In the previous issue we considered the sixth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." We looked at various circumstances in the Old Testament that fell under this commandment, and noted that they included not only the willful taking of another person’s life, but the careless allowance of one’s farm animal to kill a person and the cursing (or verbal slaying) of one’s own parents. Then we noticed in the New Testament that the Lord Jesus extended this commandment to include the manifestation of anger toward one’s brother.

In this installment in our series on the ten commandments, we shall consider a topic of special relevance today that relates to the sixth commandment, namely abortion.

Abortion is defined as "induced termination of pregnancy before the fetus is capable of survival as an individual." The controversy that currently rages with respect to the legality of abortion centers on the question of whether life as a person begins at conception. All are agreed that a fetus in the womb of a human mother is living, but many believe that the human fetus does not become a "person" until birth. To the minds of those who believe this, abortion is not murder, but merely the destruction of tissue.

There are several passages in the Bible that affirm that life as a person begins at conception, not birth. First, the same Hebrew and Greek words are used in the Bible for a child in the womb and a child after birth (compare Exod. 21:4 with 21:22 and Luke 1:41,44_"babe"_with Acts 7:19_"young children").

Second, Jeremiah was sanctified by God as a prophet before he was born (Jer. 1:5). Thus if Jeremiah’s mother had decided to have an abortion she would have put to death God’s prophet. Third, we might ask, “When did the eternal Son of God take up residence in His human body? Was it at His conception or at His birth?" In Matt. 1:20 we read, "The angel said to Joseph, ‘Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.’ " What had the Holy Spirit conceived in Mary? Was it just a bunch of tissue (as pregnant women are advised today) or was it the person of the eternal Son of God?

Finally, we consider two passages in the Psalms that identify personhood with conception or with the fetus. "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psa. 51:5). "Thou didst form my inward parts; Thou didst weave me in my mother’s womb. . . . My frame was not hidden from Thee when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth. Thine eyes have seen my unformed substance, and in Thy book they were all written, the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them" (Psa. 139:13-16, New American Standard Bible). The Bible does not speak of fetal life as a mere chemical activity or growth and development of living tissues. Rather, the psalmist vividly describes the fetus in the mother’s womb as being formed, woven, made, and skillfully wrought by the personal activity of God. Just as God formed Adam from the dust of the earth, so He is actively involved in fashioning the fetus in the womb. If everyone realized this wondrous truth, who would dare terminate purposely God’s creative activity in the womb by abortion?

Thus it appears that Scripture implicitly condemns abortion as another form of murder, and we do well to condemn it openly as well. But, some may ask, are there not special cases where abortion should be permitted? What if the mother’s life is endangered? What if it is determined that the child is likely to have a serious birth defect? What if the pregnancy is a result of rape? Nowhere in Scripture is there a hint that abortion should be condoned in such special cases. The whole tenor of Scripture is opposed to the notion.

The first question about the mother’s life being in danger may be pretty much an academic question. The present Surgeon General of the United States and longtime pediatric surgeon, Dr. C. Everett Koop, has reported that in his 36 years of medical practice he has never encountered a case where abortion was necessary to save the life of the mother. There were always other alternatives.

What about potential birth defects? No doubt a number of our readers, along with the writer himself, would not be alive today if abortion of all fetuses showing evidence of serious physical defects was in practice. However, this is not an adequate answer to the question. Let us turn to Scripture and listen to what the Lord Jesus Himself has to say about this:"And as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from His birth. And His disciples asked Him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him" (John 9:1-3). Yes, God sometimes allows babies to be born with deformities. While the parents may tend to view this as a great inconvenience, perhaps greatly interfering with their lifestyle, yet God may have allowed it in order that His works might be displayed in that deformed or defective child. If we are desirous of dedicating our lives to the Lord, presenting ourselves a living sacrifice to God (Rom. 12:1), then we should be willing to accept whatever God is pleased to give us in the way of either healthy or deformed babies as with all the other circumstances of life. Just as we would not think of killing our child because he or she incurred a physical defect or debilitating injury after birth, neither should we give the slightest thought to killing our unborn baby because of a potential defect detected before birth.

Finally, what about pregnancy due to rape? First of all, it is exceedingly rare for rape to result in pregnancy, and less than 3% of the abortions currently performed are due to conception from rape or incest. Scripture refers on different occasions to rape and incest but never hints at the possibility of abortion or death of children that might be produced in this way. Surely it is true that becoming pregnant in this way can be quite traumatic and a severe trial to the woman. Indeed, such an incident surely calls forth from us all of the emotional, spiritual, physical, and financial support that we as Christians can offer, both during the pregnancy and after the child is born. If we know of such a person, let us offer all the encouragement and support we can for her to carry her baby to birth. The Lord is able to bring much blessing out of a conception and birth resulting from rape or incest. His blessing upon and care for the mother and the child can certainly be counted upon as a reward for her faithfulness and obedience to His Word.

If it would be a great difficulty for the mother to provide and care for the child, it might be wise to explore with her the possibility of putting the baby up for adoption. There are a great many families seeking to adopt children, and there are adoption agencies that attempt to place children in homes of born-again Christians.

Let us seek to be alert equally to the great needs of those who, because of their own sin (particularly, pre-marital intercourse) may be in a situation-where there may be much internal and external pressure and temptation to get an abortion. It requires great delicacy and spiritual wisdom to be able on the one hand to help such a woman to face up to her sin, and on the other hand to help her through the grief, distress, guilt, loneliness, and rejection that might tend to propel her into getting an abortion. May God grant us the needed wisdom (Jas. 1:5), care, and concern for such.

Further topics related to the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," will be considered in the next issue, Lord willing.