If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. – John 15:19
I said two weeks ago during my sermon addressing John 7:1-24 that we cannot be friends with this world and friends with Christ. I believe this to be axiomatic. It is self-evident, coming directly from the words of Christ himself. I never try to come across to this congregation as one with a prophetic gift that allows me to foresee the future. I do not know the future, nor do I have direct access to information regarding it. I do, however, along with all of you, have access to the scriptures. Those scriptures remind me that friendship with this world is hatred toward God (James 4:4).
Neither Jesus nor the apostle James is inviting us to hate people or to despise the gift of life that brings us into this world. To borrow a phrase from the poet Dylan Thomas, we “rage, rage against the dying of the light,” not the coming of the light. Life is a precious gift from God, not to be disposed of thoughtlessly. In biblical terms, particularly in the ministry of Jesus and the writings of the apostles, “this world” is often a pejorative term denoting the spirit of this age — the worldview that is held by the majority of people that aligns itself against God and chooses instead a human wisdom based on vague notions of good, evil, truth, justice, and freedom. In the words of the apostle Paul, it is effectively exchanging the truth about God for a lie (Romans 1:25).
Two weeks ago, the United States Supreme Court ruled in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization that decisions related to abortion will be returned to the individual States, effectively throwing out the Roe v. Wade decision of 1973. Justice Samuel Alito, who wrote the majority opinion, stated it very bluntly, "Roe was egregiously wrong from the start. Its reasoning was exceptionally weak, and the decision has had damaging consequences." Now, after forty-nine years of legalized abortion in the United States, allowing for an estimated 63 million abortions, a sliver of justice and reasonableness has prevailed. An entire generation of Americans has been snuffed out before they ever took a first breath. It is an injustice of biblical proportions. We will, I trust, meet them in heaven.
Friends, abortion on demand cannot be justified biblically. If the pre-born human in the womb is created in the image of God by God, then abortion is the unjust killing of that unique, God-formed human being (Psalm 139:13). If it is not human, it is tissue, and we should allow women to decide what to do with their own bodies. It is often made to appear far more complex than this, but like most things, it is remarkably simple. No human being has the right to kill another innocent human being. Scripture is clear on this matter. The fact that the human is a matter of inches down a birth canal plays no part in the discussion. Life is sacred biblically, from conception to death. Any “Christian” who argues for abortion rights is arguing against the very scriptures that give rise to the term “Christian.” I may declare myself a good Muslim while simultaneously denying Islamic teachings and their sacred writings. Any reasonable Muslim would dismiss my claim out of hand—and rightfully so. The Bible clearly indicates that pre-born humans are living humans. The church of the first century all the way through the closing years of the 20th called abortion an abomination based on those biblical texts. This belief among Christ-followers was virtually ubiquitous. Only recently has the spirit of this age infiltrated the church, including the Roman Catholic Church, once a bastion of belief in the sacredness of life.
True Christians should rightfully rejoice in the Dobbs decision, regardless of their political affiliation. Nevertheless, abortion is not ended in America. Thousands upon thousands will still die having never known the warmth of a mother’s embrace, or the fragrance that accompanies a cool autumn breeze, along with 10,000 other joys and sorrows that accompany life in this world. Without cause, and having never sinned against God or humankind, they will simply die.
Now, I return to my opening thought. I cannot see the future, but I believe the future looks dim for orthodox Christianity in our land. Those who stand for truth, as Jesus stood for truth, will be hated. Those who want only peace in this life will try to find ways to appease an angry world while ostensibly remaining loyal to Christ. It is impossible. Fresh water cannot flow from a saltwater spring, nor do fig trees bear olives. We must choose whom we will serve.
If your choice is like mine, to live for Christ at any cost, then join with me in speaking the truth in love. Let us call the world’s lies what they are…lies. Let us pray for the end to legal abortion in our land. Let us care for the millions of women who are utterly broken-hearted, having aborted one or more of their own children, who live lives fully committed to Christ today. Let us be tender-hearted toward all and live at peace with all people, as much as it depends on us. For this, we will be hated. It is worth it when we stand in truth. It is worth it when we stand with Christ.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym