Who Is the Author of Life? (Part Three)

The incarnation narrative clearly underscores that what’s in the womb is a human (a baby).

Luke 1:41, 44 (see also Luke 2:12, 16)

“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit … As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy … This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger … So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.”

The text in Luke 1 describes the baby in Elizabeth’s womb as leaping for joy.  The text in Luke 2 describes the baby Jesus lying in a manger.  What is really crucial here is that the same Greek word for a baby in the womb is used to describe a baby outside the womb.  Elizabeth’s baby was John the Baptist.  John in the womb is called “brephos” (a baby) and is said to have leaped for joy.  Jesus is called “brephos” (a baby) outside the womb and is said to have been lying in a manger.  Here Scripture makes no distinction between babies that have been born and babies that have not been born.  They are all babies.

What Should Our Response Be?

First of all, we should embrace the truth that God is the author of life. The one undeniable truth we can take from all these verses we’ve pondered is that what is happening in the womb is the unique work of God, namely, the making of a person.  The reason we believe the life of the infant and the life of the unborn are sacred (have worth and value and significance) is because God is the divine author.

Secondly, we need to see that since God views what is happening in the womb as his work, it is right to say that to abort a fetus is to destroy what God is forming / creating.  The tragedy is that we are doing this in our country at the rate of more than a million and a half babies each year.  People on both sides of the issue affirm that about 93% of the abortions performed in our nation are for the sake of convenience (termination of unwanted pregnancies) and a growing number for the sake of gender selection.

Back in 1987, noted author and theologian R. C. Sproul gave a plenary address titled The Christian and the Sanctity of Life at the now famous Congress on the Bible II held in Washington, D. C.  Sproul concluded his address with these passionate words:

“Any country that is willing to kill its unborn children for a fee is a godless nation.  I am supposed to be a theologian by profession, maybe with not all the dignity a theologian is supposed to manifest – and maybe no one will take me seriously – but I have had the privilege of being able to study the things of God as my life’s vocation.  I am sure there are errors in my theology. If I knew where they were, I would try to get rid of them.  I know I am not accurate or faithful all the time, though I want to be.  But I do know this.  If I know anything about the character of Almighty God, whose person and work I’ve been studying for so many years, I know that God hates abortion on demand.  Do you know that?”

I also know it is true.  How could it be otherwise?  God is the maker, the author of life.  Scripture after Scripture affirms that the fetus is already a uniquely determined individual.  That being the case, the life of all babies must be regarded as sacred – whether embryonic, fetal, or viable, because each one is the unique person-forming work of God.

I would urge us as Christians to:

• Pray regularly and earnestly that our nation would embrace God’s truth about the sacredness of all human life and
• Support alternatives to abortion with our time and money and be willing to speak out for the safety of the unborn and
• Lovingly proclaim that saving faith in Jesus Christ brings forgiveness of sins and cleansing of conscience and help through life and hope for eternity.