Most Michigan pastors are pro-life in private, but silent in public. They believe abortion is wrong, but do not want to speak divisively on a topic that, as seen in the recent Michigan political battles over abortion jumpstarted by the Dobbs decision, is quite divisive in the state. Their silence on the issue of abortion is understandable, but ultimately needs to change, as abortion is a terrible and prevalent sin that needs church attention.
We at Abolish Abortion Michigan believe that Michigan pastors can preach on the abolition of abortion from the pulpit without turning church into a political rally.
First of all, how could a non-political and non-divisive sermon series focused on the truth of God's Word regarding abortion play out? We have it split up into four sermons that could be tailored to specific churches. This is not meant to be a lecture on what is Biblical truth, but one way you could lay out this truth to a congregation.
Week 1: The Unborn as Image-Bearers
The Bible consistently teaches that unborn children are made in the image of God.
Psalm 139, beginning in verse 13, says we are knit together in the womb. While still in the process of being formed by our Creator, human beings are beings that exist and are known and seen by Him, as we see also in Jeremiah 1.
Luke 1 is another passage you could turn to, which talks of John being conceived and leaping in the womb in the presence of Mary and her unborn child, Jesus, who lived as a fetus.
Lastly, there is Genesis 1, which lays out one of the most foundational truths in all of scripture: that all human beings are made in the image of God. The ideas in these passages, which include Jesus humbling himself to humanity and people being made in God's image, are the baseline for a multitude of Christian applications, including how we treat image-bearers of God.
Week 2: Applying the Sixth Commandment
The second sermon is a perfect time to begin to show a congregation how to apply the message given in the first week, as image-bearing humans have human rights through God's commands.
The main verse is simple: "You shall not murder" from Exodus 20:13 (ESV). There are no exceptions given to this command, so it applies to all human beings, including the unborn.
In verse 22 of the next chapter, there is a prescription given by God on what His people are to do when a pregnant woman is hit, and the punishment given is "life for life" if the baby or mother dies from the hit.
Corroborating this idea that with a command comes a punishment for breaking the command is Genesis 9:6, which says that "whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed." What reason does God give for these prohibitions of murder? The verse tells us: "God made man in his own image."
There is a clear Biblical pattern here: if one murders an image-bearer, that is a sin that should be punished. Our page on criminalization walks through the legal side of this in more depth.
Week 3: The Church's Responsibility to Have a Voice
Proverbs 24:11-12 (ESV) says this, among other things: "Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter."
In Acts 20:26-27, Paul says he is innocent of shed blood because he was bold in his proclamation of the council of God. James 4:17 says that if we know the right thing to do and fail to do it, we have sinned — and Christians know the right thing to do.
The unborn are being killed, and they have no voice. It is the job of the Christian to give them a voice, doing what the Bible calls us to do by attempting to rescue the least among us from slaughter so we can be innocent of the blood that stains the hands of our country.
Week 4: The Gospel for the Post-Abortive
Every great church is gospel-centered, which aligns perfectly with the abolitionist movement in Michigan and around the nation (often in contrast with the pro-life movement). Abortion is sin, and the answer to sin is the gospel.
Isaiah 1:18, Psalm 51, Romans 5:20, and 1 John 1:9 are all great passages that could be looked at on how through Christ's grace our sins can be washed clean.
The blood-stained hands of those who committed the sin of abortion can be made pure by the blood of Christ, just as they are for all Christians who are all sinners saved by grace. This final sermon is a great time to bring the abortion conversation back to the gospel and call church-goers to the action of preaching it in the culture of death.
Calling Congregants to Action
Speaking of calling congregants to action, there are many things they can do to help in the fight against child sacrifice:
- Sign our local petition calling legislators to abolish abortion in Michigan.
- Sign the national Norman Statement, the unifying doctrinal document of the abolitionist movement.
- Adopt an abolitionist resolution as a congregation.
- Stand publicly with abolitionists in Michigan — outside murder mills, at our state capitol in Lansing, and at local farmers markets.
If the pastor signs and stands publicly, leading by example, the congregants will be more willing to follow. Christians are called to be a public witness both as individuals and as a gathered church body.
Answering Common Objections
Church boards and elders may have questions or opposition to bringing these ideas up in church. Below are quick answers to the four objections we hear most often.
Objection 1: "This is Political"
Simply put, the sixth commandment applying to humans being made in God's image is sound Biblical teaching, not political.
Objection 2: "This Will Split the Church"
If simply preaching about ideas that are clearly taught in the Bible splits the church, so be it. A church that loves comfort more than Christ and his commands is, and should be, split unless that changes.
Objection 3: "Our People Aren't Ready"
Feed them. That's what church is for.
Some Christians in the congregation will have heard of abolition already and will be excited to finally have their church on board. Others may not have heard of abolition before but will be easily convinced by the conviction of the Holy Spirit through the preached Word. Some in the congregation truly may not be ready to hear the truth, but it is still the job of a pastor to give it to them.
A church that cannot preach on the hard truths is one in which people are much less likely to change to be more in alignment with God's Word, which is "living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit" (Hebrews 4:12 ESV) and convicts those in the wrong.
Objection 4: "We Don't Want to be the Only Church or Pastors Doing This"
You won't be. The bench of abolition-affirming churches and pastors is growing. There is never a better time to join this urgent Biblical movement than right now.
Ekklesia of Grand Blanc: A Michigan Case Study
Speaking of other churches filling the bench, Ekklesia of Grand Blanc is one church that can act as a case study for other Michigan churches when it comes to proclaiming abolition through the gospel of Christ to the glory of God publicly.
In order to help your church get on board, contact us. We will send you a pastor's toolkit and connect you with another pastor who has already been through the process.
Abortion is the great tragedy of our day — made legal by those who hate life and kept legal by the apathetic. This is not a political issue; it is a Biblical one that needs to unite every Bible-believing Christian in Michigan, and those Christians must go out and proclaim the gospel to the culture of death.
Email the Abolish Abortion Michigan outreach team and lead your church to help us end abortion.
