  • Isaiah 59:3
  • Ezekiel 16:4-6
  • Ezekiel 16:20-21
  • Luke 17:2
  • Romans 2:11
  • Galatians 1:15
  • Revelation 21:8

Bibliography
Brown, Harold O. J., Death Before Birth. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1977
Gorman, Michael J., Abortion and the Early Church. Madevah, N. J.: Paulist Press, 1982
Kennedy, D. James, A Nation in Shame. Fort Lauderdale: Coral Ridge Ministries, 1985
Koop, C. Everette, The Right to Live, The Right to Die. Wheaton, Ill.: Tyndale House, 1976
Nathanson, Bernard N., Aborting America. Garden City, N. J.: Doubleday, 1979
Schaeffer, Francis, and C. Everette Koop, Whatever Happened to the Human Race? Old Tappan, N. J.: Revell, 1979
Shoemaker, Donald P., Abortion, the Bible, and the Christian, Cincinnati: Hayes Publishing, 1979
Whitehead, John W., The Second American Revolution. Westchester, Ill.: Good News Publishing, 1985
Willke, Jack, and Barbara Willke, Abortion: Questions and Answers. Cincinnati: Hayes Publishing, 1985

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