Abortion - The Wrong Choice
SCRIPTURE READING: Psalms 139:13-16
INTRODUCTION.
A. Consider the following statistics:
1. In 1994, an estimated 1.4 million abortions took place.
2. Why are children aborted? There are three main reasons given by women for choosing to abort their pregnancy.
a. 3/4 say a baby would interfere with work, school or other responsibilities.
b. "About 2/3 say they cannot afford a child."
c. "1/2 say they do not want to be a single parent or are having problems with their husband or partner." (The above statistics came from Alan Guttmacher Institute, www.agi-usa.org/abortion )
3. "Each year, an estimated 50 million abortions occur worldwide. Of these, 30 million procedures are obtained legally, 20 million illegally." (Ibid.)
4. "Women who report no religious affiliation are about 4 times as likely as women who report some affiliation to have an abortion." (Ibid.)
5. American War Casualties compared to the casualties of the war on the unborn.
a. The combined death toll of the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War is 1,160,591.
b. The war on the unborn child from 1973-1994 has yielded 31,000,000 legal abortions. (Ibid.)
B. It can truly be said that the most dangerous place to live in America is in a mother's womb.
C. It is tragic that a country that was started over the fight for religious freedom and independence now strips unborn babies of their right to live.
D. This lesson will show six reasons why unborn babies should not be aborted.
1. There is life before birth.
2. Abortion is murder.
3. We have the responsibility to care for the helpless.
4. A baby possesses all the attributes of a living and autonomous human being.
5. The Bible refers to the unborn baby and the born baby with the same word.
6. One's right to choose does not take precedence over another person's right to life.
I. THERE IS LIFE BEFORE BIRTH.
A. An unborn baby has the "breath of life" within it. (Gen. 2:7)
B. The unborn child is a possessor of a spirit.
1. Ecclesiastes 12:7 reads, "Then the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it." (NKJV)
2. When a child is conceived by a woman, the child is the offspring of a human, making the child a human. Although the baby is still growing inside the womb, it is still a "man" or human. According to the scriptures, if that baby was to die before being born or after being born, the baby's spirit would return to God.
C. In the case of Isaiah, God had plans for Isaiah while Isaiah was still in the womb. While Isaiah was in the womb, God considered Isaiah a living person with potential. (Isa. 49:1)
D. John the baptizer, while still in his mother's womb, was filled with the Holy Ghost. (Luke 1:15)
E. According to the evidence found in the scriptures, there is life inside the womb.
II. ABORTION IS THE TAKING OF ANOTHER HUMAN LIFE.
A. Since an innocent life is taken willfully in the act of abortion, a murder is being committed. Consider what the Bible says about murderers.
1. No murderer will enter into Heaven. (Gal. 5:21)
2. All murderers will have their part in the "lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death." (Rev. 21:8, NKJV)
3. These passages makes you wonder how many doctors, nurses, mothers, and fathers are headed to this lake of fire. We must also consider the number of those who have had a hand in supporting abortions. If these people do not repent and change before it is too late, then they will spend eternity in the "lake which burns with fire and brimstone."
B. Solomon teaches us that God hates the "hands that shed innocent blood." (Prov. 6:17)
C. Although God has given a husband and wife the right to bring a baby into this world, He has not given them the right to take the life of the child. >From the very beginning God's word has been, "Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man." (Gen. 9:6)
III. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO CARE OF THE HELPLESS.
A. Under the Old Covenant, the children of Israel were required to take care of the helpless. (Deut. 10:17-18; 24:19-21)
B. Under the New Covenant, Christians are also required to do what they can to provide for those who are helpless. (James 1:27)
C. Of all the people who live in this world, I would say that the unborn child is in the greatest need of help.
1. The loving mother does all she can to provide for the needs of her unborn child.
a. Quit smoking.
b. Quit drinking.
c. Take Vitamins
d. Plenty of Rest
e. Eat a balanced diet.
f. Visit the doctor regularly.
2. However, in the country that we live in, Christians are called upon to stand up for and speak in the defense of those helpless unborn babies who are headed towards extermination.
IV. A BABY POSSESSES THE ATTRIBUTES OF A LIVING AND AUTONOMOUS HUMAN BEING.
A. At the conception, a baby has its own set of genes which will help to direct the development of the baby into its own person.
B. From the 18th day to the 25th day, the baby's heart begins to beat and to circulate its own individual blood supply.
C. The baby's electrical brain waves can be recorded at 40-42 days on an EEG machine. This is evidence that the baby is thinking on its own.
D. The baby begins to squint, swallow, and move its tongue at around 9 to 10 weeks.
E. All the major organs are present and working in the new born baby at around 10 to 11 weeks.
F. By 20 weeks (5 months) the baby can survive outside of the womb.
V. THE BIBLE REFERS TO THE UNBORN BABY AND THE BORN BABY WITH THE SAME WORD.
A. In the Old Testament, the word "ben" (pronounced bane) is used in reference to the born and the unborn.
1. Genesis 25:21-22 - Jacob and Esau struggled within the womb. The text reads, "But the children struggled together within her;..." (NKJV) The term children (ben) was referring to two unborn babies.
2. Genesis 37:3 - Israel (Jacob) loved Joseph more than his other children. The text reads, "...Israel loved Joseph more than all his children,..." (NKJV) In this text, the Hebrew word ben is used in reference to children after birth.
B. In the New Testament, the Greek word "brephos" refers to an "unborn child, embryo, fetus; a newborn child, an infant...a babe." (Thayers)
1. Luke 1:44 - The unborn baby John leaped in his mothers womb. The text reads, "...the babe leaped in my womb for joy." (NKJV) In this passage, the Greek word "brephos" is used in reference to an unborn baby.
2. Luke 2:16 - The shepherd found the born baby Jesus lying in a manger. The text reads, "...and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger." (NKJV) In this text, the Greek word "brephos" is referring to a baby that had already been born.
C. The Bible does not make a noticeable distinction between an unborn baby and a born baby. The unborn baby has as much right to live as a baby that has already left the womb.
D. Leaders today call an unborn child a fetus, an embroy, or even a viable tissue mass.
1. While these words may seem harmless, some have used these words to strip away the humanity of an unborn child. Consider the U.S. Supreme Court which declared that a fetus is not a person. {Note: It would be good to have proof of this statement.}
2. The Almighty Heavenly Father has declared otherwise: An unborn child is a child.
VI. ONE'S RIGHT OF CHOICE DOES NOT TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER ANOTHER PERSON'S RIGHT TO LIFE.
A. The fact that God declared murder as being wrong proves that every person has a right to life. (Rom. 1:29-32; Gal. 5:21; Rev. 21:8)
B. The only people who should fear the "sword" are the wicked.
1. Paul wrote in Romans 13:4, "For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil." (Rom. 13:4, NKJV)
2. Since unborn babies are not guilty of crimes or wicked deeds, they have no reason to fear.
3. Whenever a woman chooses to abort her unborn child, she has become a murderer and should be in fear of the sword herself.
C. Murder is wrong and shows that one's right of choice cannot take precedence over another's right to life.
D. Consider the following:
1. Some argue that as long as the baby is in the woman's body, the woman has ultimate say over what she wants to do with the unborn child.
2. Others say that a baby does not have a soul until it takes its first breath.
3. Neither of the arguments have a bearing on whether or not a baby has the right to life.
a. The unborn baby is a human, being conceived of a human.
b. As has already been shown the unborn baby is functioning on its own with the exception of its reliance upon the mother for food and oxygen.
c. The unborn baby is a living human being and has every right to life that is had by every other human.
4. Even our Declaration of Independence declares our unalienable rights. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness." (Declaration of Independence)
5. Why are unbabies considered by some to be excepted from the statement, "...that all men are created equal, that they are endowed...with certain unalienable Rights,..."?
CONCLUSION.
A. According to Psalms 127:3, children of a heritage of the Lord.
1. The term heritage is translated from the Hebrew word nachalah {nakh-al-aw'} which means,
"1) possession, property, inheritance, heritage
1a) property
1b) portion, share
1c) inheritance, portion." (Enhanced Strong's Lexicon)
2. The child is the fruit of the womb and is also considered our reward.
3. Our children are given to us for a limited time only. Children are our reward and are to be considered a blessing.
B. It is sad that our nation no longer respects the sanctity of life.
1. We have leaders and citizens who are "without natural affection" or "love" as Paul refers to in II Timothy 3:3.
2. We have leaders and citizens who are "past feeling." (Eph. 4:19) They no longer feel the emotional pain of sin; they have become apathetic.
3. Many of our current leaders and judges are not standing up for the right of the unborn child. They are solders in the war against the unborn. Consider the following example:
"NEW ORLEANS -- A federal judge on Thursday struck down a Louisiana law aimed at banning the late-term abortion procedure known as partial birth abortion. "The law's supporters said it outlawed the procedure doctors call dilation and extraction, but U.S. District Judge Thomas Porteous sided with those who said the law could be interpreted more broadly. "'This act's broad language seems to purposefully create confusion and ambiguity,' Porteous wrote, saying he was unswayed by the state's claim that the law only applied to dilation and extraction. "Opponents said the law would have outlawed all abortions because it forbade any abortion performed once any part of a fetus enters the birth canal." (Constitution Wire Service, March 5, 1999, Lawton Constitution)
B. What are our options in this horrible situation?
1. Ferventy pray for our leaders. (I Tim. 2)
2. Spread the Truth to all of our friends, influencing others to make the right choice.
a. There is life before birth.
b. Abortion is murder.
c. We have the responsibility to care for the helpless.
d. A baby possesses all the attributes of a living and autonomous human being.
e. The Bible refers to the unborn baby and the born baby with the same word.
f. One's right to choose does not take precedence over another person's right to life.
3. Exercise our right to vote for who we feel would best represent the Bible on this subject.
by John Duvall - Preached in Jonesboro, AR
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