Roe v. Wade

The Overturning of Roe v. Wade and a Biblical View of Life

On Friday June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court overturned the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson’s Women’s Health Organization. An unprecedented leak at the Supreme Court earlier this year anticipated the ruling that recently came down. Abortion has divided the United States politically like few other issues have ever done.

That division is unsurprising. Many who are pro-life believe that life begins at conception. The life in the womb is unique with his/her own set of DNA, heartbeat, brain activity, and ability to feel pain. If life occurs at conception, then life should be defended and protected regardless of developmental stage.

Many who are pro-choice do not believe that the fetus in the womb is a life, but rather a part of a woman’s body. As a part of her body, the woman should have a right to want or not want the “potential” life she carries.

These two competing viewpoints highlight the division present in our nation. There is no real middle ground or room for compromise between these positions. Since 1973, this division has been growing with each advance in technology that furthers the case that the infant in the womb is alive. The ruling from the Supreme Court that overturned Roe v. Wade is being celebrated by those who are pro-life. The ruling is also being castigated by those who are pro-choice. The recent ruling has only increased the division.

I don’t pretend that this blogpost will heal the division, nor convince many who have a different view than me. I do hope that this post informs and encourages followers of Jesus to think biblically about this issue. Here are some questions that I’m going to try to address. What does the Bible have to say about life and abortion? What should be a Christian response to the recent ruling?

It is important to know that the Bible explicitly addresses life and a biblical view of life, but only implicitly addresses the issue of abortion. A biblical worldview of life must consider the following verses:

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:26-27

Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image.

Genesis 9:6

You shall not murder.

Exodus 20:13

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Jeremiah 1:5

For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

Psalm 139:13-16

Because the Bible serves as our authority for life and practice, it must govern our worldview. The biblical worldview is one that credits God as the giver of life. The Bible affirms the view that life occurs at conception. If it is a life in the womb, then it is to be defended and protected.

A culture of life is indelibly present in the biblical worldview is one. This culture of life informs how one should interpret a law in the OT that regards an unintentional miscarriage.

There is a law from Exodus that relates to causing a miscarriage that has been used to justify abortion. Here it is:

“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.Note miscarriage law. Note culture of protecting life.

Exodus 21:22-25

In short, if an unintentional blow caused a miscarriage, but not death to the mother, the offender would be fined. The act was not treated as murder. There is a great difference between an accident that causes miscarriage and the intentional abortion of a baby. Here is a link to a paper discussing this topic for further review.

It is apparent to me that the biblical worldview surrounding conception and humanity is one that values life. While it is true that “abortion” is not specifically addressed in the Bible, it is addressed implicitly. The Bible clearly depicts a culture of life. For the Jews in the Old Testament and Christians in the New Testament, children are a gift from God. Abortion was unthinkable among God’s people in the history of the Bible.

Furthermore, early Christians reflected these biblical values of life over and against a Roman culture that could be described as a culture of death.

Christianity in the first three centuries did not have a political voice within its culture. Even so, early Christians did recognize prevalent Roman practices such as abortion, infanticide, and child abandonment as murder. History shows that as Christianity was legalized, believers were empowered to institute Christian values in the social arena. For example, in A.D. 374 under Christian emperor Valentinian, Rome formally outlawed the practice of infanticide. Christians also sought to restore a high view of marriage and marital fidelity. Furthermore, Christians recognized the evil of pederasty and pedophilia, which were common in the Greco-Roman world. Although centuries passed before women gained equal status with men, nations influenced by the biblical worldview gave women have their highest value and sense of equality. As Christianity developed through the centuries, believers compassionately recognized the need for orphan care, showed concern for the poor and lower classes, and aided the sick.66 Christians may also be credited with building the first hospital. Christian views of humanity differed significantly from the prevailing Greco-Roman values of the day. Followers of Jesus accepted the biblical value of human life, and as they had opportunity, sought to apply biblical principles to social issues.

Chris Hefner, Dissertation: “Analysis of John Stott’s Understanding of Evangelism and Social Responsibility.” Source information for this paragraph came from Alvin Schmidt, How Christianity Changed the World.

In short, Christians have almost always practiced a culture of life that flowed out of a biblical worldview. Today’s pro-life view is historically Christian.

A follow up question to the biblical worldview of life concerns what should Christians do now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned.

Here are some practical considerations for the days ahead.

Christians must be thankful. It is appropriate for Christians to applaud this Supreme Court decision that will no doubt save the lives of the unborn. We must be thankful for the political work done leading to this moment and for the perseverance of the justices to issue this ruling. We must also be thankful to our Lord who cares about life and has heard the prayers of his people on the issue of abortion.

Christians must be realistic. This decision does not “outlaw” abortion. The justices merely stated that a right to abortion was not found in the Constitution. In this sense, the ruling was about as middle ground as one can get. Abortion laws will now be set by each state. Many states will codify abortion much more liberally than now. Other states will limit our outlaw abortion almost altogether. Much work is left to be done.

Christians must be mindful. We would be foolish to think this ruling is a sign that the tides are turning in the culture war in our country. The division, antagonism, dishonesty, and vehemence surrounding this issue reflects that we still live in Babylon. Our nation does not reflect biblical values. We must remain vigilant in prayer, lament, and evangelism seeking God’s intervention in human hearts.

Christians must be gracious. We dare not flaunt in pride and hubris this ruling. More than 64 million babies have been aborted since 1973. We are in no position to parade. There is work to do. On a personal level, there are many around us who disagree with this ruling. There are many around us who far from God. If we want to change people’s minds on this issue or the more important issue of the gospel, then we as followers of Christ must reflect the graciousness of our Lord. Only God can change a human heart. And he uses those who are gracious more effectively than those who are prideful.

Christians must be active. As noted above, Christians have historically cared for the poor and marginalized. Mother Theresa stated regarding the impoverished masses of outcast children in India that “being unwanted” was a most terrible human disease. Based on the way God views us and our world, there are no truly unwanted children. He desires all babies, children, and people to come to himself. And while we may not be able to adopt and rescue the masses, we can care for the individual lives of those around us. Christians must not be content with a mere political voice where we vote “pro-life.” We must actively pursue the provision and rescue of life: in the womb, in an orphanage, in the foster-care system, in nursing facilities, in hospitals, in refugee camps, or any other marginalized place across the world.

In being active, all of us need to pray. Most of us need to give our resources and time to organizations that defend and rescue life. Some of us need to foster, adopt, or give ourselves to mission work that rescues boys and girls, women and men across the world.

We need to be active in embracing the character of our loving Shepherd. We should embody the life-giving love of Jesus, our Good Shepherd (John 10:1-18). We should leave our security to seek after those who are lost and marginalized (Luke 15:1-7).

Photo by Bonnie Kittle on Unsplash

A Prayer and some Principles for Christians as the Supreme Court hears an abortion case

Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Just a cursory glance at the news today will bring you to any number of articles about the case. Here’s an article from Baptist Press that details what is going on today. And here is an excellent article by Nathan Finn for the Biblical Recorder on a Christian response about being pro-life.

My devotional reading today included Micah 6. In that powerful little prophetic book is one of the clearest expectations from God to his people. This verse provides some principles for thinking, praying, and acting in response to the many issues surrounding the case before the Supreme Court today.

He has told you, O man, what is good;
    and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
    and to walk humbly with your God?

Micah 6:8

The Lord requires that we do justice. To do justice means that we treat people fairly and that we work to protect and defend those without the power to defend themselves. Biblical justice applies to abortion. I believe there are only two logical times when it could be argued that life occurs: at conception or at birth. Any other time is logically inconsistent. Because conception is a gift from the Lord (see Psalm 139:13), I believe that life occurs at conception. If so, Christians with a biblical worldview must conclude that taking the life of a baby in the womb is murder and breaks God’s commandment in Exodus 20:13. Thus, to do justice for the unborn is to provide protections for them using the law. It is right that followers of Jesus should pray that the Supreme Court would recognize the Roe v. Wade ruling as unconstitutional. It is right that we should take action pursuing justice for the defenseless.

The Lord requires that we love kindness. Kindness in Micah 6:8 is the Hebrew word hesed. It is a word full of meaning that reflects loyalty, kindness, and goodness. God’s people are to be good to others and faithful and loyal in our interactions with them. In some ways, this indicates the tone and attitude we should have. It is right and just that we should pray fervently and even seek passionately justice for the unborn. And yet our pursuit of righteous action should be governed by an attitude of loving-kindness. We can be right without be mad about being right. As God’s people we will interact with people on different sides of the political aisle. We will interact with mothers who have had abortions. We will have the opportunity to take the orphan and unexpected children into our homes. As fervently as we pray for and seek justice, we must also adopt an attitude of mercy and compassion for those who are broken and sinful. Our model here is Christ whose lovingkindness led him to the cross to experience justice on our behalf and to treat us with lovingkindness even in our sinful condition.

The Lord requires that we walk humbly with him. The more we see God and know God through his self-revelation in the Bible, the more we should be humble before him. He is great, glorious, and majestic. And even the lives we have and the opportunities we get to serve him are not about us. Our actions that seek justice and our attitudes that exhibit lovingkindness must flow from a relationship where we are walking humbly with the Lord.

So here are some ways we can apply Micah 6:8 to being pro-life:

  • Pray for the Supreme Court as they hear the oral arguments and rule on them in the coming year. Pray that the justices will act with biblical justice.
  • Be active in pursuing justice for the defenseless and broken by supporting a crisis pregnancy center or participating in a right to life campaign. Wilkes county commissioners recently adopted a resolution to be a county that will pursue legal means to end abortion.
  • Consider fostering or adoption. Being pro-life means that we should seek justice for the unborn as well as homes for the orphan and those in the foster care system.
  • Commit to being Christ-like in your attitude and demeanor. This issue is a hotly debated political topic. The rhetoric can be full of angst and anger. Let us be right not only in our position, but also our demeanor toward those with whom we may disagree.

Photo by Maria Oswalt on Unsplash