While there are many facets to the abortion argument, probably one of the most important - and often overlooked - is the role of governing officials in this matter. Does the Bible say anything about governing officials and abortion? A must read!
When you think of "The State," what image pops into your mind? Is it some foggy, faceless behemoth of law and bureaucracy? Well, a Biblical Theist "sees" something quite different. "The State" is simply a group of individuals - under Biblical directives for governance. That is why this Article addresses "Governing Officials" - not some impersonal, "State." In this Article, we will examine the primary duty of all who govern, and then apply that to abortion specifically. We will look at the hopes, fears - and my advice to - all pro-choice governing officials.
"O Governing Official ... Your Role and Responsibility"
Romans 13:1-4, concisely defines the role and responsibility of governing officials. "Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities .... For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil ..." (Ro 13:1-4).
Actually the authority itself is referred to as "theou gar diakonos" - a deacon of God, a servant of God, a minister of God! The Creator calls governing authority - His minister! When one takes on this power, that one is responsible - and accountable - to use that tool of God according to God! Does it seem like most governing officials know - or believe - this? And the ministry? Support law-abiding producers and punish evildoers. And governing officials are to properly define what is good or evil - according to God's definition. So, with this as our backdrop, let's consider the abortion issue.
The Hopes of Pro-Choice Governing Officials
1. The preborn is subhuman. It is not a person and has no rights. It is a nameless, faceless blob of protoplasm - a "growth" inside a woman. So, while abortion kills tissue that is alive, this destruction is not the taking of "a life."
2. The Church/State separation governing construct is valid. So, if there is a Creator, and even a Creator interested in the preborn, abortion is a religious question and the government can rightly excuse itself from the entire issue. After all, many religious sects believe life and personhood begin at conception, but not all of them do. Therefore, even a deeply religious governing official is confronted with this question: "What gives me the right to impose my moral/religious views on those under my jurisdiction?" So, the governing authority takes the perceived high road and delegates the fate of this living "thing" to the mother.
3. A woman's privacy trumps the life of the preborn. Bumper stickers stating, "Get the government out of my womb!" capsulate the position.
4. It is sound policy ... that private citizens be allowed to wield "the sword" against an unwanted preborn ... and kill it.
5. There is no Creator of the preborn - nor One to whom the governing official must account. Conception is a random, natural event.
"We are not saying abortion is good or right - nor are we participating in it. We are simply passing this decision off to the woman and her doctor. It is the woman's body and she has a privacy right. This is a health issue out of the legitimate jurisdiction of government." The Humanist governing official has placed all of his/her hopes on the validity of the positions above.
The Fears of Pro-Choice Governing Officials (At Least These Should Cause Fear)
1. The preborn is human. (But, if there is no One to account to - so what?)
2. A Church/State governmental construct does not release governing authorities from the Creator's moral expectations and requirements for governance.
3. The Creator has made each preborn. He has a vested interest in each one. A mother's "right to privacy" does not trump this. He owns His work - mother and preborn.
4. Governing officials who kill the preborn, or allow the preborn to be killed, have erred in their responsibility with "the sword." They have either errantly wielded it (China), or erred by delegating it to private citizens (USA).
5. Governing officials hold accountable positions before the Creator. He has the willingness, and ability, to call each one before Him to account for his/her role in each act of abortion. This includes an accounting for the hapless embryos of the stem cell endeavors.
If any of these "fears" are true, then the errant governing official will be found as a lethal agent toward the most defenseless of the human family.
"Now therefore, O kings, act wisely; take warning, O judges (leaders) of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear .... Do homage to the Son (Kiss the Son), lest He become angry, and you be destroyed in your way ..." (Ps 2:10-12). Jesus is either The Ruler over all authorities - or He is not. (See Mt 28:18, Phil 2:9-11, Col 1:16, Rev 19:16, etc., etc., etc.).
The Biggest Error - That Pesky Life Element
All who support abortion rights are operating with a fatal assumption. They have adopted the opinion of the atheistic, evolutionary, naturalist - before science has proven the opinion is true! And what is that opinion? The "spark" that makes non-living elements come to life is just some kind of natural phenomenon. Life "happens" when the right chemical combination occurs in the right environment. What a huge blunder. Until scientists can isolate, identify, replicate or otherwise discover the "life element," self interest should restrain one from rushing to kill innocent human life. Abortion's primary purpose is to sufficiently scramble living material until that "life element" vacates. How it got there, what it is, and where it goes nobody knows. Abortion activity only knows how to make it leave. So, ... what if this is the truth? "See now that I, I am He, and there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life ..."(Deut 32:39). What do you suppose might be in store for abortion rights advocates - before such a Creator?
What Should Individuals Who Serve in Government Do?
You should think of it this way. "If it is even remotely possible the pro-life position is correct, then I must do whatever it takes to avoid any complicity in abortion. When my short life ends, I must make sure I have no culpability in this area before a Creator of life." Whether contraception that produces the death of a preborn, or the harvesting of embryonic stem cells, or giving "the sword" to abortionists ... I would do whatever was necessary to make sure the Creator of that life would have no cause against me. The threats, railings, and wails of Planned Parenthood, NOW, NARAL, or the Democratic Party Platform would become more and more distant as my appointment with that Creator draws ever closer. Let them vote me out, impeach me, or otherwise depose me. And, if they must, let them kill me. "My friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who after He has killed has authority to cast into Hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!" (Lk 12:4,5). "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb 10:31). Like is so often the case in the Bible, these are massive understatements. But abstinence or passivity in abortion activity is not enough. Governing officials are charged with the welfare of each person under his/her jurisdiction. God expects governing officials to shut down abortion.
"O Participating Governing Official ...."
Do not think your pro-choice voting block, lobbyists, or advisors will come to your aid on Judgment Day. While the Creator will be meting out their "reward" for their errant actions and influences, those same "friends" will be busy declaring you made your own choices - and those choices should not fall back on them. But, don't worry. The Creator will not let them successfully shift blame. But know that each of them will be scrambling, in a vain attempt, to save themselves from their Creator. You, and your defense, will be the last thing on their minds. In this matter, I am your friend. But you must listen now. I will not be able to help you then.
How Much of the Bible Can a Person Not Believe - and Still Be Okay?
The title of this Article ... is a really good question. Actually, it is an extremely good question. In fact, the only thing better than it is ... the answer.
The Fertile Egg, The Abortion Argument, and the Creator
The abortion argument begins ... where? Does it start with the embryo, the first heartbeat, the first brainwave, the beginning of the third trimester ... or with the fertile egg? Or should there even be an abortion argument at all - as this entire debate is a privacy right's issue under the full jurisdiction of each individual woman?
Were Imperfect Beings Made By A Perfect God?
If God is perfect, then why has He made such a flawed world? Is there an answer to this?
