Pastor Greg Laurie: Pro-Life is the Only Biblical Position on Abortion

The topic of abortion is very personal to me — not just because I am a pastor, but because I myself was not planned. I was conceived as a result of a one-night stand and could have become another abortion statistic. Thankfully, that did not happen.

My childhood was not easy. I was a reluctant passenger on my mother’s wild roller-coaster ride of marriage and divorce with seven husbands. She would drink to excess every night and pass out. But she did marry one good guy: Oscar Laurie. He didn’t drink, smoke, or party — I don’t know what she saw in him!

The Laurie family crest is the image of a tree stump with growth coming out. The family motto is Repullulat, which means, “It buds afresh.” That describes my life. Its potential was cut down. I was likely to amount to nothing and end up like the notorious sinners in my family. But, by the grace of God, He changed me, and new life “budded afresh.”

God Planned Our Lives Before Birth

Though it took me a while to discover it, my life was planned by God:

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. —Psalm 139:13–16 NLT.

I can look back and see that, truly, “every moment was laid out” (Psalm 139:16 NLT). That’s true for every child. God has a plan for him or her, even before birth:

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations. —Jeremiah 1:5 NLT

Notice that God says, “I formed you in your mother’s womb.” God doesn’t say, “I waited until you were born to have a plan for you, because you were not yet really a human, but only a mass of tissue.”

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Each child is created by God and is granted the gift of life at conception. I am grateful my mother brought me to term. And I believe, unequivocally, that each and every child should be given the chance to live.

God has a plan for every single baby conceived, regardless of the circumstances. There is no such thing as an illegitimate child. Illegitimate parents, perhaps, but not children.

We read Paul’s words in Galatians, “Even before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace…” (1:15 NLT). And we read in Jeremiah that God’s thoughts about us are “thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV). God cares for us, thinks about us, and has plans for us — before we’re born and after! But despite this fact, abortions are so tragically commonplace.

Abortion Is Murder

Since the passing of Roe v. Wade in the early 1970s, an estimated 63 million+ babies have been aborted.

The abortion industry creates revenue in excess of $4 billion in the United States alone.

Despite the fact that Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022, many states have continued this practice, under the banner of “woman’s rights.” The truth is that abortion takes the life of an innocent child in the womb. It is, plainly speaking, murder.

I think one of the reasons abortion has persisted is because we are so desensitized to murder. Our culture today is awash in violence. Everywhere we look, we see it: on our television screens, in theaters, in music, and in video games. But it’s sin. It’s the Sixth Commandment: “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).

Translated from the original Hebrew, the word “murder” means “to dash in pieces.” It’s the intentional and forcible taking of another’s life. Through abortion, millions of children are being chemically burned, cut to pieces, suctioned, starved, crushed, poisoned, or impaled in the womb.

Our culture tries to dehumanize these babies with rewordings and euphemisms. They call murder “terminating a pregnancy” and they label unborn babies as “fetuses,” “embryos,” “globs of cells,” “uterine contents,” or “products of conception.” But the reality is that they are innocent children, made in the image of God, and they have every right to live. If you don’t agree with that then, frankly, you disagree with the Bible.

Child Sacrifice and Infanticide in the Bible

In Exodus we see a strong parallel to today’s mindset surrounding abortion in the account of Pharaoh. Driven by fear of the slave population growing too numerous for his comfort, and a prideful desire to hold onto control, Pharaoh demanded that the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, immediately kill any Hebrew boys while assisting women giving birth.

Not having today’s surgical ability to kill a child in the womb without risking severe infection or harm, this is the closest procedure to modern-day abortion that could exist at the time. And it was driven by the same selfishness and fear that motivate many women today.

Not getting the result he wanted, Pharoah accelerated his intentions by ordering all newborn baby boys to be thrown into the Nile River to drown. This wholesale slaughter of babies was repeated in the New Testament when Herod ordered every baby boy in the Bethlehem region to be killed.

As wicked and deplorable as these episodes of mass infanticide are, they pale in comparison to the number of innocents being annihilated today through abortion.

The Saddening Truth About Abortion

There are repercussions to getting an abortion that are rarely discussed.

Women who’ve had an abortion face an increased risk for mental health problems including substance abuse, anxiety, and depression—which can lead to suicide.

Yet, culture will tell us abortion doesn’t mean anything; you’re simply ridding yourself of a “clump of cells.” It just isn’t true.

I have counseled girls who have aborted their babies, and it can haunt them for the rest of their lives.

Through the years that follow their abortions, they mentally track the age that their child would be as they watch other children grow. Many times, the full impact of what they’ve done doesn’t sink in until much later.

Abortion leaves “one dead and one wounded.” It is not the answer.

Choices Besides Abortion

I would strongly encourage any pregnant woman to have a sonogram! Many mothers who are contemplating abortion decide against it when they see the image of their child on an ultrasound machine.

Pro-life counseling centers specialize in helping those who are contemplating abortion to know their options, providing free resources and referrals, and walking alongside women who are feeling alone and pressured.

If you have conceived a child and it’s possible, marry the father and raise the child together. Or, if you can’t do that, raise the child as a single mom. And if you can’t do either of those things, carry the child to term and put him or her up for adoption. To be pro-life is the only biblical position.

Did you know that Steve Jobs was adopted? He said, “I wanted to meet my biological mother mostly to see if she was OK and to thank her, because I’m glad I didn’t end up as an abortion.”

There are many wonderful families looking to adopt. But so very many women don’t consider this option, choosing to murder their pre-born baby instead — whether because they are pressured or misinformed, because the baby is inconvenient and unwanted, or because they want to hide their secret sin.

We always hear, “What about if the mother’s life is in danger?” In turn, I ask, “What should a mom do if her child ran into a busy street?” Would you tell her not to go save her child? Should she not risk her life for her child’s? Any normal mother with maternal instincts would risk being harmed to save her child without question.

Will God Forgive Those Who Had an Abortion?

What if you’ve had an abortion or helped someone else to get one? Is there forgiveness for that?

Indeed, there is! John 8 tells the story of a woman caught in the act of adultery. She was brought before Jesus and the Pharisees basically said to Him, “The Law says to stone her. What do you say?” Jesus wrote on the ground, stood up, and said, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (verse 7 NKJV).

He wrote on the ground again — what He wrote exactly is debated — and they left one by one. Then it was the woman and Jesus alone: “When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, ‘Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?’” (verse 10 NKJV).

All she probably heard was the title “Woman.” In Greek, this was a term of respect used toward a wife, a mother, a lady. It’s the same word Jesus used when He spoke to His own mother as He hung on the cross. Whenever Jesus used this term, it spoke of great tenderness.

She had been called many things, but not “Woman.”

Then, Jesus said, “‘Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more’” (verse 11 NKJV).

How this must have shocked her! She, like the woman at the well (John 4), had probably been “used and abused” by men. Yet, Jesus pardoned her.

I don’t care what sin you’ve committed; God can forgive you! If you’ve had an abortion, encouraged others to get one, worked for an abortion clinic, etc., ask God for forgiveness. Romans 8:1 says, “Now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus” (NLT).

From Planned Parenthood to Christ

Some years ago, I heard from a young lady named Crystal. She told me she would listen to my podcast every morning on her way to her job as a manager at Planned Parenthood.

Crystal wrote, “One day, while I was counting the pieces of a dismembered baby, I thought about Greg’s sermon: if Jesus came back right then and there, would I be left behind?”

She repented and left that job. Now, she’s pro-life, working to protect and save the lives of unborn babies. God can change you. God can forgive you. You can make a break from the past.

Do Aborted Babies Go to Heaven?

I want to say one more thing to those who may have had an abortion.

I know that moms and dads who chose abortion and have come to regret it may be crippled with guilt, grief, depression, and more. To you, I want to say that if you are a follower of Jesus, you will see your child again. Every little one that dies goes straight into the presence of God.

Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19:14 NKJV).

I believe all aborted children are in Heaven right now, and you can be reunited with them there.

Our Pro-Life Role as Christians

With all the emotion and passion about this topic, let’s do everything we can to help any woman who finds herself pregnant to make the right decisions, so she doesn’t have to struggle with the aftermath of a wrong choice.

Let’s also do everything we can to care for families who need it. Caring for moms and children should be a priority of the Church more than ever before.

We should also be active in the battle against abortion, starting with the way we vote. Frankly, I don’t think you have any right to be critical or to complain about the state of our country if you do not take the time to vote.

To refrain from voting is irresponsible and bad stewardship. Scripture tells us, “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17 NKJV). We should vote for the candidates and policies that best reflect the values we find in Scripture, and that includes voting pro-life.

Beyond voting, we can be a voice for the voiceless in the public square, opposing abortion in our culture and supporting pro-life organizations.

Proverbs 31:8 tells us to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.”

The help we give unto “the least of these” is service unto the Lord Himself. Christians are all too often known as a people of “no” and “don’t,” when in reality, we should be most famous for the “yes” of God in our lives. Pro-life marches, non-violent protests, rallies, and more are just some of the ways we can make our voices heard and reaffirm God’s “yes” over all human life, at all stages and ages, starting at conception.

March for Life

I was privileged to be asked to lead in prayer with hundreds of thousands of people from around the nation in Washington, D.C at the March for Life rally last weekend.

On a very cold and snowy afternoon, we prayed and spoke out for those that have no voice.

Let’s all pray and ask God to send a spiritual awakening to our nation — we really need it.

LifeNews Note: Greg Laurie is the pastor and founder of the Harvest churches in California and Hawaii and of Harvest Crusades. He is an evangelist, best-selling author and movie producer. See the feature film, “Jesus Revolution” from Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company in now available.

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