Every Christian knows what “grace” means, but does anybody fully comprehend it? I have studied “grace” in depth in recent weeks ¹, but the more I study, the more I realize how little I understand the depths of God’s “manifold” ² (multi-colored) grace. I have long been grieved by witnessing so much destruction and pain springing from a weak, one-dimensional view of “grace,” but I am beginning to see that the true scriptural concept of “grace” itself contains the seeds which bear the potential to end abortion in the church.

It’s not unusual for pastors to focus on grace if they mention abortion. Typically, pastors are painfully aware of the fact that hearts of women ³ in their own congregation are experiencing raw pain because they have aborted their children. Being sensitive to the concerns of such hurting women, pastors focus on bringing healing and restoration to those in the congregation who have committed abortion, so pastors preach a message of “grace, not guilt.” But what does grace mean outside the context of guilt, or what does forgiveness mean without repentance?

Last year on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday I attended a local church (not our home church) with high expectations, fondly recalling the story that a sermon preached over 30 years ago on Sanctity of Human Life Sunday at that church led some congregation members to help start LifeSavers Ministries. I looked forward to hearing something about God’s love for innocent babies and their mothers, or how crisis pregnancies can provide an opportunity to experience the blessings of obedience to God. Instead, the message of “grace” could be summed up with the one-dimensional statement “we support post-abortion women” ⁴!

Unbalanced grace

What does “grace” mean in the context of abortion? Does the message of grace merely embody forgiveness, salvation and justification for those who have chosen to abort their children? Doesn’t a focus on post-abortion healing violently dismember the vibrant scriptural concept of grace?

In a recent survey of how the New Testament ⁵ uses the word “grace” (Greek “charis”) ⁶, I discovered that “grace” appears in the context of concepts like forgiveness, salvation and justification in only a small fraction of verses. To begin to understand the richness of God’s grace, we need to consider passages like 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, where Paul uses “grace” to explain the supernatural source of generosity which enabled impoverished believers to contribute beyond their ability. A scriptural understanding of “grace” leads us to higher standards (surpassing our limitations and exceeding even our abilities), but often it seems that the practical impact of teaching “grace” is to lower the standards for our behavior. What have we been missing?

Of course, the concept of “grace” occurs many times in passages where the word itself is not even used – grace permeates the New Testament. When Jesus showered grace upon the adulterous woman, rescuing her from being stoned, he nevertheless refused to ignore her sin, commanding her to “go and sin no more.” (By referring to her “sin,” He acknowledged her guilt.) But “sin no more” is not a statement of condemnation – it is one of the most powerful statements of grace and hope in the Bible. We don’t need to continue to eat pig slop, because our Father is waiting to eagerly welcome us home. If we refuse to mention “guilt” or “sin,” we may think we are showing grace, but we are actually stealing grace, leaving people to wallow in the mud with the pigs.

It is only through His grace that we can glorify Jesus, and that He can be glorified in us. (2 Thessalonians 1:11-12)

Does God give us commands like “sin no more” without offering to equip us with grace to follow His commands? Some modern preachers cynically repeat the mantra “sinners will sin” (even saying “you might as well ask a dog to stop barking and a cat to stop meowing”), seeking to emphasize the futility of trying to establish morality in a society of sinners. Such defeatist words hide grace and hope from hurting (sinful) people. But Jesus’ command to the adulterous woman shows that He was no such cynic. The same “unmerited favor” (grace) which restores a repentant sinner also enables that sinner to rise above the dominion of sin in their lives ⁷, to reject such sin in the future. God’s grace teaches us to turn away from worldly lusts, not to remain in them. ⁸

Overcoming grace

Every time we face temptation, God in His grace provides us with a way of escape ⁹. If we tell someone who is tempted that grace is available after the sin but fail to explain that grace can prevent the sin ¹⁰, have we become clouds of dust instead of springs of living water? But the power of grace extends far beyond the ability to resist sin: the grace of God enables us to overcome great obstacles as we follow Jesus. It was the abundant “grace” of God functioning in the lives of the early believers which enabled them to give up all of their possessions ¹¹. The result of that grace was that there was nobody among them who lacked! Eventually, many of these early Christians displayed God’s grace and glory by sacrificing their own lives as martyrs.

But is the “grace” we hear about in our churches today the same “grace” which was preached in the early church? Does our modern “grace” empower us to pour out the living water we have received, even to the point of martyrdom?

Modern pastors often contrast grace with the law, emphasizing that grace frees us from the bondage of following God’s law ¹². Most pastors would cringe if they realized how often members of their congregations have twisted such “grace” teachings to support promiscuity and the killing of innocent children. (But some local pastors I have met just laugh it off — perhaps promiscuity and abortion are just a part of their “messy gospel,” because their “grace” churches have even promoted erotic movies which focus on glorifying fornication.) In the midst of this darkness, the ancient light of the New Testament church still shines through the pages of our Bibles, pointing the Way out.

Necessary grace

The first major controversy faced within the early church was the question of whether or not new converts should be instructed to keep the “law of Moses.” After wrestling with this question, the Apostles and elders wrote a letter to be distributed throughout the new churches, explaining that it was not necessary to keep the law ¹³. But, to avoid any possible misunderstanding, the letter also emphasized that certain things are necessary, including “abstaining from sexual immorality (fornication) ¹⁴.”

Did somebody forget to tell the Apostles “thou shalt not judge” and “all sin is the same”? Was the early church stuck in legalism when it emphasized the necessity of abstaining from sexual immorality? Did they somehow forget that they were no longer under the law, in the midst of this brief letter which was written to emphasize that very point?

Or could it be that there is something about sexual immorality that is inconsistent with a grace-focused Gospel? Those who have eyes to see will recognize that lawlessness is not freedom, but is the enemy of grace. Jesus prophesied that because of the increase of such lawlessness (promoted by false teachers in the last days) the love of many will become cold ¹⁵. Do we see coldness (apathy), in our churches today? Consider the source.

Paul explained that sexual immorality is worse than other sins because it is a sin against our own bodies, and that it is thus a violation of the glory of God in our bodies ¹⁶. Sexual immorality in the church is not only a sin against our physical bodies, but it is a sin against the Body of Christ ¹⁷.

What if you wanted to walk down a path, but I said “don’t go that way — I just saw a rattlesnake on that path!” Wouldn’t my warning be an impartation of grace? Without my knowledge of the dangers you would face on that path, you would face likely injury and hospitalization. In the same way, the New Testament warnings against sexual immorality (and, by extension, abortion) should be recognized as words of necessary grace.

Paul was not alone in his refusal to conscience sexual immorality within the church: every New Testament letter written to a church (as represented in our modern Bibles) strongly condemned sexual immorality ¹⁸. Nevertheless, it wasn’t long before some aberrant groups within local churches (such as the Nicolaitans ¹⁹) took their Christian “freedom” to an extreme, embracing sexual immorality in the name of grace. ²⁰ But the message of the New Testament remains clear and consistent, even to the very last chapter ²¹: the true grace of God does not lead us to tolerate sin, and the dis-grace of those within the church (such as the Nicolaitans) who choose sinful lifestyles will follow them into eternity.

If fornication is a sin of such special significance to New Testament Christians, would killing a church child conceived in fornication be less serious? Pastors who refuse to preach against sexual immorality (and its obviously profuse but profane ²² fruit, abortion) have forsaken the New Testament gospel ²³!

No legitimate pastor would say that he condones sexual immorality (“pastors” who do so today no longer deserve the respect of that title), but I know good pastors who tolerate sexual immorality (and sometimes as a result, abortions) within their pews (sometimes even within church staff). Why would that be?

Superstitious grace

Many pastors seem to believe that if they just focus on leading people to Christ, there will be no need to talk about abortion in the church, because someone who is truly “saved” would never abort their baby. I consider this to be little more than superstition, having witnessed countless self-proclaimed Christians (even pastors’ families) entering the abortion chamber.

Some scoff that these were all false believers, but walking and praying with such brothers and sisters, sometimes over many years and tears, I become increasingly convinced that their abortion decision did not negate the sincere, vital faith which existed before their fall ²⁴. Even the man who led me to Christ turned away from the life of fidelity he modeled to me and now bases his life on sexual pleasure, but I will never doubt that he was truly saved (and I will continue to hold out hope for his repentance and restoration, believing that God’s grace is faithful to complete the work Christ started in him, of which I am fruit ²⁵).

If I believed in this superstitious grace, I would need to question my own salvation, because I myself have fallen far too often. None of my children were aborted and I have never had an affair, but I have committed adultery and abortion in my heart ²⁶ (and have repented for doing so). Yes, I have heard the Voice of my Shepherd warning me not to commit these sins, but I have not always heeded that Voice of Grace. As my wife Terri often says, if every sin resulted in pregnancy, we would all be walking around with pregnant bellies.

If those who are truly saved always follow where our perfect Shepherd leads, most of the New Testament would never have been written (because most books were written to address local problems and local sins in the church). The scriptures are full of examples of the sins of God’s people; sometimes the most heinous sins have been committed by those who are “after God’s own heart.” But, as we will see, God has provided a very human solution to this very human problem.

For many years, this superstitious grace led some pastors we know to deny that anyone who was truly a part of their church would abort a baby (even though the reason we had contacted these pastors in the first place was that we were trying to dissuade some of their self-identified church members from aborting their babies). In recent years, this attitude of denial gave way to something even worse: I call it the “messy gospel.” These pastors emphasize the message that we are all broken, we are all messed up, but God loves us anyway. Has “go and sin no more” become “go and keep on sinning”? Has the hope of the Gospel really become something that just enables us to feel good about continuing in sin? (The Apostle Paul would recoil at such as suggestion, shouting “may it never be! ²⁷“) Claiming that “there is no shame in Christ ²⁸,” such pastors lead women to the logical conclusion that they can kill a child without shame.

Clinging to this unbalanced understanding of God’s grace, many women who consider themselves to be faithful Christians enter abortion chambers asserting their confident assurance that nothing can separate them from God’s love and forgiveness. Sometimes they enthusiastically share their faith with us, even handing us information about their church or a CD of their pastor’s most recent sermon ²⁹. Would a pastor be encouraged to know that his sermons have given such women a confident assurance of salvation which gave her an attitude of peace about her decision to abort her child? Shouldn’t a true pastor ³⁰ be grieved that the faith he taught led the woman to take an innocent life? ³¹

Yet if they really believed that Christ has removed all of their shame, why do they also tell us that they don’t want people in their church to know that they were pregnant? Why do they tell us that people in their church would gossip about them if they kept their baby (sometimes even saying that people in their church have already said that they have too many children)? Is this truly an embodiment of grace (“where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more”) or is it in fact a rejection of the grace Christ offers (the power to resist temptation, and to walk in His light)? If churches really walked in the full grace of Christ, wouldn’t they embrace each pregnant woman, lovingly encouraging her to nurture her child? Wouldn’t this grace then bear the potential to end abortion within a church? (For practical examples of how to model a balanced message of grace within a church, see our pamphlet Unwed Pregnancy is Not a Sin and learn about the Elizabeth League.)

Voices of grace

The “grace” we read about in the New Testament provides the internal force which compels God’s people to overcome obstacles (not only to overcome the burden of past sin, but to reject temptations in our daily lives). But, knowing the weakness of our frame, our Heavenly Shepherd also gave us external forces of grace to help us stay on paths of righteousness: earthly, human shepherds (pastors). When sheep wander, the shepherd’s job is to bring them back to safety (not to speak empty words of feigned
“unconditional love”).

It is in fact true that the grace of God will save church babies from abortion — but only if such grace does not deny the power of God ³² to save both mother and baby, and only if those powerful words of grace are actually spoken ³³ instead of being superstitiously assumed. The Great Commission involves more than just preaching the gospel; making disciples includes “teaching them to obey ³⁴“: practical, nuts-and-bolts instruction on following the behavioral instructions of Christ. The generous grace of Christ includes gifts of humans designed by God to implement the nuts-and-bolts of that grace within the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers ³⁵.

Pastors are a physical embodiment of the grace God has given to the church. Those who believe that a true Christian would never abort their baby must ask themselves if a true Christian pastor would ever fail to follow God’s command to protect these sheep. If those who bear the Light refuse to exercise their gifts to protect and purify the most vulnerable members of their flock, will their lampstands be removed ³⁶?

Pastors who say “I’m just called to catch the fish, but it is God’s job to clean them,” ³⁷ ignore the obvious fact that God chooses to impart His purifying grace by words spoken from human messengers ³⁸. We make a mockery of grace when we superstitiously assert that those who are truly saved will not sin and then refuse to speak the very words which would dissuade them from besetting sins ³⁹.

Jesus promised that His sheep will hear His voice ⁴⁰, so pastors should follow the example of Jesus, unashamedly using God’s law ⁴¹ to speak to the conscience ⁴², knowing that repentance for the Christian is an ongoing process ⁴³ and is an essential element of the true Gospel ⁴⁴.

A repentant post-abortion woman has come to terms with the reality of the human life she terminated. Such a repentant woman will not be offended by sermons which acknowledge the precious reality of preborn children (instead she will be encouraged by such sermons, knowing all too well that God may use this pulpit to save other women from the pain she experienced). If she is walking in the light ⁴⁵, she is not afraid to agree with God about her sin, and she will trust that the God who created her child still has a good plan for her life. If she is hiding or cherishing her sin, she is out of fellowship with God ⁴⁶. Can pastors and churches allow those who are out of fellowship with God to function as censors?

When pastors become aware of sexual immorality or abortion (contemplated or completed) within the church, they must boldly act upon their knowledge; if they fear that their words will be considered to be “legalistic” or “judgmental” (in the context of the church environment they have established), it may be time for the pastor to consider why the gospel he preaches is not the same gospel which was preached in the New Testament.

But pastors are not alone in this obligation: every Christian is commanded to admonish and help build up fellow weak Christians ⁴⁷. The pulpit certainly must lead by example (and word), but the practical reality is that most of the hands-on shepherding must be done by those who line the pews.

Victorious grace

Some of the pastors I know seem to be resigned to defeat, certain that our culture is doomed because of our depth of depravity. Some pastors are afraid to preach against sins like fornication and abortion because of a sincere desire to reach those living in such sins. Yet in the days of the early church, the Roman Empire was more depraved than our culture: sexual immorality (including homosexuality) was widely practiced and widely accepted by a broad spectrum of cultural leaders. While Rome burned, the heart of Emperor Nero burned with lust for another man, whom he eventually “married” in a same-sex ceremony ⁴⁸. Yet the grace operating in these poor, oppressed early Christians overcame the formidable power of Rome, rescuing many who had been caught in sexual immorality, even “turning the world upside down ⁴⁹.” Yes, it was overcome through great sacrifice, even the sacrifice of their lives. But the same God who gave such powerful grace to the early church stands ready to give us grace today. Are we ready to receive it? That message of grace included the “necessary” message of abstaining from sexual immorality. Is that grace still available to us today, able to turn our world upside down?

If the turmoil around us leads us to believe that the Final Day is approaching, we must not surrender to defeat, but we should become all the more diligent in warning our fellow Christians of the dangers of remaining in willful sin ⁵⁰, even daring to challenge our congregations to continue on to “perfection” ⁵¹ through God’s purifying grace as we anticipate our completion and vindication at the return of Christ.

The littlest grace

The grace of God is personified not only through pastors, but even the littlest child is an embodiment of God’s grace, as Jesus told us in Matthew 18 ⁵². When a Christian woman finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, she needs to follow Mary’s example ⁵³, recognizing the fact that the embryo within her is a token of God’s “unmerited favor” ⁵⁴ — if the child was conceived in sexual immorality, these circumstances serve to magnify God’s grace. If we allow Him to do so, God will bless not only the mother but also the entire church with this Grace.

We have seen God use such grace-babies to transform women’s lives, even transforming the lives of drug addicts and those whose babies were supposed to die, while women who reject such grace-babies are typically caught in a downward spiral of sin. It is truly Good News that the grace of God is intended to teach us to say no to sin, and we must never allow our adversary to steal this precious seed.

If we seek the heart of our Shepherd, we will understand that at times we must even face the priority of neglecting our large congregations in grace in order to focus on the grace of saving one vulnerable church child ⁵⁵. For “it is not the will of your Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish” – especially not if this holy ⁵⁶ little child is part of God’s family.

As Terri and I have seen ⁵⁷, the grace which defines the very life stories of such children becomes a living reminder, echoing through the years the message of how God rescues every one of us, resulting in an exponential increase in the reality of internal and external grace in the lives of every member of our congregations.