Message to Abortion Rights Proponents

Next Part Angels Do Not Share in Mankind’s Destiny

All of this introduces a vitally-important inset about abortion that is directly related to the last point. It is one that carries a crucial spiritual parallel entirely lost on “abortion rights” activists. We have seen that God considers His children to be sons beginning at the BEGETTAL STAGE—in other words, when they are spiritual embryos. Many passages show, and we just read one from Ephesians, that He is very protective of His children all the way through the spiritual “gestation” period—the lifelong process of Christian conversion.

By analogy, and I repeat some of this for emphasis because it is so important, God’s ministry feeds (John 21:15-17), edifies and perfects (Eph. 4:12), and protects (John 10:12-13) God’s begotten sons.

While these “activists” are focused only on the mother’s rights, God is concerned about the rights of every one of His children (I Tim. 2:4; II Pet. 3:9). Since we saw that God describes the Church as Mother to all of His children within it, certainly none would suggest that this Mother would ever murder within her womb even one of God’s begotten children!

(Others of my books such as The Awesome Potential of Man, make understanding the process of growth toward the new, second birth at the resurrection and Return of Jesus Christ much more plain than is our purpose here.)

Little wonder, then, that Satan hides, distorts and perverts the true meaning of human sexuality. The devil is well aware that the process of human reproduction parallels—and thus reveals to the discerning—God’s Plan of Salvation. The “god of this world” has done a masterful job of perverting the purpose of sex, and with it any clear picture of how God is reproducing Himself through human beings. Therefore, to see clearly through Satan’s deception, one must deeply desire for God to help him see the beauty and clarity—and the excitement!—of the truth.

Sex—Central to Roles in Family Life

Until recently, many educators, religionists and even some evolutionists have traditionally believed and taught that the purpose of human sex is exclusively for reproduction. More recently, educators and various other psychologists and so-called experts have played a role in the now wild freedom of sexual expression by teaching that there are no moral absolutes. Thus, the world has remained ignorant of the glorious purposes that our Creator intended for sex, which are vastly beyond mere reproduction or continuance of the human race.

It must be stated again that the foundation of all knowledge is the Word of God. Though the Bible does not represent the totality of all knowledge, it does contain and reveal crucial spiritual principles—facts—truths—absolutes!—that man could not otherwise acquire on his own through investigation and research.

Through misguided precepts gained from ancient religions, philosophers and stoics, theologians came to assign marriage to a level far below that of celibacy—permanent abstinence from sex—which was seen to be much more pure than the pursuit of any kind of pleasure. While influential leaders in education and religion have remained oblivious to the God-intended origin and purpose of sex, I repeat, the Bible reveals on this subject what man cannot discover on his own.

After reproduction, the second purpose revealed for human sex is that of marriage. God ordained the marriage relationship from man’s creation. Recall that we saw: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).

Jesus Christ, the God of the Old Testament (I Cor. 10:4) who had instructed Adam and Eve, taught straight from the Genesis record: “But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they two shall be one flesh: so then they are no more two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder” (Mark 10:6-9).

It has been the Puritan-like repressive beliefs of the past that taught that the only purpose for sex is reproduction. But if this belief were true, then marriage would be unnecessary. Human beings are certainly capable of reproducing themselves without getting married—and up to 60 percent in some inner cities are doing this now. Of course, animals have done this from the beginning.

Animals function almost entirely on instinct, and do not require, nor can they receive, moral or spiritual training. For example, animal parents do not have to teach their offspring how to walk. They also do not need to be taught about sex. Animals can function by instinct mostly on their own or with minimal help from the mother.

By contrast, a human baby is born entirely helpless. He generally requires about a year or more to learn to walk. He will need close care and guidance from both parents in a stable home environment so that he can mature and be instructed. It was once more clearly understood that only marriage provides this.

We have touched on the fact that God is a Family, and, through man, He is producing His “own kind”—sons made in His image. Since man has the potential of being born into the Family of God, human family life is intended to shape man and prepare him for his ultimate destiny.

But how?

Attaining godly character is critical to qualifying for being born into the kingdom of God and inheriting eternal life. Here is how Herbert W. Armstrong, in his book The Incredible Human Potential, described the development of righteous spiritual character:

“What is perfect character? It is the ability, in a separate entity with free moral agency, to come to the knowledge of the right from the wrong—the true from the false—and to choose the right, and possess the will to enforce self-discipline to do the right and resist the wrong” (p. 138).

He continued on this theme in the following chapter: “Holy and righteous character is something that cannot be created in a person instantaneously by fiat. It must be developed in an independent entity through a process in which one comes to recognize the right way from the wrong, to choose the right and reject the wrong even against self-desire” (p. 148).

With so much at stake, it is crucial that every human being be reared by parents who lovingly and consistently train their children. Such a background of warmth and protection provides developing children with stability and balance, and prepares them to face life’s difficulties, and to be ready for a loving marital relationship themselves. Such an atmosphere of love and support requires a secure family relationship—and this begins with and flows from the God-ordained marriage covenant between man and wife.

The educated of this world—having accepted the theory of evolution—simply do not and cannot comprehend man’s ultimate destiny. They are necessarily unaware of the origin of the institution of marriage and why it serves as a foundation for the family unit. They are oblivious to God’s ordained purpose for the family—that it was designed to nurture and rear children into becoming balanced human beings, preparing them to realize their fullest potential. And, because the minds of “scholars” and “experts” lack this revealed knowledge, many are left unable to cope with the pressures of life. They see no transcendent purpose for the trials, difficulties and challenges so common to the human existence.