While watching a video clip of a female news pundit, concerning the recent United States Supreme Court decision to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe vs. Wade precedent (making abortion legal in all 50 states), I marveled at how ignorant the woman’s rhetoric was. She declared, in error, more than a few times that abortion was a constitutional right and that the new ruling was a ban on abortion. She also blamed the decision on Christians. The video was on a British News site, which only made the female pundit’s bloviating worse.
It is amazing how ignorant Americans are, concerning how our government works. Just the other day on the Late Show with Steven Colbert, Wanda Sikes, a gay pro-choice woman, mused with Colbert how the overturning of Roe vs. Wade reveals that democracy is dead. Colbert, the show’s host foolishly agreed.
How could these two supposedly informed individuals say such things with a straight face? Roe vs. Wade took 50 years to correct, by a democratic process, where several judges were appointed by a sitting president (Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, Obama and Trump)—appointments which need be confirmed by a duly elected congress.
In addition to these procedures, there needed to be a legal challenge to the precedent (Roe Vs. Wade) for a hearing before the Supreme Court, from a state or states.
The Supreme Court could not consider overturning Roe vs. Wade unless it had a meritorious constitutional challenge.
On the other hand, it is not only the politically liberal population that knows little about how the United States government is to operate constitutionally. Much of the United States population, including many of its Christians, are ignorant of how their government works and what the overturning of Roe vs. Wade means.
To aid us in understanding what this decision means for the nation and more specifically for Christians in the United States, I will attempt to unpack the pertinent issues concerning the overturning of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade legal precedent.
#1 GOD IS THE GOD OF LIFE AND ABORTION IS ABOMINABLE TO HIM
Much of the controversy surrounding the pro-life and prochoice debate, from a cultural perspective, focuses on the question of when life begins. For those in the pro-life camp, this argument has been made more difficult than need be, because of pat answers and much biblical ignorance surrounding the topic. Let’s deal with this question first.
We rejoice for God is the author of life and through procreation, He places His image into every soul. Science has proven this Biblical truth and the timing of it is not a mystery, but a scientific and biblical fact.
In a 2019 article, concerning a survey on when life begin, reported that 96% of over 5,500 biochemists declared life begins as conception (When Life Begins Article) This is in what they refer to as the “phosphorus flash”.
As observed by electron microscope, the “phosphorus flash” occurs seconds after the sperm enters the female ovum. Almost immediately after the sperm disappears into the ovum, there is a “phosphorus flash” of light, easily visible. This flash of light is the moment these scientists declare life begins. The Bible agrees and does so specifically.
Let us remember that Christ “is the brightness of the glory of God and the express image of His person” (Hebrew 1:3). The phrase “express image” means Christ is “the die that casts an image” into something.
We have products around us daily that are “die cast”, such as toys, household products and cars, where a piece of material goes into a press and when cycled, the die in the press, impresses an image into the material. Christ, who “is the express image” of the person of God, is the “die” casting God’s image into each human, yet He is the also “brightness of the glory of God”, as well. This speaks to the timing or moment of this casting.
Let us look at another passage of scripture for clarity.
John 1:1-9 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all through him might believe. 8 He was not that Light but was sent to bear witness of that Light. 9 That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
In this passage we can link Christ, the “Light of the world”, and His being the “brightness of God’s glory”, with the timing of the beginning of life at conception. We see in verse John 1:9 where Christ is the “Light that lights every man coming into the world”.
How and when does this happen? At conception, when we see what the scientists refer to as the “phosphorus flash”. This miracle is not chemical, but when the “express image of His person” or Christ as the “die” casts the image of God into every person ever born.
God is the author of every life and scripture refers to His knowledge of every person ever procreated. Scripture has multiple passage concerning God’s intimate operation in the procreation of all human lives. Here are a few.
Psalms 139:13-16 13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. 14I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. 15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
Jeremiah 1:4-5 4 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: 5“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; Before you were born, I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations.”
Psalm 29:9 declares it is the voice of the Lord (the Living Word of God, the Christ) that makes the deer to give birth; how much more important to God is every human life?
Despite these truths, some Christians treat the blessing of children as an inconvenience or even their own decision, as to when and how many children they will have. It would seem “Be fruitful and multiple and fill the earth” does not apply to them, or that God’s purpose in procreation, that husbands and wives have many godly offspring for His kingdom, has been lost on them (Malachi 2:15).
Christians minimize their position on abortion, by not understanding how intimately God is involved with the conception of every child.
Abortion is an abomination to God.
Recall that in the Old Testament it was a reproach for women to be barren and that it is God that opens and closes the womb. He is the Author of Life and the decider of when a man or person is appointed to die. This is why murder itself is heinous to the LORD and the murder of the unborn particularly abominable to God. Let us consider the truth, that God demanded death to any man who injured a woman with child causing the child to die in the womb (Exodus 21:21-28). And let us consider the abominations of the Canaanite gods, including the sacrificing of preborn children to their false deities.
#2 THIS DECISION IS A VICTORY, SORT OF
It is true that the Supreme Court’s decision is a moment of celebration for those who hold to God’s will and plan. We ought to be cautiously optimistic but need a heavy dose of reality to understand the decision’s ramifications. First among them is to understand the reversal of Roe vs. Wade was not made based on Biblical principles or concepts.
The 1973 decision was overturned because it made abortion legal in all states and created mechanism for them to be federally funded by all American taxpayers (Christian and non-Christian), which is a violation of other constitutional protections. The original precedent was an egregious over-reach of constitutional power.
The reason for this is that medical and morality issues (such as LGBT or even medical marijuana) were never addressed in the constitution or our bill of rights. Some Christians scoff at that notion, declaring the first Amendment’s “Congress shall make no law establishing a religion” an amendment of moral issue; believing its language is a protection of Christianity.
The 1st amendment is not a protection for Christianity alone, but a protection for individual citizens to believe whatever they want to believe and practice that belief, as they see fit. In essence, the first amendment protects the right of U.S. citizens to be religious or irreligious, morally inclined or not, a Christian or a Mason, a Satanist or a Mormon.
Therefore, we must understand that Roe vs. Wade was not overturned for moral principles or even the truth of when life begins.
The decision rendered recently corrected the judicial activism of the 1973 decision, based on sound constitutional legal principals. We Christians need to understand and hold to that reality, because embellishing the decision to be founded on more than its constitutional basis, invites unnecessary fire against the church
Many, opponents of God want to blame the overturning of Roe vs. Wade on Christianity, yet if there was no constitutional framework in law, there would not have been a reversal. Many Americans including the female news reported, and the two celebrities mentioned above, being ignorant of how our federal and state governments operate and interact, seek to demonize Christians.
Politicians, in turn, use our ignorance of how our governance operates, to rattle people in the media to make aspersions against Christians, who devoutly hold to the call of God’s word. They do so, even though many Americans, when confronted with whether it is right to kill an unborn child, would answer “NO, it is not right, but I am uncomfortable with telling a rape victim they cannot”.
Because that sentiment is widespread, and a little more than squishy, the decision was rendered based on sound legal principles. In any case it was a victory, but a small one to be sure.
After the fall of Roe v. Wade, 26 states will either restrict or prohibit abortion in some way shape or form, but in the 24 states where abortion is allowed, it will most likely expand to levels and allowance not previously attempted, because now there will be little means of imposing federal restrictions by congress or court. Therefore, there will be few if any challenges to state abortion statutes in either the pro-life or pro-choice states. America is divided over abortion, has been for a long time, and will continue to be so, regardless of this decision.
As a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, I am blessed to live where I can live that belief and propagate the pro-life position. Yet those who do not can believe what they desire and oppose my belief. That is their constitutional right and although I may disagree with my fellow citizens perspectives, our Lord Jesus Christ commands me to love my neighbor—and so, I will do as Jesus commands (Matthew 5:44-48). We must keep this in mind in dealing with the explosive nature of this issue.
THIS DECISION DOES NOT NEGATE THE JUDGMENT TO COME
Despite the joy over the striking down of Roe vs. Wade, we Christians need to understand, that it does not end abortion in America, nor does it negate the coming judgment for the murder of over 60,000,000 unborn children, conceived with the image of God upon them, stamped by the Living word; Jesus the Messiah.
Consider Israel. Even though they had times of national repentance, when they fell away from Yahweh, there was still a price to pay, a judgment due commensurate to their sin against God. It was the price paid, often in calamity of tragic proportions that led Israel to turn back to God. This is born out in scripture.
How often have Christians in America quoted II Chronicles 7:14-15, in calling for revival…
2 Chronicles 7:14-15 14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15 Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.
Yet ignore the context that these verses exist in. Consider the previous verse.
2 Chronicles 7:12-13 12 Then the LORD appeared to Solomon by night and said to him: “I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for Myself as a house of sacrifice. 13 When I shut up heaven and there is no rain, or command the locusts to devour the land, or send pestilence among My people,
In fact, the context goes even further back than the previous verses. Consider reading II Chronicles 5 through II Chronicles 7:14. Why would the Lord shut up the heavens, or send pestilence? Because His people sinned great sins.
My friends, there will be judgment, of this you can be sure. Our God is just and the unthinkable amount of bloodshed from those slaughtered in the name of convenience, political and monetary gain, and Satan’s will, WILL BE AVENGED BY ALMIGHTY GOD.
In my next blog, we will explore what national repentance can do for a nation of bloodshed.
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