They were Christians. They went to church together. He worked for their pastor. She already knew enough about abortion to know that she didn't want to get one. He didn't know much about abortion, and so he thought it might be a final solution to their situation.
While she was with a female counselor, I spoke with him. He didn't want to make a decision without knowing what an abortion really was. First, we took a look at the early stages of human life in the womb. Then, as he learned what an abortion was, he knew that he couldn't encourage her to end the life of their child.
I asked him to consider The Ten Commandments. I asked him which one came to mind first. Immediately, he answered with two commandments and an explanation; "Thou shalt not kill. Thou shalt not lie. To have an abortion would be like pretending the child was never there."
I had never thought about it, but he was right. In the King James Version, Exodus 20:16 reads, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour." In other words, don't lie about your neighbor. Some may ask, "Is a preborn person my neighbor?" In Luke 10:25-37, a certain lawyer asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbour?" In short, Jesus' reply was that in order to love your neighbor as yourself, you have to be a generous neighbor to that person whose life is in danger, in your neighbor's moment of need, whenever that may be.
The couple left Expectant Mother Care that day knowing what abortion really was, and they left on the same page, knowing that their child would live. As I have thought about what this young man said to me, I have gained a better understanding of James 2:8-11. I thank God for using this young man to remind me the extent to which we have all broken the Ten Commandments, and the way in which one sin can lead to another.
No comments:
Post a Comment