Yesterday was “Sanctity of Human Life” Sunday. It begs the question, “Can a follower of Jesus support abortion?”

Having given birth to two beautiful daughters, and now blessed with five beautiful grandchildren, I can’t imagine anyone, whether they believe in God or acknowledge the Bible’s authority over our lives or not, supporting the killing of an unborn child. It simply goes against what we know deep in our souls – when a child is conceived, it’s a valuable, precious life from the moment of conception.

My opinion doesn’t matter, however. As my mama would say, “Opinions are like belly buttons – everyone has one!” And yes, I find that statement ironic, as a belly button reminds us that all of us owe our lives to our mothers. We all have an irrefutable mark on our bodies that our lives began in the womb, where that umbilical cord nourished our very existence IN OUR MOTHER’S WOMB.

What does God, the Creator of all life, have to say about the unborn? How does He refer to them? How does He see them?

Here are some scriptures that tell us exactly what God’s opinion is about when life begins, and what He thinks of us while we are in our mother’s womb. As you read these, take note. God sees the unborn child as a person, named and called for a specific purpose. We also see that He is intimately, and personally involved in the creation of the child in his/her mother’s womb.

Isaiah 49:1b – The Lord called Me from the womb; from the body of My mother He named Me.

Isaiah 49:5 – And now says the Lord, who formed Me from the womb to be His Servant.

Genesis 25:23 – The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb; and two peoples will be separated from your body; and one people shall be stronger than the other; and the older shall serve the younger.”

Judges 13:4-5 – Now therefore, be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, nor eat any unclean thing. For behold, you shall conceive and give birth to a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the boy shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

Job 31:13-15 – If I have despised the claim of my male or female slaves when they filed a complaint against me, what then could I do when God arises? And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him? Did not He who made me in the womb make him, and the same one fashion us in the womb?

Psalm 22:10 – Upon You I was cast from birth; You have been my God from my mother’s womb.

Isaiah 44:2 – Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you, ‘Do not fear, O Jacob My servant; and you Jeshurun whom I have chosen.

Jeremiah 1:5 – Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Luke 1:15 – For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.

Luke 1:44 – For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy.

Galatians 1:15 – But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace…

Psalm 139:13-16 – For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works, and my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them.

How does the Bible refer to a pregnant woman? What is the common phrase? No one ever says, “with fetus.” No – we say, “with child” because we know what is growing and developing in the mother’s womb is already a person – a child.

Genesis 16:11 – The angel of the Lord said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.”

Genesis 25:22 – But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why then am I this way?” So she went to inquire of the Lord.

Exodus 21:22-24 – If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely, yet there is no injury, he shall surely be fined as the woman’s husband may demand of him, and he shall pay as the judges decide. But if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.

That last passage has been misinterpreted to say the woman miscarried, so there was just a fine imposed, indicating the life of the unborn child had less value. But as I read it, it indicates the child was born, just prematurely … YET THERE IS NO INJURY. But if there is further injury (i.e., the child dies) then the penalty is life for life – capital punishment for the one who causes an unborn child to die.

Many would argue there are exceptions in life that would make abortion necessary. For example, a woman trapped in poverty becomes pregnant. The argument is made that the child’s life will be a hardship too great to bear – for the mother or the child, so abortion is the better choice. But I seem to remember another unmarried young woman who became pregnant – not of her own choosing, but by the predetermined choice and sovereign plan of God. Her name was Mary.

Matthew 1:18 – Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Aren’t we grateful Mary didn’t choose abortion?

Of course, God would not have chosen her if He did not know already that she would be willing to risk the shame of being an unmarried mother in obedience to His plan. And no, that doesn’t mean that having a child while unmarried is God’s plan. Mary had no relations with the man to whom she was engaged, until after Jesus was born. The point is, there are no good reasons for abortion.

Any honest doctor will also tell you that the defense of “if the mother’s life is in danger” is false. The right course of medical treatment may be to deliver a baby early but make every effort to preserve both lives. There is never a medical reason to intentionally kill a baby.

Psalm 127:3 – Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.

As followers of Jesus and those who believe in the authority of God’s Word, may we be straightforward in trusting that His Word is true. We, of all people, ought to know how precious life is to Him.

Let us not bow down to the cultural pressure and make excuses for abortion. The Bible tells us what God thinks of the unborn child. If we claim to be His people, then our opinions must line up with His.