Despite a month long head start in believing/hoping that Roe v. Wade was about to be overturned, it remains a daily shock to wake up to this new world. As others have wisely said, this is not the end, not even the beginning of the end, but maybe the end of the beginning. So what are some things we should be doing in light of this change?
1. Repenting. No matter how diligent we may have been, we all have much to repent for. We allowed this law to stand for nearly 50 years. We became content, at ease with the murder of the unborn. One out of six of those over 60,000,000 million dead babies began life in the womb of a professing evangelical. The church of Jesus Christ has the blood of 10,000,000 of our own babies on our hands.
2. Giving thanks. Our repentance doesn’t preclude our joy over this change. That joy, however, must be grounded in gratitude rather than pride. This deliverance is God’s doing. Of course all things are God’s doing, but sometimes He makes it more obvious. That He would use a crass, self-interested, crude man, President Trump, and a spineless, oily lickspittle, Mitch McConnell, to get this done ought to make it clear that we are not the heroes of the story. God is always worthy to be praised.
3. Getting to work. We allowed this Roe v. Wade monstrosity to stay in place for nearly fifty years because we were content. Those states with trigger laws already in place (who previously passed legislation outlawing abortion in the event that Roe v. Wade was overturned) are ahead of the game, but can easily and quickly fall behind. Those states that can outlaw abortion must do so today. Those where abortion will continue, albeit without federal protection, are where we must labor most diligently. It is all too easy to let the blue states alone in their folly. Which means it is all too easy to forget that it is the babies who are the victims.
4. Loving children. I have long argued that the heathen will not murder their children when believers start believing children are a blessing from the Lord (Psalm 127). There is a great gap between poisoning or barricading a womb to try to keep it empty and murdering a baby that is already there. There is, however, overlap. In both instances the parents do not want a baby. Believers, like our neighbors, are prone to worship convenience, even if we’re not willing to sacrifice babies to it.
5. Believing and proclaiming the gospel. While we are engaged in a spiritual war with the forces of death, we remember that every one of us once served in that evil army. We were “defeated” by our Enemy who died for us. Our calling is to love our enemies enough to tell them of His great work for us. We are not better than the baby killers. We are beggars telling other beggars where to find bread.
As is always the case, these five callings were our calling before Roe was overturned, while Roe was in force and before Roe was ruled. They are our calling at all times and in all places. May we be found faithful.