before the sun goes down

"Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in His sight" (I Chronicles 19:13).

Saturday, February 26, 2022

Just Follow What is Altogether Just

Thus saith the LORD: “Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.  Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous.  That which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live, and inherit the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee” (Deuteronomy 16:18-20).

This passage of Scripture in which God lays out how leaders in Israel were to rule justly, and what the people were to follow is instructive.  Let the leaders and people of today pay heed.  As Jehoshaphat later warned leaders in Judah, “…Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for man, but for the LORD, who is with you in the judgment.”  Ye will answer to God, who is the Ruler of all.  It is recorded in Scripture, "Righteousness exalteth a nation; but sin is a reproach to any people."  God has granted in these united States, that the people of the states choose our leaders and are to keep them accountable. What are we to follow? That which is altogether just.  For God is Just, and we answer to Him.  Micah 6:8 "He hath shewed thee, O man, what i good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?"

Consider the three fold instruction in Deuteronomy 16:19. 

1. "Thou shalt not wrest judgment."

What does "wrest" mean? That is wrestle away justice, depriving the innocent of protection of the law. DO NOT compromise justice.  Today, the preborn are the ONLY people group who are denied equal protection from murder in our society. ProLife legislation regulating how, when, where, why and in what circumstances abortion can be done are allowing murder as long as one hops through their hoops.  This violates God's statute here.

2. "Thou shalt not respect persons."

DO NOT be partial in judgment.  Punish the evildoer.  Protect the innocent. Making bills that protect those whose heartbeat can be protected or who are known to feel pain, is showing them partiality over those younger and more vulnerable.  Making bills that do not establish equal justice for born and preborn shows respect to persons, and transgresses God's precepts. 

3. "Neither take a gift."  

Thou shalt not receive bribes. DO NOT compromise for money's sake.  As the verse warns, "for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous."  Taking a gift can cause one to to act not for the sake of precept and principle, but for a price.  There are multitudes of ProLife politicians who shrink back from putting forth, coauthoring, or promoting bills of abolition, that  establish equal protection for all from murder, because they are afraid that groups that donate to campaigns may not applaud that action.  Do what is JUST because God's word commands it and you answer to Him.

Abortion is the murder of innocent image bearers of the living God.  

It is unjust to murder them.  And it is unjust to allow them to be murdered under color of law.  And yet, in every state, regulating homicide is what the ProLife leadership does.  Making rules about when, where, how, and in what circumstances you can murder your child is NOT treating abortion like murder.  It is treating abortion like what the proaborts say it is- "healthcare".  Abortion is NOT healthcare.  it is the homicide of the most innocent and vulnerable of humans.  If you treat murder as if it is a medical treatment, and allow it as long as they follow rules you set, and then ask God to bless your efforts, you are raising bloody hand to pray.

"Surely those who shed the blood of the preborn - Will be judged by God, Whom they do scorn        And those who allow it do share in the stain - Are found to be taking God's name - in vain." 

I have been told, "You are just against bills of regulation because they're just not ENOUGH for you."

NO. I am against regulating abortion because it is not JUST.

We live in a culture that is at peace with child sacrifice, and perverts justice.  

-The government sworn to protect the innocent from murder protects the murder of the innocent.  

-The society that purports to be against bullies promotes the bullying of babies to death.  

-The medical community that is sworn to "do no harm" are the ones who practice the murder.  

-And the ProLife community seeks to regulate the murder, and end up permitting the murder they oppose, up ending justice.

In such a day, Christians must follow what God says, forsake partiality and consistently call on their leaders to do justice! Jesus is King! Demand what He commands: 

"That which is altogether just shalt thou follow."  Just follow what is "altogether just".

"Saviour, let me not make man's wisdom my trust - But rather to heed Thy way which is just.          From paths of compromise make me depart - Search me, O God, and lead my heart."  

God is Just, So Abortion must - be ABOLISHED.


Wednesday, February 2, 2022

ProLife Pragmatism or Preaching?

I am a Christian.  I want to be grounded upon the word of God, and be a faithful ambassador of Christ.  This is why I am an abolitionist.

"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (I Corinthians 5:20)

Our King, the King of kings, has commissioned us to declare His message.  Carrying His Gospel into this world, we are heralds, not negotiators.  

"For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ" (Galatians 1:10).

We call abortion murder because it is murder, and we know the God Who can save and forgive repentant murderers.  Abortion is sin and the only answer for sin is repentance and a saving faith in the finished work of Christ (Mark 1:15).  The Gospel brings redemption from destruction; it is the wellspring of love, hope, and joy, and is the real answer to abortion.  We are to use the word of God, His declaration of Creation, the Law, and the Gospel.  It is all “according to the Scriptures”

As abolitionists, we are committed to the unwavering truth of the good news that God the Son, Jesus Christ, entered the womb to redeem the world.  The Eternal Word became flesh in the form of a zygote (John 1:14) and went through all the stages of development in the womb, was then born as a baby and grew to manhood.  Fully God and fully Man, Jesus lived a sinless life, testified of the truth, and laid down His life in the place of sinners, the Just for the unjust (II Corinthians 5:21; John 18:37; I Peter 3:18).  His precious blood was shed to atone for sin, for "without shedding of blood is no remission" (Hebrews 9:22).  He died for our sins, and rose again the third day (I Corinthians 15:3-4).  His payment upon the cross purchased redemption for a lost, wandering, and wicked people from the punishment of their sin (Romans 6:23; I Timothy 2:5-6). 

"And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (I John 4:14). 

All Christians are commissioned as ambassadors of Christ (I Corinthians 5:20), and are to proclaim the good news to every creature, bringing the Gospel of the kingdom into conflict with the culture of death.  So we go into the fray, engaging the culture, unashamed of the Gospel of Christ, knowing it is the POWER of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16).  This we seek to do, not only at the mills, but elsewhere too, in conversations, in the open air, on campuses, and at statehouses, speaking the truth about life and life everlasting.  We plead in the name of Jesus Christ, in the cause of little babies made in His image, and for the good of all who will turn!

For instance, at the abortion mills, the gates of death, we speak the truth…"Your baby is not your problem, your baby is your blessing.  Sin is your problem—the selfishness in your heart.  The only remedy for your sin is turning and trusting in Jesus Christ alone, Who died and rose again to pay the price for sin!”  

However, it is the accepted "wisdom" among a large portion of the ProLife community to NOT do this: 

To NOT call abortion “sin” or "murder", 

To NOT warn their hearers about God's judgment for abortion as murder, or openly share the Gospel as the only remedy for sin, 

when conversing with a student on a campus, with a congressman in his office, or counseling a woman who plans to abort her baby. 

I have been told that preaching outside the abortion mill has never made a difference.  I know better.  We have had prolife people, even Christians, reprimanding us, yelling at us to stop proclaiming the way of salvation.  One abolitionist sister I know was standing beside a car, sharing the Gospel with a mom, and was suddenly shoved out of the way by a prolife woman, who said, "This is not the place for that!" 

So why would the ProLife Movement lean this way?  

A large percentage of people in the ProLife Movement are not Christians and cannot be expected to promote the one true way of salvation that they do not possess themselves.  In fact, it has been the Roman Catholic Church, for over 40 years, that has been the main mover and shaker within the Prolife Movement.

Sadly, even numerous evangelical ProLife leaders and organizations have been influenced by Catholic leaders that it is better to keep the Gospel out of any initial dialogue with mothers who are looking for an abortion, and they do not always contain a clear Gospel message when it is discussed due to ecumenical involvement. 

There are numerous Christians who rally for the ProLife position, take time and opportunity to boldly engage others in dialogue regarding abortion, and even go to abortion mills to pray or protest are often carefully trained to NOT use the Gospel with people unless the other person brings up spiritual matters. There are two reasons for this (and perhaps more):

1. In their objective to save a baby they use pragmatic (not providential) reasoning—they are taught that moral, emotional, logical, and scientific arguments are what works and that sticking to those facts foremost are necessary to persuade a woman to not go through with her abortion.  Abolitionists use logic, science, etc. as well, but we will not shun to share the Gospel openly.

2. They are afraid of offending the hearer and therefore losing a conversation. Although they do not deny the true Gospel or the need for sinners to come to Christ, they instruct ProLife Christians to "keep the Gospel in your back pocket"—having it readily accessible if the other person brings it up!  I have heard this in training sessions and lectures, and have been told personally by ProLife leaders that the abortion mill is not the place to preach the Gospel.  It could offend them and turn them away from listening to you.

ProLife Pragmatism wants to pursue what the professionals propose will produce.  The multitudes want to do what works, and follow the experts their leaders. 

However, abolitionists first of all seek to follow Jesus Christ.  "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15).  All the world includes the streets, sacrifice centers, statehouses, and all of society.  And there happens to be "creatures" there in those places.  We speak the truth in love, for our Lord has instructed: 

"And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious" (Ezekiel 2:7).  We trust God to use His word.  

And we believe that God's work done God's way will work for God's glory.

Abortion must be abolished. 

[I do not want to leave out the fact that there are within the Prolife Movement, Christians that are truly saved and hold to the Gospel with unwavering allegiance.  They unashamedly preach the Gospel and call their hearers to repent from any murderous intent toward their children and turn to the Savior.  I greatly appreciate the testimony of these saints—our family has ministered with them at the very gates of death—our family was one of them for many years! 

But it is all too easy as a Bible believing Christian to assume that everyone else who is part of the ProLife Movement is believing about the subject the same as you.  It is the ideology and practice of the ProLife establishment that I are contrasting.]