It’s been 47 years since the Roe v. Wade decision legalized abortion in America. According to realtime estimates on NumberOfAbortions.com, over 61 million lives have been lost to abortion since 1973. Nothing in the history of the world comes close to this loss of life, with the Holocaust being closest at about 10% of that number.
On January 19th, churches across America will be taking part in “Sanctity of Life Sunday,” an annual day of somberness as we come together and recognize the weight of death that hangs on our country. We use this day to remember that those children weren’t lumps of tissue or potential humans, but complete human beings who were made in the image of God.
It’s not uncommon for those in the pro-choice movement to feel baffled at the pro-life side of the argument. After all, their worldview says that those children were either not human, or were humans whose right to live wasn’t higher than a mother’s right to choose what happens with her body.
Last year, I wrote a series of articles that examines these issues from a Christian perspective. If you haven’t read them yet, I’d encourage you to do so this week. With the Sanctity of Life Sunday putting a spotlight on the realities of abortion, we have a wonderful opportunity to not only open discussions about abortion but share the gospel with people who need Jesus Christ. The entire goal of this series was to show how the unborn must be dehumanized in order for abortion to be tolerable.
- The first article examines the scientific reason why a fetus is a human being, as well as points out the implications Christians must deal with if we truly believe the unborn are human, no matter their stage of development.
- The second article looks at the logical reasons why the unborn are fully human. I think this is an important one to understand when we’re talking to Christians and non-Christians who aren’t sure where they stand.
- The third article carefully discusses why the right to live must come before the right to choose.
- The final article caps things off with the important discussion of why God values human life and why, if the unborn truly are human, we must value them as God does.
January 19th shouldn’t be the only day we consider those who are lost. Indeed, every day we live in a world has so devalued the lives of certain groups that we even have celebrities openly celebrating that they chose to end their child’s life for their own happiness.
Every day, our country adds 125,000 aborted babies to its body count. Worst of all, just like with other atrocities throughout history, we have people celebrating the fact that we’re doing it. It’s heartbreaking that we’re capable of doing this so openly, but it’s also incredibly eye-opening at just how deep our depravity runs, and why we all so desperately need the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
This Sunday, take a moment to remember the human beings who are being killed every day. Regardless of how they look, what they’re physically capable of, or their mental development, these people are no less an image-bearer of God than anyone else. Perhaps even consider donating to a pro-life charity you care about. If you don’t know one, my own church supports a local group called Agape Pregnancy Center that offers counseling and health services to pregnant women, as well as grief counseling for those living through the pain of ending their child’s life.
Let January 19th be a wake-up call for all of us. The greatest loss of human life is happening in our back yards because so few people understand what’s really happening. Let’s be willing to have those uncomfortable conversations by being informed about the issue rather than arguing from emotion.
Yet more than winning arguments, we need to bring people to Jesus Christ. A person’s views on abortion may save lives, but it’s only by understanding their need for Jesus Christ that they can not only view the unborn as God does, but have a right relationship with their savior in all areas of life.
