Let’s continue our attempt to answer the top ten questions asked in relation to the topic of abortion. We’ve answered Question #1: “Who’s in charge of life and death?” and #2: “When does life begin?” Today we’ll start with Question #3: “Is God concerned with unborn children?”
I have a rather lengthy but I believe important answer to this question. Both Isaiah and Jeremiah reveal that God has an interest in us not just from conception in the womb but also from conception in His Eternal Mind! We are conceived by God in His own mind from eternity past, eons before we are ever physically conceived in our mother’s womb. In Isaiah 49:1 we read, “Before I was born the Lord called me; form my birth he has made mention of my name.” Then, in Jeremiah 1:5 we read, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before I was born you set me apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
God knows us before we are physically conceived. Some argue here that these quotes from both Isaiah and Jeremiah are nothing more than poetic verse meant only to establish the close relationship that these prophets have with God. Those who see this as nothing more than poetic verse, say that it is figurative language, not to be taken literally. Others will say that this kind of relationship with God was only reserved for a select few men of God such as the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. To those who charge that it is only poetic language I simply say that an eternal God has no reason to speak of eternity and of knowledge within that realm in a poetic way. He alone experiences eternity and he alone can speak of it. Who are we to question what we read and assume upon an eternal Being? Who are we to say that these verses must be poetic because we cannot understand such language literally? These types of arguments show a disregard for the potential magnitude of God both in existence, experience, and action. If God is eternal then such language taken literally is completely reasonable.
To those who suggest that these verses describe a relationship with God that only a few great men experienced should rethink such an argument. God does use some men for greater earthly purpose but he says time and time again that he desires that all should be saved and that none should perish! (2 Peter 3:9) Further, he tells us that “before the beginning of time” (Titus 1:2) he gave us the hope of “eternal life” (Titus 1:2) through Jesus Christ. Each of us are made in God’s image and are fearfully and wonderfully made! (Psalm 139) We alone are made in God’s image and in this way we are unique in all of God’s creation. Each one of us then was conceived in the mind of God from eternity past and share with Jeremiah and Isaiah the blessing of these words, “before I formed you in the womb, I knew you.” (Jeremiah 1:5)
So, does God show concern for unborn children? The answer can be summed up is this way: God is not only concerned with children in the womb, he is concerned with every child that has been fashioned in His eternal mind, those in the womb as well as those who, at present, exist as Divine Idea. My contention is that life begins before biological conception. Or, to put it another way, life began for all of us in the mind of God. Science cannot debate such a matter of faith and my conclusions may seem too “out of the box” for even the most mature believers. Scripture, however, bears out my conclusions in spades.
Your thoughts?
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!),
Todd Phillips
http://www.frontline.to/
http://www.toddphillips.net/
Saturday, March 10, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Abortion Part 3
A few days ago I posted a blog attempting to answer the question, “Who's in charge of life and death?" This question is the first of ten questions I’ll answer that are often asked in relation to the abortion debate. Question #2 is – “When does life begin?” The debate over when life begins is actually more relevant to the abortion debate than our first question regarding who’s in charge of life.
So, what is the answer to this important question from a biblical perspective? In Job 31:15 we read, “Did not he [God] who made me in the womb, make them? Did not the same one fashion us in the womb?” Then, in the Book of Psalms, we read,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them cam to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
The “secret place” and “the depths of the earth” are references to the womb. We are known by our God in the womb. We are fashioned by Him in that secret place. God’s Word helps us to see that life begins at conception. Scientists are even agreed on the fact that there is a complete genetic package the moment that sperm and egg unite. Nothing from that point is added to the mix except time and nutrition.
Science and medicine also support the idea that life starts at some point in the womb. Fetal medicine has progressed to the point where doctors routinely treat unborn children for certain diseases, perform surgery in utero, and give blood transfusions.
I often hear the argument that brain function should be used to determine when life has ended and yet I have heard little discussion on the possibility of using brain function to determine when life begins. Brain waves are recorded within six weeks after conception. The heart of an unborn child begins to beat around the eighteenth day after conception. So, science and the Bible should be able to agree that we have a living being within at least six weeks after conception. Yet, these facts are ignored.
Finally, we read that Mary, the mother of Jesus, decides to visit Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. When Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s home, John (not yet born) “leaped in her [Elizabeth’s] womb.” (Luke 1:41) We see here that John responds to the fact that Mary and the as yet unborn Jesus have arrived.
We find from the Bible that we are fashioned in the womb by God. We see that all indicators of life even by modern science force us to see life from a very early point in utero. Then, we look again to the Bible to see that John, as an unborn child, responds to the presence of Mary with Jesus in her womb. God and science then should agree that we have life in utero very soon after conception. The idea then of middle or late term abortions is something that the scientific community should be able to agree to even if they cannot bring themselves to agree that life begins at conception. Further, though, we read of God’s connection with all that happens in the womb and cannot find any hint from the biblical text that life begins at come point after conception. We are therefore forced to err on the side of life at conception.
Next time…do we find evidence that God is concerned with children in utero?
Until then…respond to you heart’s content!
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
http://www.frontline.to/
http://www.toddphillips.net/
So, what is the answer to this important question from a biblical perspective? In Job 31:15 we read, “Did not he [God] who made me in the womb, make them? Did not the same one fashion us in the womb?” Then, in the Book of Psalms, we read,
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them cam to be.” (Psalm 139:13-16)
The “secret place” and “the depths of the earth” are references to the womb. We are known by our God in the womb. We are fashioned by Him in that secret place. God’s Word helps us to see that life begins at conception. Scientists are even agreed on the fact that there is a complete genetic package the moment that sperm and egg unite. Nothing from that point is added to the mix except time and nutrition.
Science and medicine also support the idea that life starts at some point in the womb. Fetal medicine has progressed to the point where doctors routinely treat unborn children for certain diseases, perform surgery in utero, and give blood transfusions.
I often hear the argument that brain function should be used to determine when life has ended and yet I have heard little discussion on the possibility of using brain function to determine when life begins. Brain waves are recorded within six weeks after conception. The heart of an unborn child begins to beat around the eighteenth day after conception. So, science and the Bible should be able to agree that we have a living being within at least six weeks after conception. Yet, these facts are ignored.
Finally, we read that Mary, the mother of Jesus, decides to visit Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. When Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s home, John (not yet born) “leaped in her [Elizabeth’s] womb.” (Luke 1:41) We see here that John responds to the fact that Mary and the as yet unborn Jesus have arrived.
We find from the Bible that we are fashioned in the womb by God. We see that all indicators of life even by modern science force us to see life from a very early point in utero. Then, we look again to the Bible to see that John, as an unborn child, responds to the presence of Mary with Jesus in her womb. God and science then should agree that we have life in utero very soon after conception. The idea then of middle or late term abortions is something that the scientific community should be able to agree to even if they cannot bring themselves to agree that life begins at conception. Further, though, we read of God’s connection with all that happens in the womb and cannot find any hint from the biblical text that life begins at come point after conception. We are therefore forced to err on the side of life at conception.
Next time…do we find evidence that God is concerned with children in utero?
Until then…respond to you heart’s content!
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
http://www.frontline.to/
http://www.toddphillips.net/
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Abortion Part 2
I decided to let your comments keep coming over the past few weeks before engaging in the comment dialogue from my last post on abortion or posting a new blog for several reasons:
1. Several of you had a lot to say about this topic that was very engaging and I wanted to give the rest of our readers a chance to read and reflect upon your many comments.
2. The comments from the past two subjects (suicide and abortion) have far outweighed comments on any other topic besides “The DaVinci Code” series I did many months back.
So, as the activity has lessened over the past few days I’ve decided to move forward.
I’ve decided to frame this series with the “top ten” questions people have about abortion (we’ll see if I get to ten or not, but I thought I’d challenge myself a little). This may be too in depth for some of my readers who have made up their mind about abortion and find my engagement with the topic rather tedious. So, for you I have a deal to make: read my blogs on abortion over the next four to six weeks and I promise I’ll break up the monotony with some entries on different subjects that I hope you’ll read.
Here we go! These are the questions that I’ve heard, in no particular order about this difficult topic:
Question #1:
Who is responsible for life and death?
For those of you who read my blog series on suicide last month you’ll find that this question mirrors some of the comments I made regarding suicide but I feel strongly that any dialogue on the topic of abortion must address this question biblically.
If we look to our own American culture, we find several different views on who’s responsible for life and death. Dr. Kevorkian advocates that doctors should make the choice or that patients make the choice and doctors should allow them to choose when they die. Planned Parenthood advocates that mothers of unborn babies make the choice for their babies. So, who’s right?
We find some very clear passages from the Bible regarding life and death:
1 Samuel 2:6
The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and he brings up.
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder. (One of the BIG TEN)
Abortion rights groups will be quick to pounce on this question. They will say, “No problem. We’ll let God choose when life ends. But, what we want to know is…when does life BEGIN?” They will then make the argument that a fetus isn’t a life; it’s a wad of tissue…a bundle of potential. If they’re right then there’s nothing more to say. We should stop the debate and side with former US Attorney General Josslyn Elder who said, “We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus.” If an unborn baby isn’t a living human being then, no big deal. But, again, if God actually weighed in on the question of when life begins then followers of Christ must place their own feelings, opinions, and leanings aside and submit to the Truth that we find in the Bible.
This post is getting lengthy and if I attempt to address the question, “When does life begin?” in this post it will be extremely lengthy. So, I’ll leave you with your own perspectives on when life begins until next time. If any of you are chomping at the bit though to answer this question then feel free to beat me to the punch and post a comment!
Until next time…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
1. Several of you had a lot to say about this topic that was very engaging and I wanted to give the rest of our readers a chance to read and reflect upon your many comments.
2. The comments from the past two subjects (suicide and abortion) have far outweighed comments on any other topic besides “The DaVinci Code” series I did many months back.
So, as the activity has lessened over the past few days I’ve decided to move forward.
I’ve decided to frame this series with the “top ten” questions people have about abortion (we’ll see if I get to ten or not, but I thought I’d challenge myself a little). This may be too in depth for some of my readers who have made up their mind about abortion and find my engagement with the topic rather tedious. So, for you I have a deal to make: read my blogs on abortion over the next four to six weeks and I promise I’ll break up the monotony with some entries on different subjects that I hope you’ll read.
Here we go! These are the questions that I’ve heard, in no particular order about this difficult topic:
Question #1:
Who is responsible for life and death?
For those of you who read my blog series on suicide last month you’ll find that this question mirrors some of the comments I made regarding suicide but I feel strongly that any dialogue on the topic of abortion must address this question biblically.
If we look to our own American culture, we find several different views on who’s responsible for life and death. Dr. Kevorkian advocates that doctors should make the choice or that patients make the choice and doctors should allow them to choose when they die. Planned Parenthood advocates that mothers of unborn babies make the choice for their babies. So, who’s right?
We find some very clear passages from the Bible regarding life and death:
1 Samuel 2:6
The Lord kills and makes alive. He brings down to the grave and he brings up.
Exodus 20:13
You shall not murder. (One of the BIG TEN)
Abortion rights groups will be quick to pounce on this question. They will say, “No problem. We’ll let God choose when life ends. But, what we want to know is…when does life BEGIN?” They will then make the argument that a fetus isn’t a life; it’s a wad of tissue…a bundle of potential. If they’re right then there’s nothing more to say. We should stop the debate and side with former US Attorney General Josslyn Elder who said, “We really need to get over this love affair with the fetus.” If an unborn baby isn’t a living human being then, no big deal. But, again, if God actually weighed in on the question of when life begins then followers of Christ must place their own feelings, opinions, and leanings aside and submit to the Truth that we find in the Bible.
This post is getting lengthy and if I attempt to address the question, “When does life begin?” in this post it will be extremely lengthy. So, I’ll leave you with your own perspectives on when life begins until next time. If any of you are chomping at the bit though to answer this question then feel free to beat me to the punch and post a comment!
Until next time…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Abortion Part 1
I’ve been surprised lately by the tremendous amount of time and effort we have put into launching Frontline Arlington. The effort has certainly bore fruit but a few of my weekly obligations have suffered as a result. For those who read my blogs regularly you know that my blogging falls in this category. But, I’m back on track and ready to tackle our next topic from a biblical perspective.
I sincerely appreciated the lively dialogue that our last topic – suicide – created among my readers. Several of you thought a great deal about the issue from a biblical perspective and several others shared their own experiences with the topic. I’m hoping for a similar response to our next subject…abortion.
Before I dive into our new subject though, I want to share my understanding of the Bible and its ability to provide truth for all cultures, all individuals, and all circumstances for all time. I believe the Bible contains God’s Truth rather than the opinion of men. The Bible doesn’t need to be modernized or sanitized. It doesn’t need to be watered down, propped up, or apologized for. It cannot be improved upon. The Bible has been the rock of truth for millions of people for thousands of years. I find comfort knowing that I have the Bible as my guide in dealing with yet another difficult subject. Having the Bible as my guide means I don’t have to come up with my own opinion based on experience, education or what someone told me. Instead we can rely on the Truth of God’s Word.
A short historical perspective is also needed here as a primer to our discussion. The date – March 6, 1857. Just before the Civil War in a pronouncement that would become known as the “dread Scott Decision,” an American court declared that black people were not legal persons. A quote form the courts records states “A slave is the property therefore of his or her owner. A slave can be bought and sold, used and even killed at the owner’s discretion. After all they are his property.” Remember those words.
Eleven years later after the Civil War, in 1868, the people of the United States voted to correct that terribly wicked law by adopting the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. From that point on, legal protection is afforded all living beings. Therefore, the problem of legal protection for all living beings has been guaranteed for all time. Right? Wrong.
A century later on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court rules in Roe vs. Wade that unborn human beings are not legal persons. Therefore the unborn baby is the property of its human owner and thus can be killed at the owner request. Sound familiar?
To some of you this may sound a bit melodramatic. I could add that in the last 34 years since the court’s decision over 40 million babies have been aborted (that we know of) …1.5 million annually…4100 a day…180 an hour…12 since you started reading this blog.
Yet, none of these statistics mean anything if the court ruled correctly back in 1973 from a biblical perspective. If God’s Word agrees with the court’s perspective on unborn babies then anyone who calls himself or herself a follower of Christ must adjust his or her thinking and actions in life to be in line with biblical Truth. If, however, the Truth of the Bible stands in opposition to the law of the land then we are to submit to God’s Truth regardless of man’s perspective, governmental or personal.
So, here’s the question – regardless of what position you take on the issue of abortion, what Biblical defense do you have for your position? Remember – and this is essential – as a Christ-follower our sole guide for word and deed in the Bible. Our opinions, perspectives, likes and dislikes ultimately bow to the eternal Truth of Scripture. So, regardless of what we would choose if we were God, we must alter and mold our words and actions to the truth of God’s Word, not alter God’s Word to fit our opinions.
So, the stage is yours. I’ll be back in a few days to continue my series on this emotionally charged topic. Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
I sincerely appreciated the lively dialogue that our last topic – suicide – created among my readers. Several of you thought a great deal about the issue from a biblical perspective and several others shared their own experiences with the topic. I’m hoping for a similar response to our next subject…abortion.
Before I dive into our new subject though, I want to share my understanding of the Bible and its ability to provide truth for all cultures, all individuals, and all circumstances for all time. I believe the Bible contains God’s Truth rather than the opinion of men. The Bible doesn’t need to be modernized or sanitized. It doesn’t need to be watered down, propped up, or apologized for. It cannot be improved upon. The Bible has been the rock of truth for millions of people for thousands of years. I find comfort knowing that I have the Bible as my guide in dealing with yet another difficult subject. Having the Bible as my guide means I don’t have to come up with my own opinion based on experience, education or what someone told me. Instead we can rely on the Truth of God’s Word.
A short historical perspective is also needed here as a primer to our discussion. The date – March 6, 1857. Just before the Civil War in a pronouncement that would become known as the “dread Scott Decision,” an American court declared that black people were not legal persons. A quote form the courts records states “A slave is the property therefore of his or her owner. A slave can be bought and sold, used and even killed at the owner’s discretion. After all they are his property.” Remember those words.
Eleven years later after the Civil War, in 1868, the people of the United States voted to correct that terribly wicked law by adopting the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments to the Constitution. From that point on, legal protection is afforded all living beings. Therefore, the problem of legal protection for all living beings has been guaranteed for all time. Right? Wrong.
A century later on January 22, 1973, the Supreme Court rules in Roe vs. Wade that unborn human beings are not legal persons. Therefore the unborn baby is the property of its human owner and thus can be killed at the owner request. Sound familiar?
To some of you this may sound a bit melodramatic. I could add that in the last 34 years since the court’s decision over 40 million babies have been aborted (that we know of) …1.5 million annually…4100 a day…180 an hour…12 since you started reading this blog.
Yet, none of these statistics mean anything if the court ruled correctly back in 1973 from a biblical perspective. If God’s Word agrees with the court’s perspective on unborn babies then anyone who calls himself or herself a follower of Christ must adjust his or her thinking and actions in life to be in line with biblical Truth. If, however, the Truth of the Bible stands in opposition to the law of the land then we are to submit to God’s Truth regardless of man’s perspective, governmental or personal.
So, here’s the question – regardless of what position you take on the issue of abortion, what Biblical defense do you have for your position? Remember – and this is essential – as a Christ-follower our sole guide for word and deed in the Bible. Our opinions, perspectives, likes and dislikes ultimately bow to the eternal Truth of Scripture. So, regardless of what we would choose if we were God, we must alter and mold our words and actions to the truth of God’s Word, not alter God’s Word to fit our opinions.
So, the stage is yours. I’ll be back in a few days to continue my series on this emotionally charged topic. Until then…
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Frontline and the Media
All I have to say is…Wow! (That’s not all I have to say…but, well…you know what I mean. Below is the other stuff I have to say.)
I haven’t had ANY time to blog over the past week because we just launched Frontline Arlington, a new campus of Frontline that meets every Monday night in Arlington. You can read about it at the following link – www.frontlinearlington.com.
Most of you know that we just finished a three part blog series on the topic of suicide. Many of you got involved in the discussion and provided some very valuable insight! I hope you will all consider engaging in our next blog series on abortion. I know this topic will be even more challenging for many than the topic of suicide. I’ll begin that blog series Wednesday of this week (2/7).
Today though, I want to make sure every one of you is able to read several articles that have come out in several local papers!
The first article came out on the FRONTPAGE of the Washington Times last Monday, January 29th, 2007! You can read the article by clicking on the following link – Washington Times Article.
The second article came out this morning (2/4) on the FRONTPAGE of the Washington Times. The article is available at the following link – Washington Post Article.
Both articles are relatively even-handed and, most importantly, expose us to more and more young adults in the D.C. area.
I have a suggestion: Send this blog to a few of your friends who you have invited to Frontline in the past and also to others who you’ve been thinking about inviting. This is a great way to get them more information about Frontline Arlington via the link at top. Through the articles they can also get some idea of what we are trying to accomplish in Washington, especially with young adults.
I say it all the time, but I’ll say it again – I’m honored and humbled to be serving along side each one of you in our mission to impact our generation in secular Washington with the message of Jesus!
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
www.frotnlinearlington.com
I haven’t had ANY time to blog over the past week because we just launched Frontline Arlington, a new campus of Frontline that meets every Monday night in Arlington. You can read about it at the following link – www.frontlinearlington.com.
Most of you know that we just finished a three part blog series on the topic of suicide. Many of you got involved in the discussion and provided some very valuable insight! I hope you will all consider engaging in our next blog series on abortion. I know this topic will be even more challenging for many than the topic of suicide. I’ll begin that blog series Wednesday of this week (2/7).
Today though, I want to make sure every one of you is able to read several articles that have come out in several local papers!
The first article came out on the FRONTPAGE of the Washington Times last Monday, January 29th, 2007! You can read the article by clicking on the following link – Washington Times Article.
The second article came out this morning (2/4) on the FRONTPAGE of the Washington Times. The article is available at the following link – Washington Post Article.
Both articles are relatively even-handed and, most importantly, expose us to more and more young adults in the D.C. area.
I have a suggestion: Send this blog to a few of your friends who you have invited to Frontline in the past and also to others who you’ve been thinking about inviting. This is a great way to get them more information about Frontline Arlington via the link at top. Through the articles they can also get some idea of what we are trying to accomplish in Washington, especially with young adults.
I say it all the time, but I’ll say it again – I’m honored and humbled to be serving along side each one of you in our mission to impact our generation in secular Washington with the message of Jesus!
Carpe Deum! (Seize God!)
Todd Phillips
www.toddphillips.net
www.frontline.to
www.frotnlinearlington.com
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