Most of us are probably aware by now of our society’s tireless effort to establish abortion as a highly acceptable, and increasingly celebrated, practice in healthcare facilities. While my stance against abortion remains one in thousands of perspectives,  this topic gives me an opportunity to speak directly to my brothers and sisters who simply don’t know what to do.

During my most vulnerable adolescent years, while I was still trying to understand the Lord’s position on society’s controversial topics, I longed for answers. I longed for explanations. I longed for understanding.

I knew the Lord strongly opposed certain behaviors, but I didn’t understand why, and I didn’t know how to find out. So, I went out looking. I watched people closely, especially pastors and Christian teachers. I watched podcasts and tested everything spoken under the claimed authority of Jesus. I needed someone I could trust who was already living out the understanding I was hungry for, even if I, myself, still didn’t understand. You would be surprised how many people I had to filter through before I found two people whose teachings never conflicted with my own spiritual walk with Jesus. Consequently, when I found them, it helped spur me into a deeper relationship with my Savior.

Which brings me to this point.  Some people are in the shoes I was once in–looking for a brother or sister to help spur them into a deeper relationship with Jesus and a deeper understanding of His ways. This is where I hope to speak life and truth to you.

The topic of abortion is a very popular topic of discussion. Literally everyone is bombarding the internet with their viewpoints and perspectives.  The question I ask on a regular basis is: “But what does God say?” I hope you are nudged to start asking the same question.

While I don’t plan to bring heavy theological support and research into this simple post, I do hope a few insights will help bring you to a stronger confidence in your own personal walk with our King. I truly believe the best adventure when learning is learning with the right teacher. Thankfully, we have the Greatest Teacher a breath away–the Holy Spirit. I strongly encourage you to go even deeper into His heart. However, for the sake of the moment, I’ll share a few insights He has shared with me in my journey.

While discussing abortion with a group of individuals, a wide range of recurring “solutions” seemed to be the most prominent in favor of abortions, namely, providing more birth control and having it more accessible, keeping the physical health of the mother a priority over the child’s, and of course, the idea that “a woman’s body is nobody’s business but her own.”   I know there are thousands of proposed solutions in support of abortion, but these three are enough to bring the Heart of God into the conversation and hopefully, shine light into the dialogue I have had with Jesus.

The first thing He told me to consider was the cycle of sin. According to James 1:15, “After desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”  In other words, the desire to have sex outside of marriage is conceived, giving birth to premarital sex, and ultimately destroying the person in more ways than I can even pretend to know. However, some of the obvious physical consequences of premarital sex is unwanted pregnancies, STD’s, and HIV. Let’s consider for a moment and reflect on the beautiful love of our Creator. He established in His Word that sex was designed for marriage, not because He wanted to keep us from “having fun”, but to keep us having fun without consequences. He wants us to enjoy life to the fullest without the repercussions of sin, and because of our fallen world, we can’t destroy the cycle of sin on our own. Therefore, He sent Jesus to die on a cross for us, to take the consequence of sin we deserved and to shatter the cycle of sin we have been enslaved to for so long.

The Lord then gave me insight into the “substitutions” society makes in place of Jesus. Birth control, condoms, and even the extreme option of abortion are all substitutions to the position Jesus took for the world. They are counterfeit alternatives to keep the cycle of sin from reaching “fullness”. Think of it; we desire to have sex, so we pursue it, but in order for us not to deal with the consequences that follow (i.e. STDs, unwanted pregnancies, HIV, etc), we push hard for the accessibility of birth control and condoms, and yes, even abortions.  We want anything that will allow us to indulge in sin, without reaping the consequences that follow. The problem with this is that Jesus already disrupted the cycle of sin. He is the solution. And that is what brings me to the conclusion of my conversation with the Lord.

The Holy Spirit finished by sharing with me the glorious redemption of Jesus: the new ending to the cycle of sin. When Jesus died on the Cross and rose from the grave, He did more than disrupt the sin cycle. He decided to go even further and administer grace–grace so beautiful that, as believers in Jesus, we are no longer subject to the penalty of sin fully grown, which is death. Wow. He is amazing, isn’t He?

I was spurred to action as the Spirit also gave me insight into the aggressive agenda of the enemy to mask over the saving grace of Jesus with counterfeit illusions. Illusions that will always, always, lead to more pain. But how do we detect these illusions? By searching for anything counterfeit to Christ.

I start with the sin cycle. Whether the reason for abortion is “until there is more birth control”, or “selfish ambition and convenience”, or “complete disregard because it is the woman’s right to decide”, the fact of the matter remains:  abortion will never be the solution, because the Solution for sin has already been accounted for. Sin is sin, and the penalty of sin is death. There is no “solution” outside of Jesus that will prevent the cycle of sin from being completed. In fact, everything outside of Jesus, is just a diversion that increases sin and guilt and aims to keep people away from freedom, grace, and healing–leaving one to feel hopeless, lost, confused, and empty.

So what do we do as Christians? Do we parade and voice our stance against abortion? People have already been doing that. Do we demand lower adoption fees? People have already been doing that. Do we pour our money into support systems that are already established? People have already been doing that.

What we, as Christians, have been doing for decades just isn’t working,  because it isn’t targeting the starting point of the sin cycle. Sin begins with desire. Desire begins in the heart and thoughts of man. We, as Christians, have been given new desires in accordance with Jesus, because we have “become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Cor. 5:17). However, anyone not in Christ is still under the influence of their former desires, and it is up to us to partner with Jesus to share with the world the all-transforming love and power He freely gives. We have to be willing to love people closely and genuinely with the love Jesus has given us.

So, to end this discussion today, I want to first encourage you to align your heart with His. Someone once said, “You can’t speak for God if you’ve never heard from Him.” Sometimes, rather most times, it is better to remain silent and to pursue His voice over your own until He releases you to those whose hearts He has already been preparing. Let Him direct your steps, prepare your way, and give you the words to say.

As for abortion, well, the answer is pretty evident–we don’t need more options. We need more of the King.