Abortion: A Biblical and Theological Analysis-Part 1

Introduction

This article is written specifically for Christians concerning what the Bible teaches on the subject of abortion and life in the womb. Why do we feel it is important to have an article just for Christians? If you are a Christian, you believe that the Bible is the Word of God. But what God says in the Bible isn’t just human speculation or good advice—it is God’s Word. When God says something is true, it is true and therefore we should believe it and act on it. That is why we are putting these biblical verses in this article. We assume that if we docu­ment what the Bible teaches in this area, that it will not go in one ear and out the other but that it will help Christians to be better informed on this issue.

For those who are not Christians, you may wonder, why do we accept that what the Bible teaches is accurate and relevant to the question of abortion? Put simply, because the historical evidence compels us to. Let us briefly cite a few reasons for our beliefs.

First, the science of textual criticism has proven beyond doubt that we have an accurate text of the original Bible and that it has not been corrupted over the centuries. For example, studies of the New Testament prove that it has been copied with over 99 percent accuracy and that the remaining 1 percent or less does not affect any significant teaching. ^[1] The Old Testament has also been accurately transmitted. ^[2]

Anyone who reads the New Testament accounts can see they involve eyewitness testi­mony (e.g., Lk. 1:1-3; 1 Jn. 1:1; 1 Cor. 15:6-8). Yet in 2,000 years, no valid reason has ever been put forth which would cause us to doubt the accuracy or the integrity of the biblical writers.

Second, because these writers accurately record the words of Jesus Christ, it is a his­torical fact that Jesus Christ lived and taught what the New Testament says He lived and taught. Jesus claimed to be God (Jn. 5:18; 10:17-18, 27-33) and gave proof of this in His resurrection from the dead. His physical resurrection from the dead is an established his­torical fact. Indeed, if any fact of history is to be trusted, it is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (cf. 1 Cor. 15:3-18). If Jesus rose from the dead, then His claims about Himself must be true. He must be God (Rom. 1:4). In 2,000 years, the critic of the resurrec­tion has yet to prove his case. ^[3]

The early Gospel writers were either eyewitnesses of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:3-8; Jn. 20:19-29) or, to be sure, carefully investigated the facts to make certain the resurrection was really true (Lk. 1:1-3). Several were skeptics and all of them had to be convinced by direct appearances of the risen Jesus (Jn. 20:25; Lk. 24:21). Some even called the idea “nonsense” (Lk. 24:11). But after seeing Christ repeatedly in many different circumstances over a period of forty days (Acts 1:3; Lk. 24:1-53), after testing their own sense, they were convinced. For example, Luke was both a trained physician and a careful historical re­searcher (Acts 1:3). Even the classical scholar and outstanding archaeologist Sir William Ramsay said, “Luke’s history is unsurpassed in respect of its trustworthiness.” ^[4] An initial skeptic of the New Testament, his own detailed firsthand archeological investigations proved to him that Luke was a historian of the first rank. ^[5] Yet it is this same Luke who speaks of “many convincing proofs” for the physical resurrection of Christ from the dead.

Third, Jesus Himself believed the entire Old Testament was the literal Word of God (Mt. 4:4; Jn. 17:17). This can be established from reading what He said. Because Jesus was God, He is an infallible authority. In this role, He taught that Scripture originates from God and was inerrant. Therefore, His complete trust in the Old Testament authenticates it as God’s Word. ^[6]

Fourth, the Bible repeatedly claims to be the inspired Word of God (2 Tim. 3:16; 1 Thess. 2:13, etc.) and supplies many evidences for this. ^[7] For example, the Bible contains dozens of instances of clear supernatural predictions of future events (e.g., Isa. 9:6; 7:14; 39:5-7; 44:28-45:4; 53:4-11; Mic. 5:2; 1 Kgs. 13:1-2). These cannot be explained away on the basis of rationalistic presuppositions or other skeptical grounds. ^[8]

Fifth, both Jesus Christ and true biblical Christianity are unique among the world’s reli­gions, prophets and teachings. ^[9] No other religious leader claimed to be God and proved it by rising from the dead. No other religion teaches salvation is solely by God’s grace. No other religion is so inextricably bound to historical facts. No other religious scripture is like the Bible. For example, Professor Ernest Wurthwein observes in his The Text of the Old Testament, “No book in the literature of the world has been so often copied, printed, trans­lated, read, and studied as the Bible. It stands uniquely as the object of so much effort devoted to preserving it faithfully, to understanding it, and to making it understandable to others.” ^[10]

Sixth, Jesus Christ changed our lives. Once committed secularists, both our lives were radically changed by encountering the living Jesus Christ.

Seventh, a large number of scholars and even skeptics have been converted to faith on the basis of the historical evidence alone. ^[11]

Eighth, some of the best defenses of the Christian faith ever produced have been penned by noted lawyers and legal scholars who are expertly trained in dealing with evi­dence. ^[12]

For these reasons and more, we believe the Bible is trustworthy and what it teaches is worthy of being considered on the abortion issue.

But we need to realize that God did not speak in technical, scientific language. He spoke in everyday language that would be understandable to all people. This is the kind of lan­guage that God inspired through the prophets.

What God clearly said was that life in the womb at any stage is of equal value to adult human life. He did not tell us precisely how the soul is given to men (e.g., directly by Him or by physical procreation), nor did He tell us the specific point at which the soul is given.

But this does not mean that we may conclude the soul is not given at conception. Based on the data we will discuss, our conclusion must be that because from conception the value of life is equal at every point and because at every point God teaches this life is of equal value with adult life, our only possible conclusion is that the soul exists from the point of conception. Given the biblical evidence, we cannot reasonably come to any other conclu­sion.

Read Part 2

Notes

1. ↑ John Warwick Montgomery, History and Christianity (San Bernardino, CA, Here’s Life, 1984);
   Norman L. Geisler, William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago, Moody Press,
   1988 Rev.); Josh McDowell, Evidence that Demands a Verdict, Vol. 1 & 2; Ronald Nash, Christian
   Faith and Historical Understanding (Grand Rapids, Zondervan); F. F. Bruce, The New Testament
   Documents: Are They Reliable? (Downers Grove, IL, InterVarsity, 1973); R. Pache, The
   Inspiration and Authority of Scripture (Chicago, Moody Press, 1980); Gary Habermas, The
   Verdict of History (Nashville, TN, Thomas Nelson, 1988).
2. ↑ Pache and Geisler/Nix in ibid., Ernest Wurthwein, The Text of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids,
   MI, Eerdmans, 1981).
3. ↑ e.g. William Lane Craig, The Son Rises (Chicago, Moody Press, 1986); Frank Morison, Who
   Moved the Stone? (Downers Grove, IL, InterVarsity, 1965); Gary Habermas, The Resurrection of
   Jesus (Grand Rapids, Baker, 1980), cf. The Simon Greenleaf Law Review, Vol. 7 (1987-1988),
   (Anaheim, CA, The Simon Greenleaf School of Law).
4. ↑ William M. Ramsay, The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament
   (Grand Rapids, MI, Baker, 1979, rpt.), p. 81
5. ↑ Ibid., pp. 3-422
6. ↑ R. T. France, Jesus and the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI, Baker, 1982); John Wenham,
   Christ and the Bible (Downers Grove, IL, InterVarsity, 1973).
7. ↑ e.g., Geisler and Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible; Pache, The Inspiration and Authority of
   Scripture.
8. ↑ e.g. John Ankerberg, John Weldon, Walter Kaiser, The Case for Jesus the Messiah (Eugene,
   OR, Harvest House, 1988).
9. ↑ J. N. D. Anderson, Christianity and Comparative Religion (Downers Grove, IL, InterVarsity,
   1970); David L. Johnson, A Personal Look at Asian Religions (Minneapolis, MN, Bethany, 1985);
   Robert E. Speer, The Finality of Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids, MI, Zondervan, 1968).
10. ↑ Wurthwein, The Text of the Old Testament, p. 117.
11. ↑ e.g., the Apostle Paul; Athanagoras (a second century scholar and first head of the school of
    Alexandria) who originally intended to write against Christianity; C. S. Lewis; John Warwick
    Montgomery; Sir William Ramsay; George Lyttleton and Gilbert West. See also Josh McDowell,
    Evidence That Demands a Verdict, Vols. 1 and 2 (San Bernardino, CA, Here’s Life Publishers,
    1980).
12. ↑ Lord Chancellor Hailsham; Hugo Grotius; Harvard Law School Professor Simon Greenleaf;
    Edmund H. Bennett (for 20 years Dean of Boston University Law School); Irwin H. Linton; Judge
    Clarence Bartlett; Lord Diploch; Thomas Sherlock; Stephen D. Williams; J. N. D. Anderson, and
    Frank Morison.