Sunday, January 22, 2023 is Sanctity of Human Life Day.
Sanctity: The quality or state of being holy or sacred : INVIOLABILITY.
What is Sanctity of Human Life Day?
On January 22, 1984 President Ronald Regan issued a presidential proclamation designating the third Sunday of January (or close to that) as National Sanctity of Human Life Day.
Pastors, Churches, and Life organizations across the United States use this day to bring awareness to the attacks that are daily waged against human life through the abortion industry.
What is Abortion? Abortion is the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy. The deliberate murder of innocent life in the womb.
The Doctrine of God’s Image and the Value of Every Human Life
-The Bible opens with all kinds of incredible language and vivid descriptions of how God made His world, and how He made the specific things in His world. And of all the beautiful and breathtaking things and creatures God has placed within His world, He has set His seal—His image—on one creature in particular: Mankind.
Inside the Christian faith, we understand this as the Doctrine of the Imago Dei…the Image of God. All mankind—every human being— possesses that special seal of God, bearing His image in a special and unique way. No other creature, no other object in creation —not even the angels—bear the Image of God.
And the Bible indicates in places like Psalms 51 and 139, and in Luke 2, that at the very moment of human conception, the value of that image bearer comes into existence. When the sperm meets the egg, a unique and eternally valuable human life has begun. And that unique human life is invaluable because he or she bears the image of God. Because the Bible nowhere says that human life begins at some certain point after conception, the historic biblical doctrine and stance of the Christian Church has been that at the moment of conception, life begins. A point that a medical doctor recently made in the New York Times. She wrote, “Such questions [about when life begins in the womb] are not up for grabs in a just and merciful society. And that really is the big question, what kind of society are we? What kind of society will we be?”
- The Sanctity of Human Life Day is primarily about affirming the distinct Biblical teaching that all life—particularly life in the womb at every stage—is worthy of respect, dignity, and protection. Life in the womb is not to be violated.
This is a Special Sanctity of Human Life Day
This is the first time since its inception that Sanctity of Human Life Day can celebrate the fall of the 1973 Roe Decision which legalized federal abortion brought about by the 2022 Dobbs Decision.
Christians, we ought to give thanks to God that, in His kind providence, He has seen fit to bring an end to the wicked evil that was the Roe and Casey decisions. Let us not miss the significance that God has done this great thing!
And we know this decision, which came through the United States Supreme Court, ultimately had its origin in the eternal providence of God. For the Proverbs tell us, “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; He turns it wherever He will.”
And so, we praise God for His use of the United States Supreme Court to defend the life of the unborn in the womb.
But the fight for life remains as active as ever…
The Abortion Fight has Changed Battlefields…
The major change brought about Dobbs was the end of federally legalized abortions. Within weeks of the Dobbs Decision, abortion numbers across the country began falling rapidly! But, this only highlighted the shift in the abortion fight. The Dobbs decision ended federal support for abortion, but it didn’t end the fight for life…not by a long shot. The question of abortion was not settled; it was returned to the 50 States (which is, at this moment, where it belongs constitutionally). Each State in the Union must now decide for itself how it will handle abortion.
Thankfully, a number of States had trigger laws already on the books, which meant that as soon as Roe fell, abortion became illegal in those states.
But for other States, more liberal leaning states like North Carolina, the resolve to continue abortion only grew stronger.
NC Governor Roy Cooper signed an Executive Order in July of 2022 protecting abortion in the State up to the 20 week point. And, with our neighboring states implementing more restrictive measures, Governor Cooper’s actions have transformed NC into a destination State for abortion.
These actions taken by Governor Cooper are not only sinful and despicable, they are a direct contradiction of the God-given mandate of his office. In Romans 13, Paul writes, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God's wrath on the wrongdoer.”
Notice from this passage that God appoints Rulers and Governments, and for the most part, Christians are to recognize and submit to the Government’s rightful, God-given authority. When governments function as they should, as Paul shows, right behavior is rewarded and protected, and sinful behavior is brought under judgment, even the judgment of death when called for. But, contrary to God’s intention for human government, Governor Cooper—and those sharing his worldview—have failed their position. Not only does he not bear the righteous sword of the Government against the evil of abortion, he has perverted his office and authority by legalizing abortion in our State. He is bearing the sword of the government, not against the wrongdoer, but against his most vulnerable and most innocent citizens: Babies in the womb.
Instead of being a terror to evildoers, Governor Cooper has weaponized the State of North Carolina to be a terror to the innocent.
State sanctioned abortion is an absolute moral atrocity that miserably fails to uphold the righteous call of God. The very foundation of human leadership at any level begins with recognizing that every human bears the image of God, which means that leadership should be oriented toward valuing every image bearer. But Governor Cooper, and those like him, have taken a position profoundly opposed to Holy God; a position that is a profound disrespect to human life.
The fight presses on.
Standing for the Unborn — and Standing for Mom Too.
The fight against abortion is most assuredly a fight for protecting the unborn life in the womb. But many times, the Mom contemplating abortion gets lost in the malay. For many abortion-minded moms, abortion is not something they take joy in; its something they see as their last and only hope for survival.
If all we do is stand against abortion, failing to care for the moms and others who suffer in its wake, then we have only done half the work. Failing to care for Mom is ultimately a failure to truly stand for life. Life in the womb is invaluable, but is Mom's.
As we stand in protest of abortion, we also need to be filled with compassion for those moms who feel abortion is their only option. We need to meet them with truth while we stand against abortion, but we must also meet these moms with hearts of mercy and mouths full of the good news Jesus.
Share the gospel with her, help meet her needs, teach her life skills, share your life with her. Be the hands and feet of King Jesus to these precious ladies.
In these ways, Church, we demonstrate the loving and kind compassion of Kin Jesus our Savior to those in need.
How We Can Continue to Stand for Life…
There are several ways we can stand for the Sanctity of Human Life…
Pray.
Pray for abortion-minded moms to seek truth and be met with compassion and gospel.
Pray for Churches and Christians who are ministering to those dealing with/affected by abortion.
Pray for Pregnancy Support Centers and their frontline work.
Pray for Government officials and leaders.
Pray that legal policy would be put in place to restrict and stop abortions at every level.
Pray that more States would take steps to ban abortion.
Pray for God’s justice for the unborn.
Be faithfully involved in a healthy local Church.
Share the Gospel with the lost.
Volunteer at your local Pregnancy Support Center.
Volunteer time.
Donate needs and supplies
Meet with moms and families.
Find some other way to serve.
Call your Congressional Representatives.
Letters to Congressmen, Senators, and Governors.
-And, as the Apostle Peter tells us, we must always be ready to give a defense for the hope of Jesus that lives within us. A hope that can save innocent babies in the womb, and hope that can save mom’s feeling desperate and without hope.
The March for Life
Pray also for the March for Life happening this week in Washington D.C. On Friday, January 20, at 1p.m. Est, thousands of people will begin their march for Life in our Nation's Capital. Pray for them; join them. You can find out more about the March for Life here.
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