The Image of God: The Foundation of Human Dignity

From the first page of Scripture, God grounds human worth in His own likeness: “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27). Human dignity is not negotiated by age, size, ability, or convenience. It is bestowed by God.

God ties the sanctity of human life to this reality: “Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man his blood will be shed; for in His own image God has made mankind” (Genesis 9:6). Even our speech is restrained by this truth, because we must not curse those “who have been made in God’s likeness” (James 3:9). The image of God is the nonnegotiable foundation for protecting life.

Life in the Womb: Known and Knit by God

Scripture speaks of life in the womb with personal, covenantal language. “For You formed my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb… Your eyes saw my unformed body” (Psalm 139:13,16). God’s care is not distant; it is deliberate and detailed.

The Lord’s calling and knowledge extend into the womb. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5). The unborn are not potential persons; they are persons with God-ordained significance.

- “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb” (Luke 1:41). “The baby in my womb leaped for joy” (Luke 1:44).

- “Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One form us in the womb?” (Job 31:15).

The Sixth Commandment and the Weight of Justice

God’s moral law protects life: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13). This commandment guards image-bearers from intentional, unjust killing, which by definition includes the unborn. God expects His people to act accordingly: “Rescue those being led away to death, and restrain those stumbling toward the slaughter” (Proverbs 24:11).

His civil instructions reflect the value of the child in the womb: if a pregnant woman is harmed and injury results, “you must require a life for a life, eye for eye…” (Exodus 21:22–25). God sets before us “life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). The church seeks justice in ways that cherish both mother and child.

Grace for the Guilty and Wounded

Sin leaves real scars, and abortion is not beyond the reach of the cross. “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). Where sin abounds, grace abounds more. Confession is met by cleansing: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

In Christ there is a new beginning. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The church must be a refuge for repentance, healing, and long-term care for women, men, and families marked by abortion.

A Whole-Church Response: Love that Acts

Love moves toward people in practical ways. “Carry one another’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). True religion is visible and costly: “Pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27).

- Welcome and accompany women and families in crisis pregnancies with tangible support.

- Partner with pregnancy care ministries; stock baby closets; provide rides, meals, childcare, and mentoring.

- Develop adoption and foster care pipelines; support families with grants and wraparound teams.

- Mentor young men toward responsible fatherhood and honorable work.

- Offer trained, trauma-informed post-abortion care groups and biblical counseling.

- Build a discreet benevolence system for medical bills, housing, and employment support.

- Make sanctity-of-life discipleship part of normal church life, not a once-a-year emphasis.

- Serve the “least of these” as unto Christ: “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me” (Matthew 25:40).

Speaking Truth with Gentleness

Conviction and compassion belong together. “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). We “speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15), honoring God and the people before us.

- Prepare to give a reasoned, hopeful answer “with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).

- Listen well to stories of fear, pressure, poverty, and isolation before offering counsel.

- Distinguish condemnation of sin from care for sinners; show the way of the cross and community.

- Use person-centered language; avoid slogans; focus on image-bearing and the hope of Christ.

Answering Common Claims with Scripture-Clarified Reason

Ground responses in the Word and the created order. Speak plainly and patiently.

- “My body, my choice.” A pregnant woman carries another body, another image-bearer. For believers, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

- “It’s just a clump of cells.” Scripture calls the one in the womb a baby (Luke 1:41,44). God knits, knows, and ordains from the earliest moments (Psalm 139:13–16; Jeremiah 1:5).

- “Hard cases justify abortion.” Every hard case involves at least two precious image-bearers. Wisdom and compassion are essential, aiming to protect life wherever possible and to care for all involved (Proverbs 31:8–9).

- “Talking about abortion hurts people.” Silence also harms. Truth told with tears can open a path to healing and hope (Colossians 4:6; 1 John 1:9).

Discipling the Next Generation to Cherish Life

Life discipleship starts at home and is reinforced in the church. “These words… are to be upon your hearts. And you shall teach them diligently to your children” (Deuteronomy 6:6–7). Teach a whole-Bible vision of creation, fall, redemption, and new creation that celebrates embodied life.

Children are a gift, not a burden to be managed. “Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward” (Psalm 127:3). Form consciences early through Scripture, service, and stories of sacrificial love.

- Catechize about the image of God and the uniqueness of every human life.

- Encourage service with families in need and with life-affirming ministries.

- Teach sexual integrity, repentance, and restoration in the gospel.

- Celebrate births, adoptions, and foster placements with joyful community support.

Persevering Hope: Christ and the Least of These

Hope does not embarrass us, because it rests on Christ’s finished work. The church’s pro-life witness is not powered by outrage, but by love that bears burdens, builds families, and brings the gospel to the fearful and forgotten.

The mission is steady and long. We overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21), open our mouths for those with no voice (Proverbs 31:8–9), and trust the Lord of life to honor His Word and our ordinary faithfulness.

- Prenatal diagnosis and disability: Resist eugenic impulses. God’s sovereignty includes disability: “Who makes him mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the LORD?” (Exodus 4:11). Build church pathways for perinatal hospice, respite care, accessibility, and long-term friendship with families.

- Assisted reproduction and the status of embryos: Children are gifts, not entitlements. Practices that create, freeze, or discard embryos raise grave concerns about image-bearers at their earliest stage. Counsel couples toward life-affirming paths, including ethical fertility care and, where conviction allows, embryo adoption.

- Contraception with discernment: Scripture forbids selfishness and sexual immorality, not fruitful prudence. Couples should avoid methods that may act after fertilization. When Scripture is silent, exercise conscience shaped by wisdom, counsel, and a generous openness to life (Romans 14:5).

- Men, responsibility, and repentance: Fathers must protect, provide, and lead in holiness (1 Timothy 5:8). Churches should disciple men against passivity and predation, confront coercion, and cultivate sacrificial masculinity that embraces children and honors mothers.

- Post-abortion healing for everyone involved: Include mothers, fathers, grandparents, and those who worked in abortion industries. Hold out the cleansing of Christ: His blood “cleanse[s] our consciences from dead works to serve the living God!” (Hebrews 9:14). Provide trauma-aware groups, confidential counseling, and patient pathways back into ministry.

- Integrity in life-affirming ministry: No manipulation or deceit. “We have renounced secret and shameful ways… by open proclamation of the truth” (2 Corinthians 4:2). Train volunteers to listen, present accurate information, and offer real help without pressure.

- Public witness without rancor: When engaging neighbors and leaders, embody Micah 6:8—justice, mercy, humility. Speak as ambassadors of Christ, majoring on the image of God, the goodness of children, and the power of community support. Keep the gospel central, refusing dehumanizing rhetoric.

- Church discipline and unity: Open advocacy for taking innocent life contradicts the faith once delivered. Address error through teaching, private correction, and, if needed, Matthew 18 processes aimed at repentance and restoration, treating no one as an enemy but warning as a brother (2 Thessalonians 3:15).

- Whole-life hospitality: Build a culture where saying yes to life is plausible—housing shares, emergency funds, job networks, childcare co-ops, meal trains, Titus 2 mentorships, and wraparound adoption/foster teams. Make it normal to open homes and hearts.

- Lament and hope: Teach biblical lament over national and personal sins (Daniel 9; Psalm 51). Ground tears in the sure hope of resurrection, when every loss will be answered at last in Christ.

- Consistent care across the lifespan: Uphold the sanctity of life at the margins—preborn children, the disabled, the poor, the elderly, the dying. “Learn to do right; seek justice. Correct the oppressor; defend the fatherless; plead the cause of the widow” (Isaiah 1:17).

In all things, keep Christ preeminent. He is the Author of life, the Redeemer of sinners, and the Builder of a people who cherish every image-bearer until the day He makes all things new.