Against Pro-life Abolitionism - part 1

In politics, the main goal is to propose policy that will pass, that is as close to your worldview as possible.

In theology, the goal is to articulate as biblical a worldview as possible.

Both of these are good stewardship of differing vocations.

But they sometimes don’t play well together.

 

Theonomists want there to be a single goal, same in politics and theology, but that’s absurd.  Do lawyers and doctors have the exact same calling, besides the generic, “to help people”?

 

I’m not advocating for a radical division between the two kingdoms (R2K).  It’s not theonomy or R2K.  There are different spheres of activity with differing specific aims (Kuyper).

 

Say no to pro-life abolitionism.  They are currently fighting against and defeating pro-life bills that would outlaw SOME abortions, just because they don’t outlaw ALL abortions.

Their zeal to call for repentance directly in political life is admirable, but then you have to do the work of making a law with many in the room who do not repent.  Do we just take our ball and go home and leave them to write their ungodly rules for us, or work to get our nation as close to godliness as we can?  Are we anabaptists, now, who drop out of society when they don’t meet God’s standards rigorously enough for us?

 

Should I not go to work tomorrow because I know I’m not going to do my job perfectly?

 

Perfectionism in theological sanctification wreaks all kinds of carnage on people.

Abolitionist perfectionism will do the same.

 

Working for the possible politically is not compromise, but courage.  It’s actual engagement with the culture, instead of demanding all or nothing like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

 

Abolitionists overly confuse the theological and political.  Of course we want to apply God’s truth to the public square.  But we don’t quit and work against people and legislators accepting SOME of it, if they refuse to accept ALL of it.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 50

Joseph cares closely for the body of his dead father.  He embalms and buries him, which is more fitting with the hope of resurrection than cremation.

Unlike a few chapters later in the Bible, Pharaoh lets Israel go "to worship and come back."  Absent the slavery of Exodus, Israel is willing to leave their children and property in Egypt, and PLANS to come back.  Nothing in Egypt is preventing them from serving God there, at this point.

A highlight of Genesis is 50:15-21.  Joseph's brothers, still racked with guilt, fear him, and even tell a lie (probably) to get him to not prosecute and kill them, as Joseph now could.  Joseph's response is not to blame them for the lie, and hold their sin against him over them.  He truly forgives them.  He knows it is not his place to judge and condemn, even though he is prince of Egypt - that is God's place (vs 19).

Instead, he tells them twice not to fear.  He mentions their real sin against him briefly, but calls them to focus on God's providence and kindness, even in their sin.  They now have a place to survive.

Genesis ends with the death of the patriarch of the line of promise.  As the whole Old Testament, this propels us forward to ask, "What is God going to do about it, to keep His promises?"  Resurrection is coming...

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 49

I never noticed that Jacob at the end of his life overcame the favoritism he showed early on.  His blessing of his 12 sons is a just analysis of them, which is a true blessing from God.  When He shows us who we really are, it is a blessing.  He knows us better than ourselves.  Sometimes other people play God and condemn us wrongly.  But sometimes God speaks through their words to help us see ourselves.  Jacob does this for the 12 tribes of Israel, here in Genesis 49.

This is often overlooked as we hone in on the Messianic prophecy of Judah, which is certainly a highlight in redemptive history (vss 8-10). But Scripture is so rich, we should not ignore its other truths.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 48

Verse 15: "the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day..."

Jacob did a lot of bad things in his life.  Tricking his brother out of the inheritance.  Favoring one son over the others.  At the end of his life, he acknowledged God was his shepherd through all his faults.

God did not reject Jacob.  He is a God of grace.  "Who is a pardoning God like Thee?" (Micah 7:18).

Can we learn from Jacob's faults?  Certainly.  Did God bring no consequences upon Jacob for his sins?  He certainly did.  But in the end, he was a child of the covenant whom I fully expect to talk with in glory, about his life.  And that will glorify the mercy and justice of God.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 44 - Judah's Intercession

Joseph's brothers have learned their lesson.  Instead of selling a favored younger brother (Joseph) into slavery, they ALL go to Egypt to plead for Benjamin's freedom (vs 13).

I never noticed that in Judah's long speech, he offers himself in place of Benjamin.

This is what Jesus did for us.

In one way, He was the favored younger brother Joseph that Israel was supposed to defend and bow down to.  Instead, they hated and sought to kill Him.

In another way, He is our older brother Judah, and we are Benjamin.  He intercedes for us in our guilt, and spares our lives.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 42-43 - Joseph with His Brothers

Unresolved guilt and conflict will really mess you up.

The brothers know their guilt against Joseph and that God is bringing consequences on them for it (Gen 42:21).  But they can't resolve it, thinking Joseph is dead.  They never refer to God, though Joseph does (Gen 42:18).  God-fearers can resolve their guilt.  Those who forsake Him cannot.  The brothers show this twice.  All they see is a reckoning of judgment (Gen 42:22) and death (Gen 43:37).

Joseph is very suspicious of his brothers' intent.  Whether he means to do it on purpose or not, he treats them harshly.  This is a common response to those who have treated us badly.
Time may not heal all wounds, but it can bring a more sober judgment.  Joseph seems to propose a poetic-justice-type plan after 3 days.

Jacob is the most tragic.  A major downside to unresolved guilt and conflict is the strong tendency to blame and despair, and Jacob does this in spades (Gen 42:36).  He thinks a wild animal mauled Joseph to death, but (wrongly in his intent) blames his sons for it, though it is the literal truth.

It takes Judah's intercession to resolve the situation.  He convinces Jacob to give up his only beloved son to go to wicked sinners to redeem them all.

In these situations we try to patch things up ourselves, instead of trusting God's grace.  Jacob sends as much money and wealth as he can, hoping that will earn Egypt's mercy, when Joseph won't be much interested in that at all (Gen 43:11-14).  When Joseph sets a table of fellowship for them, the brothers stay focused on making sure they've paid him what they owe, as if they ever could (Gen 43:16-25).  They are afraid of him, another result of unresolved guilt.
Joseph serves Benjamin 5 times what the others get.  He is testing them.  Often the best way to determine if one recognizes their guilt in the past, is to see if they act differently in a similar situation now.  The brothers seem to pass this test, so Joseph will next force them to protect Benjamin, interceding for him, instead of the opposite they did to him.

Will we sacrifice our own reputation, wealth, and lives to defend the honor of the favored Son?  Or will we seek to kill Him out of envy and for our own self-advancement, as happened at the cross of Jesus?  

Refusing to take your guilt to God will lead you to destructive and sinful thoughts and actions against Him.  Acknowledging the guilt brings peace and restored harmony between God and man (Psalm 32:1-7).

Things I Never Noticed before in the Bible - Genesis 37-38 - Joseph, Judah, and Jacob's Family

I never noticed that because Jacob gives Joseph a fancy robe, Reuben and Jacob wind up tearing their robes in grief at the bitter envy it causes among the brothers.

When siblings are set against each other, it deeply grieves their parents.  Sometimes the parents are partial causes of the rivalry for their own faults, but the siblings are mainly responsible to stay and get on good terms with their siblings again.

The 10 brothers show their wickedness, willing to kill Joseph in the pit.  Reuben tries to spare him, as the oldest brother.  Judah in chapter 38 is connected to this - I always read it as a separate interlude.  But we see that even the brother chosen to bring forth the Messiah was deeply immoral and hypocritical.  God will use this deeply sinful family to accomplish His purposes in the long run.

None of this justifies their sin, but God's grace is greater than our sin.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 33 - Jacob Meets Esau

Jacob gives us a good example of how to relate to unbelieving family members.

When he meets Esau, he is polite.  Deferential, even.  He is generous, seeking Esau's favor.  But he settles apart from Esau.

God's people need to remember that (baptism) water is thicker than blood.  Jesus came to separate sister from brother, father from daughter.  It is a hard providence, but when a family member doesn't follow Jesus with you, a significant bond is lost.  Christians are often tempted to compromise God's truth to regain an unbelieving family member's favor.  We see this often with prominent leaders whose children go same-sex or trans, and they support them, instead of standing for God's truth.

Note, though, that Jacob doesn't refuse to have ANYTHING to do with Esau.  He patches things up as best he can.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 32

Jacob does not wrestle with God as a morally pure man.

He deceived Esau, his older brother, decades ago, and still feels guilty about it.  He fears him (Gen 32:11), and leans into God's promise to bless him (Gen 32:12).  He has been in exile with Laban, tricking the trickster to stay afloat financially.

What I never noticed is that the blessing Jacob seeks as he wrestles with God is very specific.  He doesn't want some generic blessing from God (Gen 32:26) - he wants protection from Esau.  And he gets it.

Many of us have people who loom large in our life as a threat.  A harsh father.  A school bully.  A bad church experience.  A less than loving husband.  This was Esau, for Jacob.

Our calling is to wrestle with God, and seek His blessing to preserve us, even if we were guilty in the past.  To claim His promises for blessing, and not disengage from Him, dispirited from those threats He allowed in our lives.  We continue seeking His face (Psalm 27:4, 7-10).

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 31

Here, Jacob leaves Laban without telling him, with God's approval.

Laban has treated Jacob unfairly for 20 years.  Sometimes the best you can do when treated unfairly and they do not admit fault, is show them their fault (Matthew 18:15) and depart indefinitely and as amicably as possible.  Appealing to God as you do so.  Jacob does this, preserving his family and estate as best he can.

God gives us these times to test and grow our faith in Him (Hebrews 12:3-11).  We are tempted to grow bitter against God (Heb. 12:15), but should instead focus on God's promises to us, and remind our family of them (Gen 31:13).

Psalm 13 was an excellent supplemental reading this morning.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Acts 7

 The point of Stephen's long speech to the Sanhedrin is clear:

God's promise to save and take Israel as His people doesn't rest on them occupying the land of Israel.  He justified Abraham before he was ever there or possessed it.  Our salvation rests on trusting in God's deliverer.  This was Moses at the time of Passover.  Israel rejected him, but God saved His people anyway.  Likewise, Israel rejected Jesus, but God saved His people through Jesus, anyway.

Don't trust in land, military, political power, or other earthly things.  Trust God alone to deliver you from your sins and from all our cultural problems.  He may use the former things, but do not trust in them.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 27

Isaac was misled by his senses to seek to bless the wrong son.

God had said Jacob would be the child of promise (Gen 25:23), but Isaac loved Esau more.  

Why?

Because Esau brought him food "such as he loved."  Chapter 27 says this at least 3 times.

Hunting is a thrill, and eating what you killed is a primal satisfaction (Gen 25:27-28).  It isn't wrong in itself (Gen 9:3), but leads Isaac astray.

He smells Esau's clothes and is convinced Jacob is Esau (Gen 27:27).

Our senses can easily mislead us to live and act contrary to God's covenant promises and boundaries.  Taste, smell, touch (Gen 27:21).  These are great blessings in themselves, part of God's gift in our bodies.  But our inordinate pursuit of them causes much trouble.

The revival of a masculine Christianity is generally a good thing, but being stereotypically masculine does not itself make one godly.  Jacob was more "effeminate" than Esau, but remained the child of promise, while masculine Esau flouted God's ways and devalued His blessings.  My denomination deliberately seeks to cultivate godly masculinity - a good thing.  But I've had young men ask me if I'd be welcome in our church, since they're not big on hunting, beards, guns, and other "macho" things.  Manly men are put off by much of the effeminate church today.  It ain't easy to shape a godly family/church culture that incarnates the truth that men and women are different, while also making room for different expressions of what it means to be a man and a woman.

Meanwhile, Rebekah has to scheme to get Jacob the blessing, and to get him a non-Philistine wife.  Jacob has to leave home, exiled for a time, the deceiver deceived by Laban...

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 25-26

From the beginning, God has called His people to live among unbelievers, but to avoid becoming like them.  There are some places we should not settle in, like Egypt (vs 2).  But God specifically tells Isaac to settle among the Philistines.  Jesus later prays that His disciples remain in the world, but as they are not of the world, that they would remain and be sanctified (John 17:14-16).

Isaac makes the same mistake his father did, lying about his wife to protect her, and is found out.  God's covenant people are perpetually tempted to cross ethical lines to protect themselves from the ungodly.  Or to try to advance God's agenda in ways of which He disapproves.  We tend to become like the world we are living in, and need to fight against it constantly.

It is God's plan for His people in the world both to prosper, and to be treated unfairly by the Philistines, as Isaac is (Gen 26:17-21).  We can work against such injustice, as Isaac does, but should not rail against God's providence.

Chapter 26 ends with another warning how not to live in the world: do not marry unbelievers, as Esau did (vs 34-35).  This will bring great distress, however tempting it may be in the present moment.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 24

For a man to be fully flourishing and fruitful, he needs a wife.

So God gave Eve to Adam in the garden.
He gave Rebekah to Isaac in Genesis 24.
He gave the church to Jesus, Abraham's true Seed.

But it takes a lot of work to take and have a wife, as Genesis 24 shows.
It is the longest and central chapter in all of Genesis, showing its significance.

It takes clear boundaries on the process - where to find a good wife, and where to avoid (Gen 24:1-9).
It takes searching far and wide.  It takes God's providence, beyond a man's control (Gen 24:10-21).
It takes a great deal of expense, and willingness on both sides (and their families) to be generous with their time and treasure (Gen 24:22-33).
It takes a great deal of communication, repeated (Gen 24:34-49).
It takes a woman willing to venture forth into an unknown future, with an unknown man (Gen 24:50-61).
It takes a man of prayer (Gen 24:63) and a woman of modesty (Gen 24:65), each willing to give themselves fully to each other (vs 67).

She is beautiful, willing to serve, hospitable.  He is waiting on God's timing and plan to provide him a wife.  They are both willing to follow their parents' counsel, as it aligns with God's wisdom, even when it seems there may be ulterior motives at play (Gen 24:30).

This is a glorious story, and it summarizes redemptive history.  God plans for us to love and to be loved by another.  Acting in accord with this plan brings us great blessing and joy.

Some on the right today are advocating for getting married as a political tactic, to strengthen the culture.  I find this a bit off-putting, as the purpose of marriage is far more central than this.  It reflects God's grand plan to give His Son a bride for all eternity (Rev 21:2).  But it is a cultural benefit, the more good marriages are established.

Things I Never Noticed in the Bible - Genesis 22

There's a ton of typology packed into this chapter.

Isaac is the sacrifice that's missing, going up the mountain.
Abraham does not withhold his only son, as God does not, later, at the cross.

God provides a substitute sacrifice to spare his boy.

What I never noticed is how this is often a pattern for our own lives.
God sometimes calls us to a path that looks to us like only sacrifice, denial, and the death of our hopes.  But He takes us there to show that resurrection and new life, the keeping of His promises, is part of His plan.

God often tests our faith through the difficult circumstances of our lives, but He means to strengthen, preserve, and redeem us in the end.