Pastoral Response: Abortion
- James Collazo
- May 17, 2022
- 10 min read
Updated: Sep 23
Introduction
Content warning: This article examines abortion in the Bible from a historical and grammatical perspective, focusing on theological considerations rather than political implications. Nevertheless, God commands his people to "choose life" (Deut. 30:19), a call that blazed across history long before modern laws. The Didachē speaks plainly: "Do not murder a child by abortion or kill a newborn infant" (Did. 2). God condemns the taking of innocent life.
Today, people around the world clash over abortion. Pro-life advocates insist that ending a child's life in the womb constitutes murder. Pro-choice advocates maintain that denying a woman this option restricts her freedom. The first-century Christian authors of the Didachē declare without compromise: "Do not murder a child by abortion or kill a newborn infant" (Did. 2). This statement expands on the commandment, "You shall not murder" (Exod. 20:13). The Law of Moses treated the murder of any human being as a capital offense—a principle that remains the foundation of justice in most legal systems today (Lev. 24:17). From the earliest days of Christendom, followers of Jesus recoiled at the pagan practice of abortion and the exposure of infants to the elements—infanticide. The Didachē reflects a community of Jewish Christians who demanded an explicit, unmistakable prohibition against abortion, beyond the implicit teachings of the New Testament. It is one thing to teach the value of life by example (Deut. 30:19–20); it is another to declare it in no uncertain terms.
Personhood in the Womb
Moses, the author of Genesis, declares, "So God created humankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them" (Gen. 1:27). Theologians refer to this doctrine as imago Dei, the "image of God." God made human beings in his likeness to be stewards of creation—his crowning work (cf. Ps. 8:5–7; see "Humankind & Ancestral Sin"). Though Augustine of Hippo (AD 354–430) argued that humanity lost this image when Adam and Eve rebelled and inherited original sin, the apostles teach otherwise: "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God's likeness" (James 3:9). If it is wrong to curse or abuse someone made in God's image, how much greater the crime to murder one?
The clearest verses in Scripture that affirm the personhood of a child in the womb thunder from Psalm 139. David declares that God formed his inward parts and knit him together in his mother's womb, that every day of his life was written in God's book before one of them came to be. This psalm leaves no room for doubt: the child in the womb is not potential life but real life, already known, shaped, and cherished by the Creator. To deny that life is to deny God's work; to destroy that life is to raise a hand against God himself. See here:
For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be (Ps. 139:13–16).
To drive the point home, both the prophet Jeremiah and the apostle Paul testify that God appointed their lives and callings before they drew their first breath (Jer. 1:5; Gal. 1:15; Eph. 1:3–4). What God did for them, he does for all, especially for those who obey him. When Mary visited Elizabeth, the unborn John the Baptist leapt in the womb at the presence of the unborn Christ (Luke 1:41–44). Scripture does not treat life in the womb as an idea but as a living soul, already chosen, already called, already rejoicing before the Lord.
Many who defend abortion appeal to personal agency and independence, claiming a woman should have absolute control over her body. But Scripture answers both men and women with authority: "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies" (1 Cor. 6:19–20). Our bodies are not our own; they belong to God, who created and redeemed them. Human beings possess free will, but always within the bounds God has set. Libertarian free will—choice without consequence—does not exist. Every choice carries weight, and every choice comes to account before the Lord of heaven and earth (see "God's Will & Our Free Choices").
Abortion: Needless Sacrifices
The article "Netherworld: Down to Death" describes the pagan practice of sacrificing children to Molek in the Valley of Hinnom (pictured above). This abomination crept into Israel by cultural infusion, defiling God's people with the sins of the nations.
[The Israelites] mingled with the nations and adopted their customs. They worshiped their idols, which became a snare to them. They sacrificed their sons and their daughters to false gods. They shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan, and the land was desecrated by their blood (Ps. 106:35–38).
Most abortion advocates deny that children in the womb are sons or daughters because they reject their personhood. This argument values convenience over life. Yet the psalmist declares, "Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him" (Ps. 127:3). Like the pagans who sacrificed their children to Molek for gain, many treat life as expendable. Still, God has never commanded such a sacrifice. Even in Abraham's trial with Isaac, God's purpose was to forbid it (Gen. 22:1–19). Nor does Scripture allow abortion for disability: "Who gives human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the LORD?" (Exod. 4:11). To deny life for reasons of convenience is to deny the image of God in the vulnerable.
Interpreting the Texts
Some who defend abortion point to Exodus 21:22 and Numbers 5:12–31, claiming Scripture allows it. Consider how translations differ: the New International Version (NIV) and the Orthodox Jewish Bible (OJB) render the Exodus verse in strikingly different ways, revealing how interpretation can shape the debate.
If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely, but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman's husband demands, and the court allows.
If men fight and hurt an isha harah [H802, H2030; "pregnant woman"] so that she gives birth prematurely but not with any injury; he shall be surely punished, according to the ba'al haisha [H1167, H802; "wife's master"] will assess a fine upon him; and he shall pay as the judges determine.
The NIV translators understood the Hebrew phrase veyatzu yeladeyha (H3318, H3206) to mean a woman giving birth prematurely due to injury. Phillip E. Goble, a Messianic Jewish scholar who is fluent in Hebrew, confirms that the grammatical points suggest premature birth, not miscarriage. The Jewish authors of the Septuagint read it the same way: "If two men strive and smite a woman with child, and her child be born [Greek: exelthē, "come forth;" G1831] imperfectly formed, he shall be forced to pay the penalty: as the woman's husband may lay upon him, he shall pay with a valuation. But if it is perfectly formed, he shall give life for life" (see here). Those who argue that Exodus 21:22 refers to miscarriage—what the medical field calls "spontaneous abortion"—use it to justify elective abortion. Liberal translations, like the Common English Bible (CEB) or New Revised Standard Version (NRSV), favor this reading, while Messianic Jewish translators of the Tree of Life Version (TLV), fluent in Hebrew, maintain the original sense of Exodus 21:22—premature birth, not abortion.
If men fight, and hit a pregnant woman so that her child is born early, yet no harm follows, the one who hit her is to be strictly fined, according to what the woman's husband demands of him. He must pay as the judges determine.
The correct interpretation depends on whether you see the child or the mother as the subject of the sentence. Looking at the overall context, the child is the subject because the law focuses on the price of their life—for example, "fined what the woman's husband demands." The passage deals with reimbursement and compensation for crimes or accidents. In simple terms, the Law of Moses made the husband the one compensated for the life of his unborn child. At the same time, the law draws a clear line between accidental death and deliberate murder. Exodus 21:22 answers the question: "Is the unborn child's life worth compensation?" The answer is yes, but the verse measures that worth in economic terms, not necessarily by intrinsic value. Still, the passage clearly supports the pro-life perspective.
The second passage in question is Numbers 5:11–31, which deals with a man who suspects his wife of adultery. According to the Law of Moses, he brings her before the Levitical priests in the temple before God. The priests give her "bitter water" to drink. If she is innocent, she is free to go. But if she is guilty:
If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: When she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell, and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse (Num. 5:27).
Abortion proponents claim this was a scriptural rite of abortion. Their most obvious error lies in assuming that the mixture of water, dirt, paper, and ink could act as an abortifacient—a conclusion that is unscientific and defies common sense. The mixture itself was harmless; any harm that came to the unfaithful wife resulted from God's sovereign judgment. This consequence is similar to when the prophet Nathan told King David that his first son, conceived with Bathsheba, would die because David disobeyed God (2 Sam. 12:14–16). Notice that Scripture never says God directly caused the miscarriage in Numbers 5 or the death of David's son. Instead, the texts present these events as natural consequences of sin.
Abortion proponents are wrong to assume any connection between modern abortion methods and the bitter-water rite in the Bible. Why? Because the ritual of induced miscarriage was a consequence of divine law, carried out with a water mixture that was itself harmless. A modern abortifacient, by contrast, harms a preborn child by design—it can only kill, not preserve. Modern abortion goes against God's will, whereas the bitter-water rite, performed by a Levitical priest, invoked it. God wants us to choose life, especially by making moral choices. The main lesson of Numbers 5 is that sin leads to needless death, and evildoers cannot use a rite made necessary by sin to justify committing another sin, like abortion.
Conclusion
The Bible affirms the value of every human life, showing that the unborn child's life is worth protection and compensation. God's justice draws a clear line between accident and murder. The Law of Moses and other passages make clear that harm to the innocent is serious, and sin carries natural consequences—but ritual or circumstance does not justify killing. Modern abortion, by contrast, intentionally kills a preborn child and acts in opposition to God's will. Evildoers cannot twist a rite made necessary by sin to justify committing another sin.
God commands us to "choose life." Every generation is called to honor and protect human life. Early Christians rejected abortion and infanticide, defending the most vulnerable. Modern abortion is not only a moral issue—it is a political one. Laws and policies that allow abortion directly destroy innocent life. Ending a child's life in the womb is not a private choice—it is a rejection of justice, compassion, and the dignity of God's image.
We must defend the unborn through both moral witness and political action, upholding the sacred duty to protect life in law and society. Defending life is not optional; it is an act of obedience to God. To tolerate the destruction of the innocent while claiming morality is to abandon justice itself. God calls his people to act, speak, and legislate in defense of those who cannot defend themselves—especially unborn children.
Prayer
Blessed are you, LORD our God, King of heaven and earth! You love the children entrusted to our care; we ask you to keep them safe from harm and fill their hearts with your love. Let your love guide them to make good choices, be kind and obedient, care for others, and do what is right every day. Give them wisdom to understand your ways, courage to face challenges, and faith that does not waver, so that in all they do they may serve you gladly and honor you. We pray this through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Bibliography
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