Insight for Living

Guest: For several generations, our culture has struggled to define the value of human life. And since January marks Sanctity of Life Month in our country, this is the perfect time to search the scriptures and discover God's perspective. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll tackles one of the most sensitive and significant issues of our time with pastoral wisdom, biblical clarity, and genuine compassion.

What does God's word reveal about the value of life? When does life truly begin? And how should followers of Christ respond? Chuck titled this message The Sanctity of Life.

Chuck Swindoll: I want you to picture with me the large, thick tapestry, the veil that hung in the tabernacle of God. This beautiful, ornate piece of fabric separated the Holy of Holies from the general public.

The book of Exodus says that this veil was woven together by hand. Later in the book of Psalms, the Lord uses that same Hebrew verb to describe his work in weaving or knitting together our bodies in our mother's womb. Think about that. In your mother's womb, God put you together just as it pleased him. All of your design, including your interests, your abilities, your skills, your gifts, all the things that you grew into as the years followed.

These were originally knitted together by God. They were carefully designed in a specific pattern while you were yet unborn. Amazing, isn't it? During the nine months between your conception and your birth, God was hard at work. This process was so amazing to King David that he wrote about it in the form of a prayer, found in Psalm 139.

Listen as I read verses 13 through 16 from the New Living Translation. David prayed, "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."

Guest: You are listening to Insight for Living. To dig deeper into the Bible on your own, be sure to check out the wide variety of helpful resources available at our online store. Take a few minutes to browse through the options at insight.org/store. And now let's begin the study that Chuck titled The Sanctity of Life.

Chuck Swindoll: I plan to speak twice on the subject of abortion. It is not a subject that I have addressed directly and publicly before, though I have thought long and hard about it and have held convictions just as strong as those who have both spoken and declared themselves publicly in other ways.

As I do so, I want to be fair with the facts and I want to be careful with the way I present them. I certainly must be true to myself since I have to answer to God for what I say and how I say it, and certainly I have every plan to be firm in the scriptures upon which I base the foundation of my remarks.

I don't know quite how to describe a rather lengthy introduction today. Perhaps it is a statement of clarification due to the nature of the subject that I'm stepping into today. What I share with you is not the result of someone's pressuring me to speak or some organization or some group or some other church. These are the truths that are held deeply within my own heart.

However, this means that what I say will not satisfy everyone. Some of you will want me to say much more than I plan to say. Others of you will wish that I had said less than I am going to say. And some of you will regret that I have said anything at all since you feel this doesn't fit our pulpit or the style of my ministry. The reason I know all of that is I have already heard from you in writing, and I appreciate your telling me what you think. I must now do what I believe to be right.

For sure, I want to be accurate. I am a pastor. I am not a despot. I hold convictions that are mine, and it is my responsibility to declare those convictions with the flock, not to come down on you for the way you must apply them. And just as I have no right to tell you how to respond to what I say, neither does anyone else. But I am responsible to speak.

And I will trust the Spirit of God to take what I say and to use it in your life to stir up within you his desire for you. I am not today making an edict, nor am I giving this congregation or anyone who may hear this message an assignment. All that to say that I hold very firmly to the pro-life position. Always have. Even before we were married and certainly throughout the years of our of our marriage.

While I am unequivocally at that position in my life, I do not look down on or disregard those who disagree with that position. It is not my interest to make them look foolish or to poke needless fun at them. This is not a funny subject, nor will I resort to exaggeration or sarcasm to get my point across. My hope is to win those who do not agree, and I do not speak today, therefore, out of anger but out of brokenness.

I come today as an individual who desires to communicate wisdom and sensitivity and compassion and not to have those things eclipsed by my zeal and enthusiasm. I will have another message as well that will comfort some who will be disturbed because of guilt or regret over what you hear in this hour.

My second message is a message of hope and compassion to go on having had an abortion or having counseled someone else to do so and now living in the regret of that. But do not think that my second message means that I am soft on the things that I declare in this first one. It does not. My statistics, my illustrations, even my use of scripture of necessity because of time must be limited.

And now let me tell you the purpose of my messages. I have listed four of them in my notes. First, to inform you of what is happening. I am convinced deep within that most do not know what is happening. If you were pressed to the issue to give facts and figures, most of you could not as it relates to the dreadful condition of our country regarding abortion.

You know it's somewhat extreme. You know it is a bit of a political football, but you would be hard pressed, most of you, to know the real facts, so I want to inform. Second, I want to help you gain courage. If I can stand alone, anyone can stand alone. I want you to gain courage to say no before you are tempted to get in bed with somebody who is not your marital partner.

I want you to gain courage to say, "This is where I stand on this issue, and I'm not ashamed to stand there." Certainly others don't seem to be ashamed to stand in their position. I hope my message gives you that kind of courage. I want to give you courage to go on in spite of decisions you have made that you now are sad or guilty about, or perhaps full of regret over.

Hopefully, I hope this message will give you courage to stay morally pure. By the way, I plan next Sunday to address the issue of of maintaining sexual purity in our lives. Third, my hope today, my purpose is to stimulate and motivate you to be involved. This is not the kind of issue that we simply agree to pray about or nod in agreement that that's where I stand.

This calls for action. The kind of action God will lead you to do. I have no plans to mass our church together in one great movement in a particular and singular cause. The options are many, and I will conclude this message by giving you some of them. Long before abortion was a public issue, my wife and I opened our home to unwed mothers.

I'm sure if situations were similar, we would do it again. That is one kind of reaction. That is one kind of involvement, only one of a number of different things you might do. Fourth, my hope today, my purpose is to give comfort and reassurance to you who live with the scars of regret. Life does go on. There is no sin so great but that God does not, cannot, and will not forgive, other than dying in the sin of unbelief toward the Lord Jesus Christ. That one you will pay for for eternity.

But there is no sin this side of death that causes God to say, "Ah, that's too far. I will have nothing more to do with you." This leads me into some, I would call them, significant tensions and statistics that need to come to our attention. First of all, the tensions. And I'm representing both sides as I state the tensions that this kind of message brings to us. First, the appropriateness of discussing a subject this intimate and personal from a pulpit.

I mean, let's face it. Few things are more personal than one's sexual life. Abortion is directly related to sexual activities. I understand the sensitive nature, the delicate nature of this message, and I will not be overly or needlessly offensive in my explicit definition of things. I will try to maintain the dignity that a pulpit requires.

Second, the ethical dilemmas created by extreme situations such as rape, incest, and the health of the mother. I understand the uniqueness of those situations. Due to the private nature of much of this and the limited time I have, I'm staying away from those subjects. And before you think I'm dodging a major issue, just listen to the statistics a little later.

1%, I will tell you ahead of time, of those who get abortions are victims of rape. 1% of those victims of incest get abortions. So, don't hide behind that as a reason for not coming to convictions. Clearly, over 95% of the abortions are what I would call convenient methods of birth control. And that's the tragedy of it all.

Third is the challenge to our church's convictions that we focus on biblical and spiritual priorities and avoid being caught up in political and social agendas. That's a long way of saying, this pulpit is not a political pulpit. I represent no political cause. You do not know which side I am on or sides I may be on as it relates to political issues, nor will you when I'm through.

We are living in a day where politicians can no longer stay quiet about the issue. My concern over the subject is not politics. My concern over it is ethics. It is morals. It is the spiritual dimensions that abortion brings to pass in one's life. And that's why we're addressing it today.

Fourth is the possibility of being intimidated by well-meaning people who want you to take up the cause in their way. And I want to say without reservation that if I, as your senior pastor, do not enforce one particular method of involvement, neither does anyone else have a right to do that with you.

I know whereof I speak. I was told over the phone not long ago, because I didn't participate as one individual told me I should have, I will answer for it in the judgment day. I don't think I will. He thinks I will, and that's fine. He has every right to think what he pleases. You must answer for your life, and if God leads you to do certain things, and you don't do those things, God does hold you responsible for that.

But I do not know God's will for your life in applying this message, nor will I hazard a guess. That is beyond my realm. The fifth tension is the possibility of arousing enormous guilt and regret. I've already spoken once on the subject earlier, and I had three people come and tell me that they have had abortions, and the guilt is overwhelming.

My tension comes in in arousing enormous feelings of guilt in those who may have already been forgiven and need to go on with their lives. Nevertheless, truth needs to be declared. I want you to find two verses of scripture before I get into the statistics, because I want to show you the times in which we're living. Second Timothy chapter 3, the early part of that chapter. And when you find that, Romans chapter 1, the last two verses of that chapter.

Romans 1 and Second Timothy 3. Both of these passages have to do with the days in which we're living, the difficulties of the times in which we find ourselves called in scripture the last days. And I just want to affirm that as being a major reason we find ourselves in such tragic conditions as it relates to this national, in fact, worldwide tragedy of abortion on demand.

Second Timothy 3 begins, "Realize this, that in the last days, difficult times will come." If I were writing that today or if you were writing it representing the day in which you live, you would say, "Difficult times have come." The keyword is difficult. It means grievous, tragic. It is a word rendered savage elsewhere in scripture. And I think that fits.

In these last days, savage times have come. If one embraces the position on abortion that is popularly being represented today, one will also be soft on euthanasia and the taking of life later in years, when that life becomes fruitless and rather unproductive. But in these last days, tragic, savage times are upon us. Turn then to Romans 1, where the savage times are spelled out in four ways.

We are living in times that are, verse 31, "without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, and unmerciful." One man has given four synonyms for those expressions. We're living in days that are senseless, faithless, heartless, ruthless. And then the final verse of the chapter, "Although they know the ordinance of God that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them."

That's the kind of time in which we live, men and women. The mother's right seems to have eclipsed all other rights, even the right of that independent life within her which she did not cause. God did. And which she and her mate did not create. God did. This issue is no longer a private one. It now impacts three major professions of our world: the legal, the medical, and for sure, the political.

100 professors of obstetrics signed the following statement, quote, "It would be necessary for physicians to realize that abortion has become a predominantly social as well as medical responsibility. For the first time, except for cosmetic surgery, doctors will be expected to do an operation simply because the patient asks that it be done. Granted, this changes the physician's traditional role, but it will be necessary to make this change if we are to serve the new society in which we live."

I say, alas, to all those who sign such a statement. I agree with the man who added this comment, "Abortion is no more purely a medical problem just because the physician wheels the curette, than chemical warfare is purely a problem for pilots because they press the lever releasing the chemical." I don't know if you have noticed the unpopularity of the physician who declares herself or himself as a doctor who will perform abortions.

Many obstetricians and gynecologists acknowledge that they feel great conflict about abortion. A doctor who is an administrator at the National Institutes of Health and is forbidden to speak for attribution about the time when she performed abortions, said she used to carry them out because she felt strongly that abortion should be available, but she said, she had to prepare herself emotionally each time, and she often had a sleepless night before a scheduled abortion.

"It's a very tough thing for gynecologists to do," she said. "The emotions it arouses are so strong," she said, "that doctors don't talk to each other about it." The doctor said she only lost control once when she was aborting a 30-year-old doctor after she herself had just had a miscarriage. She had been trying for seven years to become pregnant. After the abortion, she said, "I just collapsed on the floor, overcome by her emotions."

How widespread is the problem? How severe is it? Is it indeed much ado about nothing? Hardly. Thanks to the assistance of several trusted colleagues, I have come up with some limited statistics that will take your breath away. Since you are not senseless, faithless, heartless, or ruthless, these facts will shock you.

Medical authorities determine a person to be alive, quote unquote, if there is either a detectable heartbeat or brainwave activity. Children have detectable heartbeats at 18 days. That's two and a half weeks after conception. And detectable brainwave activity 40 days. That's a little over five and a half weeks after conception.

Essentially, 100% of all abortions occur after the seventh week of pregnancy. Why are children aborted? Alan Guttmacher Institute, the research arm of Planned Parenthood, states, "1% are victims of incest or rape. 1% had fetal abnormalities. 4% had a doctor who said their health would worsen if they continued the pregnancy. 50%, that's 5-0, 50% said they didn't want to be a single parent or they had problems in current relationships.

66% stated they could not afford a child. 75% said the child would interfere with their lives. Three-fourths of those stating reasons for abortions said it was because the child would interfere with their lives. The conclusion is clear, 95+% of children killed by abortion are killed for reasons of convenience, not health, incest, rape, or the future of the mother.

When are children aborted? 50% at eight weeks. 25% at 9 to 10 weeks. 14% at 11 to 12 weeks. 5% at 13 to 15 weeks. 4% at 16 to 20 weeks. And 2% after 20 weeks. How many are aborted? Some limited statistics. Worldwide, 55 million a year. 55 million every year.

You can't get your arms around that number, and neither can I. So to help you do so, let me break it into days, hours, and minutes. Around the world, every day, 150,685 children are killed by abortion. Every hour, 6,278. And every minute, 105. You're an American, no doubt, and perhaps, and you're therefore you're greatly concerned about your nation as I.

Let me break it down to a national statistic. 1,600,000 babies are aborted every year. These are the reported ones. Per day, that's 4,383. Per hour, that's 183. Per minute, that is three. Every minute in America, three children are aborted.

Guest: The numbers have changed since Chuck Swindoll first taught on the sanctity of life, but the troubling reality hasn't gone away. At Insight for Living, we believe these messages can help all of us think more clearly about this critical issue. The timing is perfect. In January, churches all across America are drawing attention to Sanctity of Life Month. We're hoping and praying that Chuck's four messages in this special broadcast series will equip Christians with both biblical conviction and compassion.

Insight for Living offers a Bible companion book for this series as well. In a world where the value of life is increasingly debated, we address four essential issues with biblical clarity and Christ-like compassion, including one of the most divisive topics of our time, abortion. Written in a pastoral style, this Bible companion doesn't shy away from difficult questions. Instead, it offers wise counsel for anyone facing this heart-wrenching decision, a biblical perspective on the sanctity of human life from conception, and a path forward for those carrying the weight of past decisions, because shame was never part of God's plan for healing.

When you include a donation with your request, we'll send you our Bible companion called The Sanctity of Life as our way of thanking you. Whether you're wrestling with these questions yourself, walking alongside someone who is, or simply seeking to understand God's heart on these matters, Chuck's compassionate wisdom will meet you right where you are. You can request your copy of The Sanctity of Life when you partner with us here at Insight for Living. Call us at 800-772-8888, or go to insight.org/donate.

It's possible you've been following Chuck's teaching for many years, starting when your family was young. And if you haven't already, let me encourage you to become one of our monthly companions. By giving a monthly donation, you can do for someone else what others did for you back in the early days. To sign up, call 800-772-8888 or go online to insight.org/monthlycompanion.

I'm Bill Meyer, urging you to listen when Chuck Swindoll continues his important message on the Sanctity of Life. Tomorrow, on Insight for Living. The preceding message, The Sanctity of Life, was copyrighted in 1990, 2000, 2014, and 2024, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2024 by Charles R. Swindoll Incorporated. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.