The opportunity to defend life came to our little town recently and, as in every place where convenience or “personal choice” conflicts with the value God places on the lives of every person, born or pre-born, an emotionally charged situation developed.  …and, as in most cases—going beyond the issues of freedom or choice—politics and money played heavily into the issues at stake.  Remarkably, a number of those professing Christianity vacillated on the issues surrounding abortion—recognizing that it is probably wrong but not necessarily convinced that every time a tiny life is sucked out, a murder has been committed.

We are not naïve about the physical and emotional scars a woman carries when she chooses to end the life of her child, nor the fact that many men are deeply affected by abortion.  We also recognize the amazing grace of God, who offers forgiveness to all who come to Him in repentance—“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).  It is also essential that we not become calloused or indifferent to the difficulties a woman may face when she chooses to let her baby live—and be willing to come alongside in support of those struggling to raise children in difficult circumstances.

My daughter also took a positive stand for life on social media recently and the comments that ensued were pretty much what anyone would expect…  blaming all Christians for the activities of a very few violent, radical people claiming to be Christians; that “God will love and cherish the baby better than this world trying to accept its creation”, “a woman’s personal choice or right to an abortion should not be taken away” (that logic stumbles when the child’s right to life is denied), and, “the Bible is just a book full of stories with good morals”—to name a few of the arguments.  Nothing unique—all comments fairly common to these types of discussions.

There are those who know a bit about the Bible, can give some vague quotations taken roughly from scripture, and concoct a comfortable belief system to accommodate who they think God is, while establishing a personal value system based on their own definition of right and wrong.  Yet God doesn’t think the way people think: “‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ says the Lord.  ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thought than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8, 9).

Most Christians are familiar with the gospel account of satan confronting Jesus in the wilderness and recall the enemy’s tactic of perverting God’s Word—a tactic that worked so successfully on Eve that the devil continues to twist scripture into a workable format, acceptable to most people who would not otherwise make any sort of relational commitment to God.  …and that is a dangerous thing, being seduced by an enemy who delights in destroying lives.

The book of Judges records ancient Israel’s radical departure from God’s intentions for His people as they adopted the idolatry and lifestyles of surrounding peoples and nations.  More than not having a king of their own, they rejected God’s authority, bringing judgment, destruction, and captivity on their nation.  The book is summed up in the last verse, “In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25).  Many people continue to risk judgment, destruction, and captivity as they reject and redefine God’s authority in their lives.

I have thought lately a lot about Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins; how, more than just a very linear explanation such as “the oil represents the Holy Spirit”, there is a depth of relationship communicated in the phrase, “watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13).  …and there is more to the word “watch” than just shaking our heads at the news.  Jesus is telling us that our salvation is more than looking like a Christian, claiming to be one, or associating with Christians.  There is an intimacy in our relationship with God that only the Spirit can fuel; once ignited by the Spirit, the responsibility to remain filled with the Spirit belongs to each individual.

Jesus warned the disciples, “Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:38).  The Holy Spirit continues to speak through the apostle Paul, “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine you have been taught; avoid them.  For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naïve” (Romans 16:17, 18); and in a letter to Timothy, Paul writes, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching.  Persist in this for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Timothy 4:16).

As the enemy aggressively blurs the lines between truth and lies, right and wrong, and righteousness and apostasy, let us heed the Spirit’s warning, given through the apostle Peter, “Be sober-minded; be watchful.  Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.  Resist him firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experience by your brotherhood throughout the world.  And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you” (1 Peter 5:8-10).