February 24, 2005

Download Broken Walls

Christians say it too. “I’m personally opposed to abortion, but …” A lack of understanding of what abortion is and what abortion does leads to such thinking. One of the reasons for the lack of understanding is that many in the Church whitewash the truth about abortion. Some do it actively and whitewash abortion with religiously nice sounding words. Others do it passively and whitewash abortion with religious silence.

God’s people have been led astray by whitewashing before. “Because they lead my people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when a flimsy wall is built, they cover it with whitewash” (Ezekiel 13:10).

Nebuchadnezzar was about to lay siege to Jerusalem. But God’s prophets did not want to face this terrible reality. They refrained from sharing a message they knew the people would not like to hear. So they would “prophesy out of their own imagination” (13:2) and “follow their own spirit” (13:3). They backed up their pleasant words by avoiding unpleasant action. “You have not gone up to the breaks in the wall to repair it” (13:5). These prophets were in effect saying, “All is well. Our defenses are fine. There is nothing to worry about. Let’s talk about something pleasant.”

But all was not well. The results of the whitewashing were deadly. “By lying to my people, who listen to lies, you have killed those who should not have died” (13:19). Because of their lies the righteous were “disheartened” and the wicked were “encouraged” (13:22).

All is not well around the walls of God’s Church today. Abortion is more than a medical procedure with which we might have some problems under certain situations. Abortion is a great evil that lays siege to and attacks the very heart of the God-given value of human life. It attacks God’s authorship of life. Abortion destroys and kills with great frequency, for the most fickle of reasons, and in horrifying ways. Abortion leaves in its battlefield the comfortless cries of those wounded by the choice they made.

For the Church and the leaders of the Church to whitewash this cruelty by calling it “good” is a blasphemous evil. For the Church and the leaders of the Church to whitewash this cruelty by ignoring its implications and fearing the consequences of dealing with its realities is an alarming display of faithlessness. Whitewashing abortion leads to the death of “those who should not have died.” Whitewashing abortion leads to the wicked being “encouraged.” Whitewashing abortion leads the righteous—those Christians struggling in despair with an abortion decision—to be “disheartened.” They never hear the cleansing blood of Jesus applied to their sin.

Abortion is more than a controversial social issue. Abortion is a great evil. Abortion is laying siege to and attacking God and His Church. But, as with all such attacks, abortion provides opportunity for great faithfulness. Abortion provides opportunities to go “up to the breaks in the wall to repair it. Abortion provides opportunities to share the truth about the God-given value of life. Abortion provides opportunity to proclaim a “peace” that the world cannot have or understand. It is peace with God through Jesus Christ. This peace reigns even in the midst of difficulties. This peace motivates making good choices. This peace comforts when bad choices have been made.

God’s assurance to the besieged people of Jerusalem is the same assurance His people have today, “I will save my people” (13:23). We do not have to turn to death. We have a living Savior. We do not have to turn to despair. We have a living Savior. There is only one “whitewashing” we need be involved in. “These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (Revelation 7:14).