“You’re the reason we have to bring her here!” While looking over a 13ft fence at the local abortion mill, as I tried to plead with a young man and woman to not murder their baby and turn to Christ, these were the words I heard coming from an older woman who had just driven them there. As all three looked up at me they continued to hurl false accusations, gestures and foul language in my direction.
There is a word used to describe this kind of behavior: insanity.
What these individuals were doing is what all unbelievers do in varying degrees. Not being justified by faith in Christ, they seek to be justified by erroneous fallacies. These are untruths designed by the depraved mind to alleviate the conscience. Instead, they further solidify them in their self-righteousness. The Bible explains it this way:
And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them. (Rom. 1:28-32; NASB)
The hate that unbelievers have toward gospel heralds is not simply anger for a person proclaiming the excellencies of Christ. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you,” (John 15:18). They not only hate the preacher as they suppose, but they despise Jesus and all He represents. This is in spite of the fact that all sinful men are greatly indebted to Him. They resist in rebellion against the Giver of Life who holds their life in His hand. Like the child who must sit in his father’s lap in order slap him in his face, they require the help of him whom they have no desire to know.
Admittedly, the high-octane encounter at the abortion mill is not normative for God’s redeemed. It’s also not necessarily a normative one to have at the abortuary. Most don’t pack up their signs, amp and ladder and go down to the murder mill to engage and confront those who intend to have their children dismembered and removed from their own womb. Vivid, yes, but it’s the truth.
Nevertheless, the principle remains that the children of the Fall continuously walk in and are given over to their sin. Also, many Christians may think this type of ministry to be a little … let’s say … confrontational. Truthfully, it can be. Your heart will race when the first car from out of state pulls up, and you are about to plead for the life of their child and their own soul. They have crossed state lines to conceal the preconceived killing of their unborn from their own community, while claiming “it’s a woman’s choice.”
Too often the conversation about abortion becomes one of mere moralization to not abort the child, where the proclamation of the Gospel is forgotten.
So why did those three people conspire to go to an abortion clinic on a Saturday morning to murder this young woman’s child? Answer: As people suppress the truth in unrighteousness they become “futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart” is darkened (Romans 1:21). In their distorted view of circumstances unbelievers believe they are justified by their rendering of reality, but in truth it’s all but a facade. So while the three of them never told me the real reason why they came to that place, there are certain things that can be known from God’s revelation about the heart of man when they seek to murder a baby in utero.
There seem to be three possible conclusions that people will come to when asked about their decision to murder or help murder an unborn child: good, bad or indifferent. If they hold firm to believing they are justified in their action, there is one answer they will not give you about abortion: that it is a moral decision.
Good. Those who advocate abortion will outright say it is a good thing that women have abortions. They see it as a woman’s decision about her body, and the child as nothing more than organic matter. Abortion is a means of being merciful to a child being brought up in unfortunate circumstances. It is also viewed as good because the parents aren’t financially prepared to raise the child.
Bad. Some pro-choicers admit it may be bad but ask, “What about the woman that was raped?” Yes it is bad, but they say, “The mother is so young.” They know it is wrong, but they fear others before fearing God and say to themselves, “God will forgive.” In essence, they presume upon God’s grace.
Indifferent. Often a man will claim neutrality, not believing he has a right to tell a woman what she can do with her body. So he doesn’t because, he says, he’s “not a woman.” This is true, he’s not a woman, but it fails the test of basic logic about the harm being done to the baby inside the womb.
What do good, bad and indifferent people do? Women know it’s wrong but do it anyway. They profess a version of the truth with their mouths, but their actions demonstrate the true condition of their hearts. Hence why they do not actually see abortion as a moral decision. Anyone who answers good, bad or indifferent won’t concede that a women’s actions to murder her baby in the womb are immoral in nature and consequently an affront to God.
So what can the believer do when confronted by the beliefs of a pro-abortionist? What should be a Christian’s motivation?
As can be seen by the typically small numbers outside an abortuary, we know many Christians aren’t outside them ministering Christ to the lost. This is not meant to guilt you into going to your local abortion mill. You should go because of your love for Christ, His people and the helpless babies whose mother’s womb becomes their tomb. Generally though, where will most of your encounters for those seeking abortions be? With those you pass by and chat with, sinner and professing saint, at work, family get-togethers, and yes, even church members.
So when that time comes, and it will, what will you do? How will you point that man or woman, made in the image of God, to the glories of Christ and expose the dark depths of their sin?
A few things must be said.
Do not:
- …let them think the Word of God approves of the murder of their child. Perhaps this is a no-brainer some Christians seek to earn favor of others in this scenario through affirmation. This is the fear of man. It’s not mercy nor is it grace. Meanness isn’t necessary, in fact you should demonstrate kindness, but you must be clear that abortion is murder.
- …allow the conversation to be sidetracked into merely being a political matter. It’s true that abortion has been in the political arena since Roe v Wade, nevertheless, the moral and ethical implication of the act of aborting the unborn still stands. It’s not “an issue” of freedom decided by a government. God has clearly revealed His truth on the matter (Ex. 21:22–23).
Do:
- ….provide them every alternative to abortion and opportunity to help. Leave them without any avenue of escape. If someone claims rape, financial hardship, immaturity or any other absurdity as an excuse to murder their child, they will be left with no defense for what they wish to justify. As you give resources for adoption and your willingness to help in any way possible to spare their child’s life, they are left without any other excuse than to say they desire to murder their own baby. Though by God’s grace, perhaps their heart will be pricked and they will concede.
- …urge them to turn to Christ and turn from their sin. Too often the conversation about abortion becomes one of mere moralization to not abort the child, where the proclamation of the Gospel is forgotten. Now while the truth is that you may be seeking to save the life of the child, you should be even more focused on seeking the salvation of the person with whom you are speaking. An exclusive focus on this one sin can unintentionally mislead the hearer into believing that they are simply being addressed for the sake of their child, and not also for their very own soul. Show them their sin but point them to the mighty God and Savior who saves all who believe from their sin.
- …pray for them before, during and after your encounter with them, and pray for their unborn child. Pray for open doors, hearts that God has prepared, that listeners hear, and that God is glorified in your communication in His power by His Spirit.
No one is off the hook. Evangelism in general is not a passive waiting and living of “good” Christian lives until someone asks you for your help. Instead, pray and ask the Lord to open doors for service. Diligently seek for those who need the Lord’s intervention, specifically, His Gospel. Amidst the daily search for those who God will save, remember that there are thousands being murdered at abortion mills annually. This translates to thousands of mothers with their chauffeurs coming to the death camps wrongly called “clinics” as men and women who do not know Christ.
Consider this for a moment: During WWII, Christians knew what was taking place in Hitler’s concentration camps but many turned a blind eye. What will you do?
— Chuck Lane is a husband, father and follower of Jesus. He writes occasionally and likes to lift heavy things. Chuck graduated from Wilmington School of the Bible in 2016, and lives with his family in the Upstate of South Carolina.
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