Outrage! Anger! Murder! We may struggle with these and many other thoughts as we see the reports of the laws that have been proposed, and even passed, by state legislatures allowing the killing of babies up to and even after the moment of birth! The brutality and brazen evil across our country demonstrated by abortion may at times overwhelm us. But should we be surprised that so many people condone it?
The culture of death we see permeating our world is not new. In fact, our first parents, Adam and Eve, when faced with the choice between life and death, chose death! Just like those today who excuse abortion on the grounds that other “rights” are more important than the right to life, Adam and Eve chose to believe a lie from the mouth of Satan that their “right” to be like God was more important than their right to life. And they indeed had the right to life in the real sense of what life is. Ever since their choice to give up the right to life, we have all been under the curse of death. By nature, we all choose death over life.
What we see being played out in our world regarding abortion is a symptom of the underlying issue: the old Adam loves darkness rather than light. The Apostle John wrote, “Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil” (3:19).
Adam and Eve believed the lie that they were the center of life and deserved to be equal to the One who created them. They chose to disbelieve that God is the light and life of the world. Ever since, we have all been blinded by that same lie. “We” are the most important. Our “rights” trump everything else.
It is only when we understand that life comes from the One who is life, that we start to see the grotesque nature of abortion. When we see that physical life is a precious gift from God, we will place an extremely high value on the life of the yet-to-be-born. All the other so-called “rights” that are held in such high esteem by our society and are used to justify abortion—they fade into insignificance when the true nature of life is understood.
Life is extremely important to God! He is life! Not only has God given us our physical life, he desires to give us eternal life… forever in Christ. God desires that no one perish.
We possess the gift that transforms people and transports them from the culture of death into everlasting life. That gift is the gospel, “…the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes…” (Romans 1:16, ESV). All who have received the gift of physical life desperately need the gift of eternal life in Christ.
Will you bring that message to those near you? Will you give to our shared ministries so that Jesus Christ, the Word of Life, can be brought to people all over the world?
Roy Heggland is Associate for Biblical Stewardship for the Church of the Lutheran Brethren.