How many souls will be saved by a mifepristone ban? Wait. Souls? Isn’t the question how many lives will be saved? Uh, no, I’m really asking how many souls will be saved. After all, isn’t that important to Christians?

I get it, non-Christians maybe don’t care about saving souls. People who don’t care about God, or deny God, almost certainly don’t care about saving souls.

But hey – this is to Christians who think being anti-Abortion is the biggest issue, or even one of the biggest, for Christians.

I’m asking you to think about it. Pray about it. Yeah – pray. To the God who declared Himself in the Bible. And please note, that’s not the God your favorite political party pushes. Nor is it the same as the one your favorite social protest group pushes.

In case you’re not up on it, let’s get some background info.

Am I in favor of or pro-abortion?

Don’t get me wrong here. I am not pro-abortion. Even just reading about what an abortion entails is just plain gross. If you’ve never checked it out, here’s a strictly medical look from WebMD at What Are the Types of Abortion Procedures?

What about the commandment to not murder?

Am I throwing out the commandment, You shall not murder? Depending on your denomination, it’s either the 5th or 6th commandment, as shown below;

Ten Commandments - Exodus 20:2-17

Jewish	Reformed/Anglican/Orthodox	Catholic/Lutheran
1	P	1	2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.
2	1		3 “You shall have no other gods before me.
2	2		4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
3	3	2	7 “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.
4	4	3	8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
5	5	4	12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
6	6	5	13 “You shall not murder.
7	7	6	14 “You shall not commit adultery.
8	8	7	15 “You shall not steal.
9	9	8	16 “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.
10	10	9 10	17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

There’s something we should notice about those commandments. The first ones are about God. The remainder are about us.

I’m curious, which one of them says we should prevent, by any means, someone else from violating any of the commandments? Uh, none of them? Maybe, the one about the Sabbath.

Ex 20:8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

There are some references to people in our circle, from family to foreigners living in our time. However, remember it’s only about observing the Sabbath and keeping it Holy.

Does that mean we don’t care about abortion?

No, it doesn’t mean we don’t care about abortion. I think it does mean that with abortion, as with everything else in the ten commandments, that they are directed to each of us as individuals. They don’t give us the job of being our brother’s or sister’s keepers. It doesn’t give us the call to prevent, by any means necessary, someone else from breaking a commandment.

Judging others who want to have an abortion

We have enough trouble taking care of ourselves. If/when we decide to try to prevent someone else from sinning, we should remember something Jesus said.

Judging Others

7:3-5 pp — Lk 6:41, 42

Mt 7:1 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Stop and think about that. If we are trying to judge someone by a commandment that God told us to obey, ourselves – not other people – exactly what are we opening ourselves up to?

By the way, by “judge” here, I don’t mean just saying that it’s wrong. I mean the judge who holds the trial, is the jury, decides the punishment, and then carries it out. It makes sense. After all, who’s going to judge us as Christians? The same One who decides the punishment and carries it out.

Does that begin to make you think twice about a mifepristone ban? And this is only the beginning.

Mt 7:3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

It’s getting harder. Which one of us doesn’t have more than one plank in our own eye? In this case, is our “judgment” on various abortion issues really in line with what Jesus taught and commanded us to live out?

Mt 7:6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces.”

What the heck does that mean?

At first sight and hearing this is startling language from the lips of Jesus, especially in the Sermon on the Mount, and indeed immediately after his appeal for constructive brotherly behaviour. But Jesus always called a spade a spade. His outspokenness led him to call Herod Antipas ‘that fox’ and hypocritical scribes and Pharisees ‘whitewashed tombs’ and a ‘brood of vipers’. Here he affirms that there are certain human beings who act like animals and may therefore be accurately designated ‘dogs’ and ‘pigs’.

The context provides a healthy balance. If we are not to ‘judge’ others, finding fault with them in a censorious, condemning or hypocritical way, we are not to ignore their faults either and pretend that everybody is the same. Both extremes are to be avoided. The saints are not judges, but ‘saints are not simpletons’ either. If we first remove the log from our eye and thus see clearly to take a speck from our brother’s eye, he (if he is a true brother in the Lord) will appreciate our solicitude. But not everyone is grateful for criticism and correction. According to the book of Proverbs, this is one of the obvious distinctions between a wise man and a fool: ‘Do not reprove a scoffer, or he will hate you; reprove a wise man, and he will love you.’

…

The fact is that to persist beyond a certain point in offering the gospel to such people is to invite its rejection with contempt and even blasphemy. Jesus applied the same principle to the ministry of the twelve when he gave them his charge before sending them out on their first mission. He warned them that in every town and house they entered, although some people would be receptive or ‘worthy’, others would be unreceptive or ‘unworthy’. ‘If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words,’ he went on, ‘shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town.’  ¹

Is there a difference between believers and non-believers?

Do you see the point here? Let’s go through them, just to be sure.

Right away that presents a problem with Christians and some of the anti-abortion tactics. The alleged reasoning behind their actions is faulty.

If Christians, acting on their faith, want to make it illegal to have an abortion, how does that save a soul? If Christians, acting on their faith, want to make it impossible to get an abortion, how does that save a soul?

Or, is the real goal to put forth a mechanism to try to prevent someone else from violating the commandment against murder, with no concern for any of the souls of the people involved?

And if I dare ask, what does it do to the souls of those who claim to be Christian, act on a false understanding of Christ’s teaching and commands, and end up violating the commands of Jesus in order to prevent something they mistakenly think is called for by the Old Testament Law?

Death and Life – The Law and Grace

Paul wrote something in Romans that we really should pay attention to. Especially when it comes to things we’re so passionate about that we want to, so to speak, take the law into our own hands. God’s law, that is.

Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ

Ro 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned— 13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.

Obviously, this was before our time. And yet, it is our history, so we should be aware of it. the Law, God’s Law, has a purpose.

Ro 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.

Paul has a way of making this so complicated with his exacting logic. I’ve started running some of these passages through Microsoft’s Bing AI. They make no moral judgment, but merely reduce logical thoughts into something much more understandable. Once again, it did a pretty good job.

This passage is contrasting the effects of Adam’s sin with the gift of grace through Jesus Christ. While Adam’s sin brought death and condemnation to many, the grace of God and the gift of righteousness through Jesus Christ brings justification and abundant life to those who receive it.

So, we see Adam’s sin, and as a result, our own sin, based on God’s Law.

Ro 5:18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

However, we also see God’s grace, whereby that sin is forgiven when we accept His gift of salvation through Jesus. Because of His death on the cross.

Ro 5:20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

And then there’s the conclusion. Because of God’s law, there is sin. Right and wrong actions. Even right and wrong words and thoughts. And the more we understand the Law, the more we’ll recognize our sins. And if we pay attention, that means we also recognize more of our own sins.

However, just because, as Paul put it, sin increased, that didn’t mean the goal was for punishment to increase. No! The intent was for people to recognize our sin, turn to God, believe in His Son Jesus, and because of His death on the cross, we’d be forgiven for our sins and our souls would be saved.

Why are death and the Law increasing while Grace and Forgiveness decreasing?

Do you see it yet? Do you see the problem with a mifepristone ban? Or with any of the other increasingly comment tactics to end abortions at the cost of peoples’ souls?

Let’s take a look at something else.

The Great Commission

Mt 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Christians are supposed to bring the good news of salvation through Jesus to everyone.

How are we going to do that when our actions make people hate us?

And, by the way, things like this don’t make people hate us because we’re Christians. They hate us because some people who claim to be acting as Christians do things that aren’t very Christian. Some do things that aren’t even remotely Christian.

Let me ask something. Which do you think is more Christian?

1. Ban mifepristone. Knowing full well that rich people will still get abortions, one way or another. So our net effect is to try to imprison poor people who have all sorts of problems, and will have one more, even if it’s simply because they have another mouth to feed, when they already cannot afford food. And don’t lecture me on how they should know better. It’s too easy for a rich person, or even a middle class person, who’s never lived in the environments we, yes we, condemn them to in this country.
   
   How do we know what they should’ve known? And would you say that to God? How do you think He’d respond after He reminds us of His Great Commission that we’re ignoring?
   
2. Reach out to the people who are considering abortion. Sit with them. Listen to them. Don’t lecture, but try to understand their situation. Try to imagine us in their shoes, if they even have shoes, instead of thinking they have everything available to them that we do.

Which one is the Christian response? I have to believe it’s the second one.

One more example, if I may. Or even if not.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

10:25-28 pp — Mt 22:34-40; Mk 12:28-31

Lk 10:25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Lk 10:26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
Lk 10:27 He answered: “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’’”
Lk 10:28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
Lk 10:29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Lk 10:30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
Lk 10:36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
Lk 10:37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Yeah – the good Samaritan.

But isn’t the Parable of the Good Samaritan about someone who was beaten up and robbed? Yes, it is. And that’s exactly why it fits here. Let’s look at one more thing Jesus said that’ll tie it all together.

The Shepherd and His Flock

You know this one too, right? And maybe think it doesn’t apply. Let’s go through it.

Jn 10:1 “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the Sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. 3 The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

The thief and the robber. That’s Satan. You do believe Satan is real, don’t you?

Jesus goes into how His people know His voice.

Jn 10:7 Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Now, Jesus says He is the gate for the sheep. The thief doesn’t use the gate, as we saw above. Following Jesus leads us to have life, and have it to the full. Following anyone else, in other words following the thief, Satan, means Jesus’ promise will be destroyed for us. Why, because we didn’t know Jesus and therefore followed the wrong voice. Or, we were enticed to follow someone other than Jesus.

Jn 10:11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand is not the shepherd who owns the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. 13 The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

Jn 10:14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. 17 The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

Jesus says a couple of times, I am the good shepherd. And again talks about how His sheep know Him.

So – let’s be clear. People who get their view of Jesus from political leaders, activists, and various other groups that don’t truly know Jesus themselves cannot be the voice we listen to. And let me add one thing to that, if someone does know about Jesus, but leads people in a way that takes them away from who Jesus truly is, don’t truly know Jesus. If/when we truly try, with the aid of the Holy Spirit, to follow Jesus, we cannot consistently lead people astray.

Where does politics fit in with all this?

I’ve written many times about the reality that when political leaders, and others, try to combine Christianity with politics, Christianity always loses out. We cannot, as Jesus told us, serve two masters. Politics operates a certain way. And in many ways, the political world is very much not aligned with what Jesus taught and how He commanded us to live.

Therefore, when all this is put together, we can see that our political environment takes people away from Jesus. That’s true for any political party. Democrats. Independents – who claim to have no political party alignment but still end up following someone other than Jesus. Republicans. Or any other party.

The extremists in the political parties, which is nearly everyone it seems, are the thief. The people that end up being hurt by politics and the government are the one(s) beaten up in the Parable of the Good Samaritan. They have little to no money, self-respect, food, healthcare, education, healthcare availability, and so on. They have little to no hope in this life.

Sometimes it seems like one party wants to give them enough stuff that they’ll be happy with almost anything slightly better than what they have. The other one is trying to either keep them where they are, or make their lives even worse. Either way, these people are being beaten up and robbed. Both physically and spiritually.

Where does a mifepristone ban fit in?

I know there are people who get an abortion just because it messed up their lives. But they’re largely the rich and elite who will continue to get their abortions. Maybe in another country. But they can afford that.

But the ones who can least afford another mouth to feed, they’re hurt by this. We already looked at that above.

Oddly, true Christians, who want to follow what Jesus taught, will also be hurt by some of this. How? Because the government is trying to go in a direction where abortions pretty much never happen. Pregnant women will die because of this. Doctors will be, and in some states already are, afraid to save the mother’s life in some situations.

Again, people who support this type of government are putting themselves in the lace of the robber who beat up the guy on the road that the Good Samaritan helped.

Conclusion – How many souls will be saved by a mifepristone ban?

How many souls will be saved by a mifepristone ban? I’d guess probably none. Not a one.

Why not? As pointed out above, people will hate us. There’s no opportunity to save a soul. In fact, in these scenarios where we try to use the government to force so-called Christian values, there’s not even an attempt to save a soul.

Saving someone’s soul is supposed to be one in the manner of The Great Commission. Someone who’s already saved, speaks to someone who isn’t. We use the Holy Spirit in us to have these conversations. We plant a seed. The person we’re speaking with then, hopefully, wants to know more. At some point, it comes down to that person and God.

Trust me – none of that’s going to happen when we pass off our responsibility as Christians to the government.

We’ve failed the people who need us most. We’ve not fulfilled our promise to Jesus when we were baptized. Both of these things, and so much more of what you just read, make me wonder about our own faith when we refuse to act in accord with what Jesus commanded us.

Are we really saved?

Or will we hear Jesus tell us He never knew us, because of our refusal to forgive, and to help people who need us? Like so many women to consider abortion?

Oh yeah – it is consider an abortion – not only those who actually have an abortion.

Murder

5:25, 26 pp — Lk 12:58, 59

Mt 5:21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Mt 5:23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

Mt 5:25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 I tell you the truth, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.”

And we are supposed to forgive, not punish. So why do we try to even pass laws to try and preemptively stop abortion? What else is there than to avoid the need to help? Or to forgive? We should know what happens when we refuse to forgive.

Prayer – Matthew

Mt 6:5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Mt 6:9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“ ‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,

Mt 6:10 your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.

Mt 6:11 Give us today our daily bread.

Mt 6:12 Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Mt 6:13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”

Further, when we pass laws and get the government to do the things we should do as Christians, we don’t have to show mercy.

Lord of the Sabbath – Matthew

12:1-8 pp — Mk 2:23-28; Lk 6:1-5
12:9-14 pp — Mk 3:1-6; Lk 6:6-11

Mt 12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, “Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath.”

Mt 12:3 He answered, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? 4 He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread—which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. 5 Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? 6 I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7 If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8 For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Mt 12:9 Going on from that place, he went into their synagogue, 10 and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, they asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

Mt 12:11 He said to them, “If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 How much more valuable is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.”

Mt 12:13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” So he stretched it out and it was completely restored, just as sound as the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

Did Jesus go to the Roman government to pass a new law on healing? Did He go to anything like the Supreme Court to get the interpretation of the law on healing redefined by a judge? No, Jesus did neither of those things.

After all, it’s God’s law. Jesus went to those responsible for teaching and upholding God’s law. And He told them, and the people, that they didn’t practice what they preached. And then gave a demonstration of what God really said about healing.

The difference between what Jesus did and what we do today is significant. It’s sad that Christians go to the human government rather than to God when it comes to God’s law.

I could go on with more. So much more. But, at what point will we hear Jesus tells us:

A Tree and Its Fruit

Mt 7:15 “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. 16 By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Mt 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’”

I, for one, do not want Jesus to tell me, “I never know you!”

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

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