Pro-Life and Pro-Grace

 I just read that the pop artist Pink said that anyone who is pro-life is to never listen to her music again. Not a problem as I never listened to it anyway!

A few years ago I talked with an older lady who shared with me a story of how she had an abortion many years ago. I'm sure she had her reasons at the time, but ever since that time she has lived with regret and a fear that God could never forgive her. I let her know that I was not going to judge what she had done and neither would God. She loved the Lord and had given her life to Christ. Her sins had all been forgiven. My prayer is that she experienced that forgiveness.

One of the important things that those of us who are pro-life can do is to make certain that those who have made the choice to have an abortion do not feel that we hate them or that God will never forgive them for that decision. This was the fear of the lady who shared her story with me. She was not sure that God could forgive her so she had never been able to forgive herself. According to a 2015 Lifeway Research study 7 in 10 women who have had an abortion identify as a Christian. That means that is likely that in your church there are women who are struggling with their decision to abort an unborn child, and that struggle is likely well hidden from rest of the congregation. It takes a great deal of trust between a Christian woman who has had an abortion and her pastor for her to admit to him or her that she had made that decision. How we respond at that time can make a difference in their future walk with Christ.

I strongly believe that every unborn child has a right to be born. Regardless of what the law states, I will never accept that abortion is acceptable. But what do we do when a woman comes and shares that she had once made the decision to abort an unborn child? Do we condemn her? Or do we respond as Jesus did to the woman caught in adultery? 

Christ came to offer forgiveness for all sins. Are we supposed to decide that some sins are beyond His ability to forgive? Let those of us who have been called to preach be faithful in stressing the importance of the right to life for all, but never let us be numbered among the haters.