Daily Christian Journey

The Bible and Abortion: Understanding the Silence

Abortion-choice advocates often argue that the Bible is silent on abortion, and therefore, it should not be considered a moral issue. However, this argument is based on a flawed premise. Just because the Bible does not explicitly condemn abortion does not mean it condones it.

The Hebrew Worldview

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew people saw children as a gift from God, the highest possible blessing. The shedding of innocent blood was strictly forbidden. This worldview is evident in passages such as Genesis 1:26, 9:6, Exodus 23:7, and Proverbs 6:16-17. Given this context, it is unlikely that the Hebrew people would have considered abortion as an option.

The New Testament

The New Testament authors were largely Jewish Christians who shared the same moral values as their Hebrew forebears. Early Jewish documents, such as the Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides, the Sibylline Oracles, and First Enoch, condemn abortion unequivocally. This suggests that the early Christians also opposed abortion.

Theological Considerations

Theology of the New Testament is primarily task theology, written to address specific issues in specific churches. The silence on abortion in the New Testament does not imply approval, but rather that a discussion of the issue was unnecessary. The early Christians were not tempted to kill their children before or after birth, unlike the surrounding pagan cultures.

Philosophical Considerations

The argument that the Bible’s silence on abortion implies approval is based on a flawed premise. The Bible does not explicitly condemn many things, including racial discrimination and lynching, yet we know these acts are morally wrong by inference. Similarly, if embryos and fetuses are human beings, commands that forbid the unjust taking of human life apply to them as well.

Conclusion

The exegetical and philosophical considerations examined here show that the theological case for elective abortion is seriously flawed. Nothing in the Hebrew culture of the Old Testament supports the practice, and given the consensus against abortion by early Jewish Christians, there is no reason to suppose that the New Testament authors approved of it either.