Are You Pro-Life?
October 5th, 1997ARE YOU PRO LIFE?
EXODUS 20:13
10/5/97
Jesus taught us that the last six commands could be summed up with one command, “LOVE THY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF.” If you truly love your neighbor, then you will keep these six commandments. The apostle Paul said, “LOVE DOES NO HARM TO ITS NEIGHBOR. THEREFORE LOVE IS THE FULFILLMENT OF THE LAW.” (Rom 13:10) The ten commandments are meant to be laws of love. They were not given to keep us from personal fulfillment, but to protect our lives from harm so that we can enjoy life! Last week we saw that when we love one another in the family, God promises us that it will go well with us and that we will live long on the earth.
This week in the commandment “YOU SHALL NOT MURDER”, God declares that all human life is protected by God and therefore no one has the right to unlawfully kill another human being. In the 5th commandment God focuses on the importance of loving those in your immediate family. Now in this 6th command He emphasizes our responsibility to love all who belong to the entire human race. All people on earth are linked together by a common bond of humanity. We all belong to one big human family, whether black or white, red or yellow. We all have one common ancestry. Everyone of us can trace our family line back to Adam and Eve, and also Noah’s family. We are all related to one another by blood! The Bible says, “AND (HE) HATH MADE OF ONE BLOOD ALL NATIONS OF MEN FOR TO DWELL ON ALL THE FACE OF THE EARTH.” (Act 17:26)
Do you love your neighbor? Then you must do all that you can to protect and preserve his life. You must do nothing to harm your neighbor at all, because God commands it.
I. WHY IS HUMAN LIFE TO BE PROTECTED?
All human life is to be protected because God created man in His very own image. Genesis 1:27 says, “SO GOD CREATED MAN IN HIS OWN IMAGE, IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HE CREATED HIM; MALE AND FEMALE HE CREATED THEM.” This is not true of all the animals, but is only true of man. God’s likeness is stamped upon every human being from the moment of conception in the womb. Every life, therefore, is to be treated with dignity and respect. We are not allowed to look down on another person or race of people as inferior.
Whenever a nation forgets or stops believing that man is created in God’s image, then the respect for human life deteriorates drastically. Wherever humanism has replaced Christianity in this country, the value and respect for human life has eroded. The denial of respect for human life led to the killing of millions of Russians by Russian Communists earlier this century. Millions of Jews were exterminated by the Nazis because human life was no longer held sacred. Millions of babies have been murdered in the wombs of their mothers in America since 1973, because we have forgotten God and the sixth commandment. Today Nazi Germany no longer exists. The Communism of the Soviet Union has fallen. I wonder when the judgment sword of God will fall upon America?
Another reason why human life is to be protected and preserved is because of God’s exclusive authority over all human life. He is the Creator and therefore has the right to do whatever He wants with us. He alone has the right to take life. Deuteronomy 32:29 says, “THERE IS NO GOD BESIDES ME. I PUT TO DEATH AND I BRING TO LIFE.” Only God may take life, or those to whom He has delegated that authority. Romans 13:1 says, “THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD, AND THOSE WHICH EXIST ARE ESTABLISHED BY GOD.” Romans 13:4 goes on to say that the government bears the power of the sword. This means that in certain cases, the government has the right to exercise capital punishment. The Bible says, “WHOEVER SHEDS THE BLOOD OF MAN, BY MAN SHALL HIS BLOOD BE SHED; FOR IN THE IMAGE OF GOD HAS GOD MADE MAN.” (Gen 9:6)
Preserving of human life is so important to God that the person who murders another, must be put to death. Some people have read the 6th commandment “THOU SHALT NOT KILL” as referring to any form of killing, including capital punishment and war. But the word actually means “murder”, and is now translated such in today’s translations. It is clear that this command does not prohibit all forms of killing, because in the very next chapter, in Exodus 21:12 God says, “ANYONE WHO STRIKES A MAN AND KILLS HIM SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH.”
God allows killing for capital punishment and for self-defense. But beyond these two instances, the Bible does not allow us to take the life of another human being. War is sometimes allowable, and would come under the category of self-defense. A nation as well as an individual has the right to defend itself. The Larger Catechism says that we are forbidden to take away life “EXCEPT IN THE CASE OF PUBLIC JUSTICE, LAWFUL WAR, OR NECESSARY DEFENSE.”
Remember, God alone has authority over life, and therefore He alone has the right to take life. God has ordered us to respect, protect and preserve all human life in this 6th command.
II. WHAT ARE THE SINS FORBIDDEN IN THIS COMMAND?
Generally speaking, all unjust killing of innocent human life is forbidden. But it is not only the act of murder that is covered by this command, but also the attitudes of the heart which violate the sacredness of human life. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus showed that the 6th command is broken not only by the act of murder, but also by the thoughts of the heart. Jesus said, “YOU HAVE HEARD THAT IT WAS SAID TO THE PEOPLE LONG AGO, `DO NOT MURDER, AND ANYONE WHO MURDERS WILL BE SUBJECT TO JUDGMENT.’ BUT I TELL YOU THAT ANYONE WHO IS ANGRY WITH HIS BROTHER WILL BE SUBJECT TO JUDGMENT. ANYONE WHO SAYS, `YOU FOOL!’ WILL BE IN DANGER OF THE FIRE OF HELL.” (Mat 5:21, 22)
This commandment forbids hatred and bitterness toward others. 1 John 3:15 says, “ANYONE WHO HATES HIS BROTHER IS A MURDERER, AND YOU KNOW THAT NO MURDERER HAS ETERNAL LIFE IN HIM.” All desire for revenge is wrong. Jesus commands us to “TURN THE OTHER CHEEK”. All these attitudes are wrong and are the very foundations of murder. Are you presently feeling anger, hatred, or bitterness towards another person? Then ask God to cleanse you and root out these sinful desires before they spread to something worse.
We not only violate this command with sinful attitudes, but also with sinful words. There is much killing that goes on with the tongue. We must guard our words and be careful that they do not damage the reputation or the feelings of others. David prayed, “SET A GUARD OVER MY MOUTH, O LORD; KEEP WATCH OVER THE DOOR OF MY LIPS.” (Psa 141:3) God has called us to live in peace and unity with one another. Don’t destroy that unity with criticism of others within the body of Christ. Rather, do as Ephesians 4:29 says: “LET NO CORRUPT SPEECH PROCEED OUT OF YOUR MOUTH, BUT SUCH AS IS GOOD FOR EDIFYING AS THE NEED MAY BE, THAT IT MAY GIVE GRACE TO THEM THAT HEAR. ” (Eph 4:29) Proverbs 18:21 says, “DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE.”
This commandment forbids the act of suicide. Suicide is self-murder. Shorter Catechism Question # 69 says: What is forbidden in the sixth commandment?
A - The sixth commandment forbiddeth the taking away of our own life, or the life of our neighbor unjustly, or whatsoever tendeth thereunto. You have no more right to take your own life than you do the life of someone else. God alone has the right to take life, and therefore we must place our lives in His hands and let God decide when our life should end. Job’s wife told him to curse God and die. But Job said, ” THE LORD GAVE, AND THE LORD HATH TAKEN AWAY; BLESSED BE THE NAME OF THE LORD.” (Job 1:21) Job underwent terrible physical suffering with boils all over his body, yet he knew that suicide was wrong, because only the Lord had the right to give or to take life.
Today in America, there are many who suffer from awful diseases which make life unbearable. Some decide that they would be better off by committing suicide. There are even Doctors like Dr. Kevorkian who want to legalize medically assisted suicide. He has already helped countless persons to commit self-murder. This lowers the dignity of man as human beings are treated as animals, putting them to sleep as you would a dog or a cat. Will God forgive the person who commits suicide? Some would say no, since there is no opportunity for repentance. I side with Dr. J. I. Packer who says, “THOUGH SUCH ACTS DO NOT OF THEMSELVES FORFEIT GOD’S GRACE, AS WAS ONCE THOUGHT, YET SUICIDE IS A DIRECT BREACH OF GOD’S COMMAND.” I believe it is possible that a true Christian might get extremely depressed and commit this sin, and still go to heaven, because they knew Christ. However, I wouldn’t want to take any chances!
Suicide is usually thought of as an immediate and momentary act. But there is a type of suicide which is much slower and prolonged. This occurs when a person does anything that is known to significantly shorten life. Take the drug user for example. By constant use of certain illegal drugs many are short circuiting their life-span and thereby breaking the 6th commandment. Our bodies are meant to be a temple for the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “IF ANYONE DESTROYS GOD’S TEMPLE, GOD WILL DESTROY HIM; FOR GOD’S TEMPLE IS SACRED, AND YOU ARE THAT TEMPLE.” (1Co 3:17) Others destroy their body by sexual promiscuity and immorality, which opens the way for AIDS and other awful diseases.
Still others destroy their bodies by heavy drinking. When a person becomes intoxicated, he not only does harm to his own body, but puts others around him in harm’s way. Most murders are committed while under the influence of alcohol. More crimes are committed. More people are killed on the highway as the result of drunk driving. The abuse of alcohol makes a person careless and more subject to destroy and harm life. Another form of self destruction occurs from gluttony. Heart disease is rampant in America. Many heart problems are brought on by poor eating, and overeating. Obesity is all too common in America. It is unhealthy to be overweight, and does harm to our body. I know that it can be quite difficult to loose weight. Those who have a problem and seriously try to overcome it are to be commended.
One final form of self-destruction ought to be mentioned. You guessed it - smoking tobacco, especially cigarettes. There is a column in some newspapers titled, “THE FAMILY DOCTOR”. Someone wrote in to Dr. Allan Bruckheim wanting to know why he was so against smoking. He said that “EVERY CIGARETTE LOWERS THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF THE SMOKER ABOUT 15 MINUTES. (That’s 5 hours/pack) THE U.S. SURGEON GENERAL HAS STATED SMOKING IS THE ‘CHIEF, SINGLE AVOIDABLE CAUSE OF DEATH’ IN THIS NATION. EVERY YEAR ABOUT 400,000 AMERICANS DIE FROM TOBACCO- CAUSED DISEASES.” He said that the “AVERAGE AMERICAN NON- SMOKER CAN EXPECT TO LIVE TO ABOUT 76 YEARS OLD; WHILE THE AVERAGE SMOKER MAY MAKE IT TO 69.” What more needs to be said?
The 6th commandment also forbids the sin of abortion. Whenever the topic of abortion is discussed, emotions flare. This is why R.C. Sproul has written a book titled, “ABORTION: A RATIONAL LOOK AT AN EMOTIONAL ISSUE.” It is extremely difficult for me to talk about abortion without getting very emotional, but I want to attempt to do that for a few minutes. Allow me to use a little pure logic for a moment. God says that it is wrong to murder another human life. A preborn child is a human life. Abortion kills a preborn human life, therefore, abortion is murder. It is amazing to me that anyone could not understand such clear logic. Yet many would object to such reasoning.
One objection says that the unborn child is not a person, and therefore we have the right to kill it. But take one look at an aborted fetus and it is most evident that it is a full fledged human being. Ask any first grader to look at a picture of a developing fetus and tell you what it is and they will know that it is a baby. To say that the small, developing baby inside the mother’s womb is not a human person, one has to do one of two things. One is to stay ignorant of the scientific facts concerning unborn children. The other thing a person would have to do is to simply deny the plain and obvious facts. It is simply not true to say a fetus is not a human life! Thus, such a person also breaks the 9th commandment by bearing false witness against his neighbor. In this case the neighbor is an unborn child.
Another objection to the obvious truth that abortion is murder goes like this: “A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO CONTROL HER OWN BODY.” It sounds sensible and reasonable. But when this statement is applied to abortion, it is somehow forgotten that over half of aborted babies are also women. From the moment of conception there are two distinct, individual lives living together. The sex of the baby is determined at conception. At day 21 the heart begins to beat. (Which is a legal sign of life!) At day 28 arms, legs, eyes and ears have begun to show. At day 40 brain waves can be detected. At day 60, just 8 weeks after conception, “EVERYTHING IS NOW PRESENT THAT WILL BE FOUND IN A FULLY DEVELOPED ADULT.” By the 12th week the baby can squint, swallow, move its arms and legs, and suck its thumb. It can also feel pain by then.
From the moment of conception there is a separate human being within the mother’s womb. It is simply another lie to say that a mother has the right over her own body in the case of abortion, because the baby within her is another human person! Another argument that is given to support freedom of choice says, “NO ONE SHOULD IMPOSE THEIR RELIGIOUS MORALITY ON OTHERS.” But this is not primarily a religious issue, but an issue of life or death. Everyone, religious or not, agrees that murder is wrong. Because I believe that murder is wrong from a Christian perspective does not mean that therefore there should be no laws against murder! Religion did not discover when life begins; biologists did. If you use the argument that no one should impose morality on others, then you must also say that it is wrong for us to prosecute and punish people like mass murderers. After all, they are only exercising their freedom of choice. They choose to murder other human beings for personal reasons. Who are we to limit their freedom of choice in this matter?
I am convinced from Scripture that all Christians are obligated to oppose abortion. The freedom of choice position is an unchristian, ungodly and unbiblical position. To say that you oppose abortion and yet support freedom of choice is double talk. That is like saying you are against crime but criminals ought to have the freedom to commit crimes without persecution. To prove that the Pro-Choice position is unbiblical, please turn with me in your Bibles to Proverbs 24:11 & 12. It says, “RESCUE THOSE BEING LED AWAY TO DEATH; HOLD BACK THOSE STAGGERING TOWARD SLAUGHTER. IF YOU SAY, “BUT WE KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THIS,” DOES NOT HE WHO WEIGHS THE HEART PERCEIVE IT? DOES NOT HE WHO GUARDS YOUR LIFE KNOW IT? WILL HE NOT REPAY EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO WHAT HE HAS DONE?”
This verse says that we are obligated, not only to refrain from murder ourselves, but to rescue those who are being murdered. This applies to unborn children. If we say that we didn’t really know it was a person, God says He will not buy that excuse! He knows that you know, and it is to Him that you and I will have to give account one day when asked what we did to rescue the slaughter of millions of unborn children in America. Just as most Christians said or did nothing when the Nazi Holocaust occurred, so now many Christians are not willing to stand up for God and against abortion. God will judge our nation for this! I fear that even if we repent as a nation from this holocaust of abortion, that it is too late - God will judge us anyway.
Proverbs 6:16 & 17 says, “THERE ARE SIX THINGS THE LORD HATES, SEVEN THAT ARE DETESTABLE TO HIM: HAUGHTY EYES, A LYING TONGUE, HANDS THAT SHED INNOCENT BLOOD.” Proverbs 17:15 SAYS, “ACQUITTING THE GUILTY AND CONDEMNING THE INNOCENT - THE LORD DETESTS THEM BOTH.” God therefore hates the acts of the abortionist, and He hates a nation that would acquit the abortionist, while condemning the innocent preborn child. The Bible says, “CURSED BE HE THAT TAKETH REWARD TO SLAY AN INNOCENT PERSON. AND ALL THE PEOPLE SHALL SAY, AMEN.” (Deu 27:25) We must seek to change the laws of our land, which until 19 years ago, had always protected the unborn. We must do as Jeremiah the prophet said, “This is what the Lord says: “STAND AT THE CROSSROADS AND LOOK; ASK FOR THE ANCIENT PATHS, ASK WHERE THE GOOD WAY IS, AND WALK IN IT, AND YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. (Jer 6:16)
Of course we should not only refrain from murder, but we should seek to protect and preserve all human life. We must take care of our own bodies, and seek to maintain good health. We must take care of the poor, and the homeless here in America as well as overseas. We must take care of the elderly and the sick, providing the comfort and care that they need. God created us in His own image, and every human life is therefore worth living, and worth saving. Every human being is born with dignity, and though we are fallen in sin, we are still loved by God. “FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD, THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVETH IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH, BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.” (John 3:16)
To protect and preserve life means ultimately that we ought to do everything possible to preserve not only the human body from harm but also the human soul. You are concerned about your neighbor’s physical health and well-being, good. But are you concerned about their soul, and whether it will live eternally with God or be cast into hell forever? Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man if he gains the whole world and yet loses his soul?” What good will you do your neighbor if you help save his life but do nothing to help save his soul? We have the only remedy for the disease of sin - the good news of Jesus Christ. Will you take this message of eternal life and share it with those within your reach? James 5:19 & 20 says, “Brothers, if anyone among you err from the truth, and if anyone turns him back, know that he who turns back the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.” (NKJV)
