Life & The Great Commandment
Pastoral | October 9, 2024 | By: Kirsten Snarey
Followers of Jesus are called to love the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. So, what if we looked at the issue of Life through the lens of this commandment? How does it guide us in showing love and mercy to our neighbors around the issue of unplanned pregnancies?
In Deuteronomy 6:4-5, God gave the Israelites the Greatest Commandment: “Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”
Jesus reinforced this commandment and expanded it when speaking with a Pharisee: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and Prophets” (Matthew 22:37-40).
Again, in Luke, Jesus gives the same answer to a lawyer who asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. The lawyer replied with, “Who is my neighbor?” to which Jesus responds with the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). Jesus then asks the lawyer, “Which of these three (the priest, the Levite or the Samaritan) proved to be a good neighbor?” The man answered, “The one who showed mercy.”
The Greek word for neighbor can also be translated as “near one.” For a pregnant woman, there is no “nearer one” than the child inside her womb. The Hebrew word for mercy, rehamim, is the plural of “womb,” meaning the womb is meant to be a place of mercy, safety, comfort, and life.
In our current culture, when the topic of “Life” comes up, many will instantly go to a stance/posture/worldview of “choice” or “life.” But as the Church, we have a beautiful opportunity to show compassion, offer hope and help, and extend mercy to our neighbors. We can do this by responding with love before, during, and after pregnancy.
Before Pregnancy:
We are called to disciple others on the issues of marriage, sexuality, Life, and God’s designs in all areas of life to bring about human flourishing. We love both God and our neighbor well if we live out and teach the truth of God’s plans for each human being made in His image—plans and ways that lead to abundant life.
In Deuteronomy 30:19, Moses implores God’s people to “choose between life and death, between blessings and curses.” He then called on heaven and earth to witness the choice they made and said, “Oh that you would choose life.”
We too must choose life and honor God’s precious gift of it. He is the one who formed man and “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature” (Gen. 2:7).
During Pregnancy:
In the ancient world, humanity knew from the Scriptures what God thinks of the unborn. The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born, I consecrated you…” (Jer. 1: 5). The Psalmist said, “For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well.” (Psa. 139:13-14). Medical science now proves this miraculous fact. We know that from the moment of conception, a new being, an image bearer of God, has a unique DNA, separate from his mother or father.
Proverbs 31:8 calls us to protect the most vulnerable among us: “Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute.” The word “destitute” in Hebrew means “destruction, passing away, vanishing, appointed to destruction.” There is no group of image-bearers today more appointed to destruction than the unborn. Let us show mercy by being a voice for the voiceless.
The good news of Jesus starts with a young, teenage girl facing an unexpected pregnancy. The angel Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31). In the same way that Mary trusted God with this interruption in life, the Church is called to trust God when unplanned circumstances arise. We’re called to show love, grace, and mercy to one another.
Statistics show that 54% of women having abortions identify as protestant or Catholic. We know that 4 out of 10 women were attending church once a month or more at the time of their first abortion. Five out of 10 men were attending church once a month or more at the time of their partner’s first abortion. As the Church, when one among us or in our community finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy and is feeling scared and hopeless, our job is not to condemn, but to help restore. Our Local Outreach ministry provides ways to serve with some amazing organizations that provide resources, parenting classes, medical care, counseling, and support to women throughout pregnancy and beyond.
When one among us or in our community finds herself with an unplanned pregnancy and is feeling scared and hopeless, our job is not to condemn, but to help restore.
As the Church, we also have the privilege to make a difference on the issue of Life by voting to protect the unborn. It doesn’t go unnoticed that Arizona’s Prop 139 has the same number as Psalm 139, the psalm that so beautifully describes life within the womb.
After Pregnancy:
When statistics show that close to 43% (1 out of 3) women of childbearing age have experienced an abortion, the Church has an opportunity to show mercy. We can help women who have suffered from post-abortion grief and trauma experience forgiveness, hope and healing that is only possible through the grace of God and the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. SBC’s Healing After Abortion support group provides a safe place to heal and experience freedom.
Ultimately, we, the Church want to offer hope to a hurting world. “The enemy comes to steal, kill and destroy, but Jesus came that we may have life and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Let us be abundant “Life” Christ-followers who love our neighbors and show mercy.
Kirsten Snarey
Minister to Women
If you or someone you know needs support, we invite you to connect with our Local Outreach ministry or consider our Healing After Abortion Support Group. None of us have to walk this journey alone—together we can find healing!
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