Changing Our Minds On Abortion (Matthew 18:3-6, 19:13-14)

Changing Our Minds On Abortion (Matthew 18:3-6, 19:13-14)

This week marks the 44th anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Unfortunately many Christians believe that being pro-life only affects the way you vote. We long for the repeal of Roe v. Wade, but we fail to realize that before that Supreme Court decision there were around a million abortions a year performed in the United States. Not only that, but the Southern Baptist Convention used to be in favor of abortion, and it was a Southern Baptist who successfully argued the case before the Supreme Court! Moral decisions do not happen in a vacuum. If we are going to see the end of abortion, we must understand how we arrived at Roe v. Wade in the first place.

The Disciples are a perfect example

In Matthew 18 Jesus clearly teaches the disciples that you do not mess with children. He pronounces the most horrific of judgment upon those who would harm a child. However, in Matthew 19 we find the disciples doing everything they can to keep children away from Jesus! What led to the disciples rejection of the children even though it was clearly against the teachings of Christ? The same thing that lead the disciples to reject children is what led our nation to embrace abortion.

The purpose of life

We were created to make the whole world reflect the glory of God. We are to take dominion over all of creation for God’s glory. Obviously this cannot be performed by one person in one lifetime. For this reason, God blessed or commanded men eight times to “be fruitful and multiply.” This command/blessing is one of the most repeated commandments in Scripture and is never revoked. If we are going to make creation reflect God’s glory it is going to require literally billions of people over many, many generations.

God’s glory or our selfishness

Adam and Eve lived for self by eating the fruit; after the flood Noah’s descendents lived for self by building the tower of Babel. The disciples lived for self by desiring greatness within an immediate manifestation of the Kingdom of God. Selfish people live for all they can get in this lifetime. They do not think long term, and they are not concerned about the next generation.

Children are blessings, not burdens

For those who are seeking God’s glory in the advancement of the Kingdom of God, children are divine blessings and tremendous assets. Properly discipled children multiply the work and extend it over many generations. However, if one is living for self in the here and now, children are a burden and hindrance to selfish pursuits. Children could not help the disciples immediately overthrow the Roman government, so they were seen as a nuisance.

American progression

Christians in America became focused on financial prosperity. As such children became not a multiplier of work but a divider of resources. The birthrate plummeted as Americans pursued more and more wealth in their lifetimes. Because of this fathers no longer spent the time necessary with their children to teach them and disciple them. After World War II mothers began to see the financial benefits of two incomes leaving the children largely to be raised with minimal parental influence. This led to a largely fatherless generation who held to the Christian religion while actually pursuing wealth. As Romans 1 shows us this produced a sexual revolution that further viewed children as hindrances to the pursuit of wealth and pleasure. The love of money, the living for self in the here and now, the lack of discipleship of children, the viewing of children as a burden, etc. produced a “Christian” society that would both argue for and rejoice in Roe v. Wade.

Early Christianity as our example

Overturning Roe v. Wade will only put us back to the time when 1,000,000 illegal abortions were performed annually. The only way to actually eradicate abortion is to completely overthrow the pagan mindset that produced it. Rome was largely like America today in its sexual deviancy and infanticide. Christianity did not overtake the Roman Empire through legislation. The Gospel centered, adoption oriented, multi-generational, children are blessings, turn the hearts of the fathers to their children philosophy of early Christianity led to a complete overthrow of both infanticide and paganism within the Roman Empire.

Application

Are you living for the glory of God or selfish pursuits? Are you discipling and investing in the next generation? Do you view children as blessings or burdens? Will you open your home for foster care or adoption? Will you share God’s love and forgiveness with those who have had abortions?

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