To be Christian is to be anti-abortion. From its earliest days, the church has stood firmly in opposition to the follow of taking harmless life, recognizing the unborn as treasured creations made within the picture of God (Genesis 1:27). This conviction is just not merely a cultural stance however a foundational side of Christian religion, rooted in Scripture and upheld all through church historical past. True Christianity is marked by obedience to Christ’s teachings and a dedication to the sanctity of life. Whereas it could be simple for some to assert the title of Christ whereas supporting abortion, such a place contradicts each the clear educating of Scripture (Psalm 139:13–16; Exodus 21:22–25) and the witness of early Christians who opposed abortion within the face of a pagan, life-disregarding tradition. To comply with Christ is to uphold life, defending those that can’t defend themselves.
Christian Tradition and Abortion
Western cultures like to reward abortion. Living proof, the American tradition is saturated with pro-abortion pondering. People have been soaking it up for years. For instance, in a 2020 survey of three,002 respondents, Lifeway Analysis discovered that solely 51% of People agreed with the assertion, “Abortion is a sin.” To place this in perspective, which means that one out of each two People you meet will seemingly consider that abortion is just not a sin. That may be a very troubling stat.
https://thestateoftheology.com/
However what’s much more troubling is that Christians typically are those defending the proper to homicide undesirable youngsters. Much more than that, there are pastors and typically complete denominations that advocate for abortion. It’s seen as a human proper, and oddly, it’s seen as an extension of biblical justice. Nevertheless, these Christians who advocate for abortion will not be simply arguing in opposition to Scripture (which is an important consideration), they’re additionally arguing in opposition to a historic follow that goes again 1000’s of years. Each Scripture and church historical past are issues for Christians who attempt to defend abortion.
Scripture and Abortion
Scripture is so clear on the problem of abortion. All human beings are made within the picture of God (Gen 1:27). There isn’t any motive to exclude preborn youngsters from this class. Biblically, youngsters are handled as individuals earlier than their start (Ps 139:13–16), and they’re even in a position to reply to what God is doing on the skin (Luke 1:39–41). It comes as no shock that Mosaic Legislation expects justice to be accomplished to a person who causes hurt to a preborn youngster (Exod 21:22–25).
Though there is no such thing as a indication Josephus was a believer, he gives a very good 1st-century witness to the Jewish understanding of the Legislation. He understood the Previous Testomony Legislation to forbid abortion.
The regulation, furthermore enjoins us to carry up all our offspring, and forbids girls to trigger abortion of what’s begotten, or to destroy it afterward; and if any lady seems to have so accomplished, she might be a assassin of her youngster, by destroying a dwelling creature, and diminishing humankind.
Towards Apion, 2:202.
Early Christians and Abortion
Abortion was commonplace in Greek and Roman societies. Nevertheless, from the earliest data we have now, the church strongly opposed abortion and took steps to look after undesirable youngsters.
One of many earliest paperwork we have now from the early church is The Letter of Barnabas, which dates to late 1st century or early 2nd century AD. Barnabas prohibits abortion within the midst of a string of instructions:
Thou shalt love thy neighbour greater than thy personal life. Thou shalt not procure abortion, thou shalt not commit infanticide.
Barnabas, 19:5
Equally, The Didache, which is an early Christian abstract of doctrine relationship to the identical time interval notes the next:
Thou shalt not procure abortion, nor commit infanticide.
Didache, 2:1
Marcus Felix was a Roman lawyer who transformed to Christianity within the 2nd or 3rd century AD. He wrote Octavius, which was one of many first apologetic defenses of Christianity. The capstone of his argument is that Christians “don’t preach nice issues, however stay them.” (38:6). With regard to abortion, apparently some within the Roman neighborhood accused Christians of murdering infants and ingesting their blood. In response, Marcus Felix writes in chapter 30 of his work that the homicide of infants was a gentile follow solely:
“There are some girls who, by ingesting medical preparations, extinguish the supply of the longer term man of their very bowels, and thus commit a parricide earlier than they carry forth.”
However for a Christian, Marcus argued, “To us it isn’t lawful both to see or to listen to of murder; and a lot will we shrink from human blood, that we don’t use the blood even of eatable animals in our meals.”
Athenagoras was one other Ante-Nicene apologist (in all probability from Athens) who lived throughout the 2nd century AD. In his apology, A Plea for the Christians, Athenagoras promotes the truth that Christians condemn all types of homicide, and he particularly talks about abortion.
And after we say that these girls who use medication to carry on abortion commit homicide, and must give an account to God for the abortion, on what precept ought to we commit homicide? For it doesn’t belong to the identical individual to treat the very fœtus within the womb as a created being, and subsequently an object of God’s care, and when it has handed into life, to kill it; and to not expose an toddler, as a result of those that expose them are chargeable with child-murder, and however, when it has been reared to destroy it.
A Plea for Christians, Ch 35.
Logically, as a result of Christians had been in opposition to abortion they had been additionally in opposition to infanticide, which was typically practiced within the Roman world by leaving an toddler uncovered out within the parts. Christians had been recognized to undertake many of those uncovered youngsters and to boost them as their very own. The uncovered youngsters would typically die regardless of the care of the Christians. There are a lot of inscriptions on tombs within the catacombs which reveal that Christians thought-about the kids a part of their household and noticed to a correct burial for them.
Tertullian is a widely known Third-century apologist, and he spoke with nice readability in opposition to abortion.
In our case, homicide being as soon as for all forbidden, we could not destroy even the fœtus within the womb, whereas as but the human being derives blood from different components of the physique for its sustenance. To hinder a start is merely a speedier man-killing; nor does it matter whether or not you’re taking away a life that’s born, or destroy one that’s coming to the start.
The Apology, Ch 9
Tertullian additionally offers testimony of an early perception that life begins at conception (this isn’t a novel thought by Christians). In his dialogue on the human soul he notes the next:
Now we enable that life begins with conception, as a result of we contend that the soul additionally begins from conception.
The Apology, Ch 27
John Chrysostom (c. 347–407 AD), probably the most celebrated orators of the early church, spoke very harshly about abortion—calling it one thing worse than homicide!
You see how drunkenness results in whoredom, whoredom to adultery, adultery to homicide; or somewhat to a one thing even worse than homicide. For I’ve no title to provide it, because it doesn’t take off the factor born, however stop its being born.
Homilies on Romans, Ch 24
The proof might go on and on, however I believe it’s enough to say that it has all the time been intrinsically Christian to oppose abortion as a result of abortion is the killing of harmless life. The truth that there are main pastors in the present day who help abortion doesn’t change that reality. The truth that not all “Christians” suppose abortion is fallacious doesn’t change the reality of the matter. When a Christian doesn’t oppose abortion, it says extra about his phony declare of being Christian than anything.
From its earliest days, true Christians have stood as a countercultural voice, defending the sanctity of life in a world typically marked by violence and disrespect for youngsters. Whereas abortion was a standard follow within the historic Roman world, early Christians denounced it as incompatible with their religion in Christ. This conviction is clearly articulated within the writings of the early church. Their phrases present a robust testomony to the early church’s dedication to defending the unborn and affirming the picture of God in all human life. That is definitely a difficulty the place we’d do effectively to comply with their instance.
