I Am Pro-Life, But

by Steve & Jennifer Hall

I am pro-life.

For the Christian, this is a fundamental statement. We are fighting for a kingdom which is first and foremost a kingdom of life. We are fighting against a kingdom which is first and foremost a kingdom of death. Life is good; it is from God. Death is bad; it is from the enemy. No qualifications.

Starting in Genesis, this theme is plain to see.

As evangelicals, I believe we have been listening to the wrong narrative for far too long. Mistaken ideologies have infiltrated and permeated the church today, leaving us quite impotent. Do we know the basics anymore? Do we know that “robins are good“?

Being pro-life doesn’t begin and end with the abortion issue, although that is a large part of it today. It begins anywhere that we are able to push back the tide of death and fight against suffering. The Christian church has been about this business since the first century A.D.

“The pro-life message is inextricably woven into the gospel message. It is the proclamation of life over death. And so, missions is always going to be a confrontation of life over death. It always is, everywhere…. It is only the gospel that has ever confronted the minions of death. And so we are always going to have these battles, until every enemy has been subdued, there will be these outposts of wickedness. Our job is to simply continue to preach the gospel, proclaim it boldly, and move to the next hill.”

-Dr. George Grant

Satan loves to mix his lies with some truth. He doesn’t necessarily need everyone to blatantly say, “I am pro-death.” Oh no. All he desires is, “I am pro-life, BUT…”

This has been going on for a long time. Think of the religious leaders in Jesus’ day, for example. Here are some examples of their twisted thinking:

“I am pro-life, but I am against saving lives on the Sabbath Day.”

“I am pro-life, but in what name is this man from Nazareth healing these people?”

“I am pro-life, but I cannot soil my holy garments by going near that dying man.”

“I am pro-life, but that crippled beggar who is suffering on the side of the road will have a greater reward in heaven.”

“I am pro-life, but I believe that blind man is being judged by God for either his or his parents’ sin.”

“I am pro-life, but only by demonic power does this man cast out demons.”

Now, lest we think that this blinded “spirituality” was only a problem for people living in biblical times, let’s bring it down to evangelical Christianity in 2021:

“I am pro-life, but children can sure be a nuisance.”

“I am pro-life, but I don’t think people should try to live too long.”

“I am pro-life, but not in cases of rape or incest.”

“I am pro-life, but heavenly things are really what matter most.”

“I am pro-life, but actually all physical things are in Satan’s realm anyhow.”

“I am pro-life, but heaven forbid I become one of those extreme people who has tons of kids.”

“I am pro-life, but I can’t support that pro-life group because they use the wrong version of the Bible.”

“I am pro-life, but aging and death are God’s judgment upon man and we shouldn’t try to alter that.”

“I am pro-life, but this is a very nuanced issue and sometimes it’s best to vote for the pro-death candidate.”

The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. If as Christians we say, “I am pro-life, but…” in any area, then we’d better stop and consider whose side we are actually fighting for. It’s a kingdom of life with no ifs, ands, or buts attached.

(For the Christian, we know that death is not the end of the story. We have hope beyond the grave through the resurrection life of our precious Lord Jesus Christ. Amen! The sting is taken out of death. But, death is still bad. It is still from the enemy.)

It is a mistake to draw a concrete line of division between the physical and the spiritual. They are woven together by God’s design.

“Souls always come in bodies.”

-the Truckdriver Theologian

We must think clearly and teach our children to think clearly about these issues. It is not complicated at all to know, in the depths of our being, that life is good, death is bad, Jesus is the King of Life, and Satan is the king of death. It is not complicated to know that, with no qualifications, we must boldly and unapologetically fight for life in this battle for truth and righteousness.

John 10:10 “I am come that they might have life, and have it more abundantly.”

Praise His holy and wonderful name.