Earlier this week, I was inspired by my pastor to talk about God’s forgiveness with respect to abortion.
It is generally well known that I am strongly pro-life both politically and personally (hint: we have 10 children). But I want to address God’s forgiveness for those who have been involved in abortion.
Maybe you’ve had an abortion. Maybe you pressured your girlfriend into having an abortion. Maybe you worked in an abortion clinic. And there are many other scenarios. My involvement in abortion might seem less “wrong” than some of these items, but as we should know sin is sin.
When I was 19, I voted in my very first election. On the ballot in Washington state that year was a measure legalizing many abortions. I voted yes. My church, like most evangelical churches at the time, took no stand on the issue. We had not yet figured out that Catholics were right about this issue. Babies were killed in Washington state as a result of my vote. I was wrong and my ignorance is no excuse.
Here’s what the Word of God says about this issue. Comparing the Old Testament system of sacrifices, the writer of Hebrews says: “How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!”
I hope you know that Jesus will forgive your sins—any sin—when you come to Him asking for forgiveness and accepting Him as Savior. This includes all sins regarding abortion. But this passage teaches a parallel deeper truth.
Those who have engaged in “embarrassing” sins can be tempted to think that they are disqualified from serving God because of such sin. The enemy of our souls whispers, “how can you serve God—remember that thing you did?" Hebrews 9:14 tells us that the blood of Jesus cleans our consciences even for sins that lead to death so that we may serve the living God.
Jesus’s blood is that powerful. Don’t be trapped by sin or memories of sin. Jesus will forgive you and empower you to serve the eternal God.
Michael Farris is the former President & CEO of Alliance Defending Freedom. He served in this capacity from 2017 until 2022.
Before joining ADF, Farris was founding president of both the Home School Legal Defense Association (1983) and Patrick Henry College (2000) and continues to serve as chairman of the board of HSLDA and PHC and is chancellor emeritus of PHC.
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