Abortion: What The Bible Really Says

Abortion: What The Bible Really Says

Abortion is not a gray area. It is not a matter of personal preference or political opinion. It is not a private decision, a medical procedure, or a woman’s right. It is the deliberate termination of human life—a life made in the image of God. No amount of euphemism can change what it is: abortion is murder.

The cultural defense of abortion is propped up by two lies: that the unborn are not fully human, and that what is done in private carries no moral consequence. Scripture dismantles both. From Genesis to Revelation, human life is treated as sacred, not because of developmental milestones, but because every human is made in the image of God—imago Dei. Genesis 1:27 (NLT) says, "So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." The image is not granted at birth; it is not achieved through breath, movement, or cognition. It is inherent. From the womb, we are image-bearers.

Abortion denies that image. It takes the authority of God and places it into the hands of human autonomy. In doing so, it does not merely destroy a body; it rebels against the Creator who gives life and takes it away (Job 1:21).

The Misuse of Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 1 in the Abortion Debate

When discussing abortion, many well-meaning Christians quickly turn to Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 1 as if these passages serve as definitive anti-abortion texts. But while both of these Scriptures affirm that life begins in the womb—and therefore have theological value—they were not written as ethical arguments against abortion. Using them as such oversimplifies the biblical witness and weakens the broader argument for life by relying on texts that don’t say what people think they do.

Let’s examine them carefully and honestly.

Psalm 139:13–16 – A Beautiful Truth, but Not a Policy Statement

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. You saw me before I was born.” (Psalm 139:13–16 NLT)

This is a poetic, worshipful acknowledgment of God's sovereignty in creation. David is marveling at God's involvement in his life—even before birth. It supports the view that life in the womb matters, but it is not a legislative or moral instruction about abortion.

More troublingly, this Psalm is often quoted in isolation—just two chapters later, in Psalm 137, the tone dramatically shifts. There, we read the captives in Babylon expressing their anguish and calling for judgment:

“Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks!” (Psalm 137:9)

This is not a command from God but an emotionally raw imprecation from exiles lamenting their destruction. Still, it shows that we must be careful when treating poetic passages as legal or moral absolutes. If one poetic line is used to create policy, then consistency demands reckoning with the next Psalm too—and few would dare apply Psalm 137:9 literally.

Jeremiah 1:5 – A Calling to Tear Down, Not a Case Against Termination

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

Again, this supports the sanctity and purposefulness of life before birth. God appoints Jeremiah before his delivery. But it’s critical to note what Jeremiah was appointed to do:

“I appoint you to stand up against nations and kingdoms. Some you must uproot and tear down, destroy and overthrow. Others you must build up and plant.” (Jeremiah 1:10)

Jeremiah’s divine calling included destruction—not just nurturing or preserving. The passage affirms pre-birth identity, but it is not about the ethics of abortion. It is a personal commissioning, and ironically, one that includes God-ordained judgment and the end of life.

As we continue to read Jeremiah, we see verses like this:

"So now I am filled with the Lord’s fury. Yes, I am tired of holding it in! “I will pour out my fury on children playing in the streets and on gatherings of young men, on husbands and wives and on those who are old and gray." (Jeremiah 6:11)

Even more jarring: Jeremiah himself prays for the death of his enemies’ children. In Jeremiah 18:21, the prophet—yes, the same one known for being called in the womb—cries out:

“So let their children starve to death. Let them die by the sword. Let their wives become childless widows. Let their old men die in a plague, and let their young men be killed in battle!” (Jeremiah 18:21)

This is not a moral endorsement of killing children but shows the literary and prophetic complexity of Scripture. It’s hypocritical to elevate Jeremiah 1:5 as a definitive “pro-life” slogan while ignoring that Jeremiah himself calls for the slaughter of children in response to treachery.

The Bigger Point: Life Is Sacred—But Don’t Weaponize Poetry

Does the Bible affirm life in the womb? Absolutely. Does it consistently portray unborn life as precious in God’s sight? Without question.

But do Psalm 139 and Jeremiah 1 exist to refute abortion or function as moral legislation? No. And when they are used that way, it invites easy refutation from skeptics who know how to keep reading.

A biblically grounded pro-life ethic must rest on clear, consistent biblical principles—the image of God in man (Genesis 1:27), the command not to kill (Exodus 20:13), the high view of children (Psalm 127:3), and the gospel's defense of the vulnerable (James 1:27). These are better theological foundations than cherry-picked poetic lines.

Let Scripture say what it actually says. Life is sacred. God knits life in the womb. But let us not try to twist verses into something they were never written to be, or we risk undermining the very truth we’re trying to uphold.

A Better Biblical Defense ...

God’s Vocabulary Doesn’t Separate the Unborn from the Born – And His Warnings Are Severe

A powerful, biblically unshakable argument for the personhood of the unborn is found not in vague poetic imagery, but in the precise vocabulary and theological declarations of Scripture—especially in Luke 1. In this chapter, we find the Word of God doing what modern culture refuses to do: calling the unborn child a living person indwelt by God.

“At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Luke 1:41)

The word translated “child” is the Greek noun βρέφος (brephos)—Strong’s G1025. This is not a special word reserved for fetuses. Brephos is used throughout the New Testament to describe infants and young children who are already born:

• Luke 2:12 – “You will find a baby (βρέφος) wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger.”

  
  

• Luke 18:15 – “People were also bringing babies (βρέφη) to Jesus for him to place his hands on them.”

  
  

• 2 Timothy 3:15 – “You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood (ἀπὸ βρέφους).”

  
  

The same term used for the infant Jesus lying in a manger is used for the unborn John the Baptist still in Elizabeth’s womb.

In God’s vocabulary, there is no separation between the unborn and the born. There is no lesser term, no downgrade, no limbo of human potential. There is only human reality—and that reality begins in the womb.

And the evidence doesn’t stop there.

“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.” (Luke 1:15)

This is not metaphor. This is angelic proclamation, spoken by Gabriel—who stands in the very presence of God (Luke 1:19). The unborn John is not merely acknowledged as a person; he is described as being indwelt by the Holy Spirit from the womb.

This truth has theological gravity that cannot be overstated. The Holy Spirit does not inhabit objects or potentials—He indwells persons. The same Spirit who hovered over the waters of creation, who filled the temple, who raised Jesus from the dead, now chooses to fill the womb.

The womb is no longer just a biological space. It is a temple.

And that leads us to a sobering warning from Paul:

“Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”—1 Corinthians 3:16–17

We often apply this passage to adult believers—and rightly so. But when we step back and see that the unborn John was already filled with the Spirit, we must realize: he, too, was a temple of the Living God. The principle remains—God's temple is holy, and those who seek to destroy it are under His judgment.

This isn’t merely poetic or symbolic; it’s spiritual reality. If an unborn child can be filled with the Spirit, then to take that life is not only the destruction of a human being but the desecration of a sacred dwelling. God’s warning is clear: “God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple.”

This isn’t just an argument for life. It’s a divine indictment against violence in a holy place.

To call abortion the “termination of potential” is to lie in the face of Scripture. The unborn child is already named, already indwelt, already known.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

But - again, even that verse, often used in isolation, must be read in full. Jeremiah’s divine appointment was not only for comfort but also for confrontation. In fact, just two chapters later, we hear a terrifying prayer from the same prophet:

“Give their children over to famine. Starve them. Let the sword spill their blood. Let their wives become childless widows. Let their old men die a violent death. Let the young men be killed in battle!” (Jeremiah 18:21)

This is not an argument for violence—it’s an argument for context. These texts are not blanket affirmations that “life in the womb means you can’t ever end it.” Rather, they demonstrate that God alone has the authority to give and take life. He may appoint a prophet from the womb—and He may bring judgment upon generations, including their children. But that right is His alone.

Psalm 139 is another commonly cited passage:

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb.” (Psalm 139:13)

Yet just two psalms earlier, the captives in Babylon sing:

“Happy is the one who takes your babies and smashes them against the rocks!” (Psalm 137:9)

Again, context matters. The same collection of psalms that poetically affirms life in the womb also includes cries of vengeance against enemy children. Does this justify such acts? Absolutely not. But it reveals the flawed thinking of cherry-picking verses without understanding their purpose, emotion, or covenant context.

In contrast, Luke 1 gives us something else entirely: not just poetic expression or vengeance wrapped in song—but doctrine rooted in historical reality. A Spirit-filled child leaps in the womb. The word used for that child is the same used for born infants. The presence of God is there. And the Word of God calls it holy.

The conclusion is inescapable: The womb is sacred ground.

And for those who violate it through abortion, who destroy the Spirit’s temple, who raise their hands against what God Himself has filled—Paul’s warning in 1 Corinthians 3 must ring in our ears like thunder:

“God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple.”

Let the fear of God fall on us again.

Scripture does not remain neutral. The Sixth Commandment declares, “You must not murder” (Exodus 20:13). The Hebrew verb רָצַח (ratsach, Strong’s H7523) covers the unlawful taking of innocent life, and it applies perfectly to abortion. There is no defense in God’s law for taking the life of the voiceless to preserve the convenience of the powerful.

The New Testament reinforces this ethic. Jesus affirmed the enduring moral foundation of the law (Matthew 5:17–19), and Paul warned that among the worst traits of depraved societies is that they are “heartless, and have no mercy” (Romans 1:31). The LEB (Lexham English Bible) translates this as “without natural affection,” which early Christians understood as a reference to those who would abandon or destroy their own children.

Abortion is not a new evil. Ancient pagan cultures regularly practiced infanticide and child exposure, often as acts of ritual or convenience. The early Church stood in stark contrast.

The Didache, a first-century Christian manual, states plainly: “You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born.” Tertullian, an early Christian apologist, wrote: “To prevent birth is anticipated murder; it makes no difference whether one destroys a life already born or one in the process of coming to birth.”

The modern world masks this same evil in clinical terms. Abortion clinics are sanitized temples of bloodshed, and the language surrounding them is deliberately deceptive. “Reproductive health” is not a license to kill. “Bodily autonomy” ends when it imposes death on another body. And “my choice” stops being moral the moment it demands someone else’s execution.

Yet even here—at the edge of the horror—there is hope. The gospel does not ignore this sin, but neither does it leave the sinner without mercy. Abortion is murder. But it is not unpardonable. Jesus Christ died for murderers. The same cross that crushed the weight of all human sin can crush this one, too. For the woman who has aborted, the man who encouraged it, the doctor who performed it, and the society that applauded it—there is only one escape: repentance and faith in the blood of Jesus.

Do not minimize it. Do not excuse it. Do not redefine it. But know this: if you turn to Christ, He will forgive it. The hands that made that child are the same hands that were pierced for your redemption. And His grace is still enough.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New Living Translation (NLT). Romans 1:31 is quoted from the Lexham English Bible (LEB).