“Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for God made man in his own image. And you, be fruitful and multiply, teem on the earth and multiply in it.” (Gen. 9:6-7)

Well, I have to say “Happy Tuesday” to you all. I wrote something Sunday night, but when I got up yesterday, I decided I didn’t like it. Since I didn’t have a chance to write another yesterday, we’ll start anew today. And for all of you who are still in the “work-a-day” world, today feels like a Monday anyway. So “Happy Monday” to you all.

After God saved Noah and his family, he reaffirmed a commandment given to Adam and Eve in the Garden. But this time, it comes with a dire warning attached. You have to immediately ask, “What changed?” Of course we know the answer to that. It is the reason that Noah and his family had to be saved. Sin entered the world, and sin brought not only rebellion against God, but enmity between human beings. What else could account for the firstborn son of Adam killing the second born son?

So now, a warning against the shedding of blood. And God will make this explicit when he gives the 10 Commandments: “You shall not murder.”

That leads me to the reason for this week’s email. This Sunday we will hear from Melissa Gordon from Pregnancy Solutions. Just as our mission must include taking the gospel message to the world, it must also include the defense of the defenseless. Supporting a crisis pregnancy center is not just some mercy ministry that we tack on to the real work of the church. This is the real work.

Since abortion was legalized in 1973, over 57 million babies have been brutally murdered in OUR nation. And here is the thing – the reason there is a sixth commandment is because the human heart is exceedingly wicked. It has been that way since our first parents fell in sin. And now, we not only have murder on a massive scale, but we bless it with our legal system.

And the reason that this is a mission of the church is because the positive aspect of the law is only desired after the heart has been changed through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Should we desire to have abortion banned legally? Of course. But there were abortions before Roe v. Wade, and there will be after it is removed. The real answer is to meet young men and women in these moments of crisis and offer them the hope of the gospel. That is exactly what Pregnancy Solutions does. So I hope that many of you will come to Sunday school this week to hear about what God is doing through this ministry.

We must choose life: for ourselves and for those who cannot do it themselves, “for God made man in his own image.” Every single one!

Grace and peace to you all,

David