God: Fighter for the Unborn and Forgiver of the Repentant by Carol M. Swain for ReNew
Editor’s Note: The following is an excerpt from Countercultural Living: What Jesus Has to Say About Life, Marriage, Race, Gender, and Materialism.
Starting with the death of Abel, God distinguishes between those who are killed by others and deaths that occur in situations such as wars, accidental deaths, and government-mandated capital punishment. Exodus 20:3–17 lists the Ten Commandments God gave the Israelites. The sixth commandment states, “You shall not murder” (v. 13). Honor killings, abortion, euthanasia, and suicide are forms of murder that God prohibits here because they involve the taking of an innocent life.
According to Genesis 4:10, innocent blood cries out from the grave:
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“The Lord said, ‘What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.’”
Murder because of jealousy, to preserve family honor, or for any other reason is condemned by God: Proverbs 6:17 tells us that God hates “haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood.” In Leviticus 18:21, the Israelites are told, “Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the Lord.” Likewise, we read in Psalm 106:37–38 (NKJV): “They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons, and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was polluted with blood.”
These latter Scriptures should inform our awareness of nations, such as the United States, where courts and governmental entities have legalized abortion.
Legal Doesn’t Equal Moral
There are always consequences for great evil. As we know from the Old Testament, ancient Israel and its surrounding pagan nations suffered the wrath of God because of their detestable actions. As a young woman, I learned the hard way that just because an action is legal does not make it morally right. Like millions of other women around the world, I decided to abort an unplanned baby because of the burden I feared it would impose on my family.
