This Teen Bible Study Guide is designed to help you learn what God
thinks about abortion.
Abortion
Introduction
In the United States alone,
over 3000 babies are aborted every day. The vast majority of these terminated
pregnancies are due to “convenience” issues of the child’s parents. They didn’t
want a child at this point in their lives, so they simply chose to eliminate
the problem. About 4 of every 10 women will have an abortion in their lifetime.
What about cases of rape or when the mother’s health is in danger? Are
abortions appropriate in these cases? These questions illustrate how
controversial this subject has become in today’s society. This guide is
designed to help you learn God’s mind on the matter.
Definition
Webster's Collegiate
Dictionary defines - "abortion" - as "the termination of a
pregnancy after, accompanied by, resulting in, or closely followed by the death
of the embryo or fetus…." The issue of abortion has to do with the
morality of a person's choice to "terminate" the pregnancy, not a
miscarriage that happens naturally. Abortion stops the natural process of human
maturation within the mother's uterus (or womb). The purpose of abortion is to
empty the mother's womb which results in the death of the tiny human being in
its development.
When Does a Human Life
Begin?
A major area of debate
about abortion is whether the fetus is human. Let's see what the Word of God
reveals concerning this question.
MATTHEW 1:18: "Now the
birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to
Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy
Spirit."
JOHN 1:14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father…."
JOHN 1:14: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father…."
1. When did God become
flesh? Was it at conception? Was it at birth? Was it at a point in time between
conception and birth?
COMMENT: The Holy Spirit
carried the divine nature, so Jesus was God in the flesh from conception when
the Holy Spirit impregnated Mary. Just as Jesus was God from conception, a
human being begins life at his conception. The “miracle of life” certainly is a
miracle. A human being is formed from 2 single cells fusing together in a
female. The cells divide and differentiate forming tissues and organs. After
only 18 days of growth, a heartbeat can be detected. After 21 days, the eyes,
spine and digestive system become visible. After 40 days, brain waves can be
detected. At 8 weeks, the toes and fingers are formed. At just 18 weeks, the
baby can move on it’s own. Abortions are performed even after all of these
things have occurred.
LUKE 1:44: "For
indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe
leaped in my womb for joy."
2. What does this verse
reveal about the unborn having human feelings and emotions?
JEREMIAH 1:5: "Before
I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; I
ordained you a prophet to the nations."
3. How early in our lives
does God know us? When does He devise a purpose for us?
God's Law
EXODUS 21:22: "If men
fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely … he
shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and
he shall pay as the judges determine."
1. For the ancient,
Israelites, what was the penalty for accidentally causing the
"termination" of a pregnancy?
2. What does this judgment
reveal about God's desire to protect pre-born children?
3. How does this situation
compare and contrast with abortion?
EXODUS 20:13: "You
shall not murder."
4. Do you think this
commandment applies to unborn human beings? Why?
5. Are other commandments
broken by choosing to have an abortion? If so, which one(s)?
MARK 9:42: "But
whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would
be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown
into the sea."
6. How does God feel toward
those who harm His new, young believers?
7. If God says those who
bring spiritual harm to His fleshly children are worthy of capital punishment,
by analogy what do you think would be His attitude toward those who end the
life of children in the womb?
Our Bodies?
Those who favor the
legality of abortion assert that a woman has the right to complete authority
over her body. If a woman is carrying a child inside her, and she doesn't want
him there, then the woman, so they say, has the right to remove him -- that is,
abort him.
JOB:31:15Did not he that made me in the womb make him?
and did not one fashion us in the womb?: “Did not He who made me in the
womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?”
1. Who is said to be at
work in the womb?
PSALM 127:3: "Behold,
children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward."
2. To whom does the
psalmist give credit for his children?
GENESIS 29:31: "When
the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, He opened her womb; but Rachel was
barren."
GENESIS 30:2,22: "And
Jacob's anger was aroused against Rachel, and he said, 'Am I in the place of
God, who has withheld from you the fruit of the womb?' (22) Then God remembered
Rachel, and God listened to her and opened her womb."
3. What role does God have
in every child conceived? Are children totally the result of the desire of
their parents?
4. Do children from
conception belong to God or his human parents? Consider Ezekiel:18:4Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the
father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall
die..
5. Is the growing child in
the womb a part of his mother's body or a separate person?
COMMENT: From the time of
conception the human embryo is distinct from his mother. The mother's body
would reject the fetus as foreign tissue and abort the baby except for the
existence of the placenta, which separates the child from his mother while in
her womb. If the life growing in the mother doesn't belong to her, what right
does she have to take innocent life?
1 CORINTHIANS 6:19-20:
"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is
in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought
at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are
God's."
6. Explain why we don't
have the absolute right to do whatever we wish with our bodies.
GALATIANS 6:7: "Do not
be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also
reap."
7. Who is accountable for
the consequences of our actions?
COMMENT: Many people will
argue that the decision to have a baby is up to the parents... and they are
right! The decision is theirs. But once they decide to have an intimate
relationship, the decision has been made and if a child is conceived, parents
become stewards of their child. They must be prepared to accept the
consequences of their decisions. Unfortunately, many people do not take
appropriate responsibility for their actions. A lot of people who are against
abortion will still support special cases when the mother has been raped or
when her life is endangered by the pregnancy. But an abortion is still ending
the life of a human being. In the case of rape, the baby can be given up for
adoption after birth, or can still be raised by the mother with the support of her
family and friends. In the case of the mother’s life being in danger, we must
realize that God allows things to happen for a purpose, and we should not cut
off His plan in progress by taking matters into our own hands. A great deal of
prayer and a close relationship with God can ensure wise decision making for
such matters.
8.What are the
emotional/spiritual effects of having an abortion?
Summary Questions
1. How do your peers view
the issue of abortion?
2. When does a human being
begin life?
3. What is God's will
concerning the lives of all human beings from conception?
4. How does God view
abortion?
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