A post at Stand Up For The Truth described the efforts of “progressive Christians” to “use the Bible to promote abortion”. It describes the effort among pro-choice “Christians” to establish the beginning of life at the point when the baby takes his or her first breath (rather than at the point of conception). The post cited an article on The Christian Left Blog (entitled, “The Bible Tells Us When A Fetus Becomes A Living Being”) making a case for life starting when a baby takes its first breath. I’ve already discussed the problems with such a view in a prior post, but I was struck by the final line in the Christian Left blog post:
“In the end, if abortion was such a grievous sin Jesus would have mentioned it. He said nothing.”
I’ve heard this kind of argument many times over the past few years, applied to any number of behaviors that people are trying to justify or reconcile with the Christian Scriptures. I bet you’ve heard this kind of statement as well. “Jesus said nothing about (insert any number of behaviors) in all of his sermons to his disciples and the masses. If it’s such a big deal, Jesus would have preached on it.” There are many variations of this kind of argument, but all of them seem to miss the point. Jesus’ apparent “silence” on a controversial issue does not result in God’s approval or affirmation of such behavior for the following reasons:
Jesus Agreed:
Jesus already acknowledged the fact that he was in complete agreement with the teaching of the Old Testament unless he specifically delineated a new line of instruction. He did not “come to abolish the Law or the Prophets… but to fulfill them” (Matthew 5:17)
Jesus Observed:
Jesus was a dedicated, devout and observant Jew. You want to know what he thought about homosexuality or abortion? Simple; just look at what other devout, observant Jews would have said. They most certainly would have affirmed the Old Testament teaching.
Jesus Said More:
We also know that the gospel writers didn’t capture all of Jesus’ teaching on any of these topics. John said that “there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written” (John 21:25). Don’t be so sure that Jesus didn’t actually teach against these behaviors.
Jesus Said Less:
But none of this really matters if you stop and think about it. Are we truly going to take the position that any behavior that Jesus did not specifically condemn is therefore allowable and approved by God? How about bestiality? How about pedophilia? Jesus never said anything about these behaviors; you might say that Jesus said a lot less than he could have. Does this mean these behaviors are morally virtuous? Few would agree with that idea.
There are many things that Jesus “said nothing” about. This means very little, however, when you really stop and think about it. As Christians, we need to consider the entire counsel of God before we determine whether or not God’s Word approves or condemns a particular behavior.
For more information about the reliability of the New Testament gospels and the case for Christianity, please read Cold-Case Christianity: A Homicide Detective Investigates the Claims of the Gospels. This book teaches readers ten principles of cold-case investigations and applies these strategies to investigate the claims of the gospel authors. The book is accompanied by an eight-session Cold-Case Christianity DVD Set (and Participant’s Guide) to help individuals or small groups examine the evidence and make the case.
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Michael
July 19, 2024 at 9:30 am
Would the ” silence implies consent” defence be valid when it comes to human behavior? could someone successfully argue, “HE NEVER SAID I COULDN’T TAKE HIS TV!” I think not.
Colton Weber
July 19, 2024 at 10:07 am
In terms of many sins that there is no recorded mention of Jesus addressing directly we must also look at the cultural setting He was in. As your article indicates Jesus was a devout Jew living in a devout Jewish setting.
So, most likely those sins Jesus didn’t address head on weren’t widely practiced amongst the Jews since they were punishable by death (i.e., public stoning, etc.).
However, Paul did address many of those sins (ex. homosexuality) because they were common place in the cultures he was traveling among.
Joe
July 19, 2024 at 3:28 pm
I think another grievous sin is the sometimes callous disregard that Christians have for needy and homeless children around the world. American society is quick to condemn and judge, but when you examine what the society provides for children in need, we as Americans should all hang our heads in shame. Sure protect the unborn, but also help look after them once they enter this world. They cannot speak for themselves, they are our collective responsibility.
Doug
July 24, 2024 at 5:41 am
I strongly disagree. We must not buy into the world’s, Satan’s, collective guilt lies. The Bible does not call for forced giving to the poor using government power or collective guilt. Giving to others is an individual opportunity and responsibility, not a collective one. It is foolish, wrong, to hang our head in shame because other people’s sin. We have enough sin of our own to repent.
Beechey Rod
July 19, 2024 at 4:29 pm
Perfect response to the leftist. People have brutalized the Bible out of context for years and justified many abuses in the name of God.
Mariangela Prencipe
July 24, 2024 at 6:11 pm
Nel Vangelo di Luca Maria va a trovare Elisabetta. Elisabetta è al sesto mese di gravidanza di Giovanni Battista, in Maria era da qualche giorno stato concepito per opera e virtù dello Spirito Santo Gesù. Evidentemente nella Scrittura l’inizio del bambino è il concepimento. Oltre a questo che riguarda il Signore Gesù, nei Salmi è detto che addirittura prima del concepimento noi siamo nella mente di Dio, che svilupperà la nostra vita fin dal concepimento.
Christian Mpassi
July 25, 2024 at 10:38 pm
I wonder if people of those times had a wide knowledge on how to perform abortions and even if the technical knowledge was somehow available, how many abortions were actually performed? Maybe a very tiny number per year, even none. So how could Jesus spend time talking about a sin rarely committed or even completely unknown by the masses?