One thing that Christians do wrong is taking Biblical stories, verses, etc. out of context. There are some stories of gruesome things in the Bible, but many miss an important factor: Jesus. Many of the cases involving murder in the Bible were a result of breaking the Jewish Law, which if you know anything about is pretty ridiculous. As a result of breaking the law, they were often stoned or killed because of their sin. When Jesus came, He made it known that no one could fulfill this list of rules.
People often look at the Bible and these horrible stories but ignore the New Testament. When Jesus came, He fulfilled the Law, meaning He lived a perfect life without sin and died so that we would be free. Read Colossians 2:13-14.
So where does the Bible stand on pro-life? I believe God is pro-life, pro-all-life. In John 8:1-11, some religious folk wanted to stone a woman for adultery, just like in Numbers 5. But Jesus does something different. “… He straightened up, and said to them [the religious leaders], ‘He who is without sin among you, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.'” After the leaders dropped their stones, Jesus told the women He does not condemn her and He set her free. Jesus was constantly in the business of saving lives, healing the sick, and hanging out with the all-around bad people.
If Jesus were here physically today, I believe He would be hanging out at G-Hill and not church. He would be dining with the promiscuous and thieves. He would be loving and forgiving the woman who aborted rather than holding a protest sign. I believe Jesus believes in the sanctity of life and also forgives those who have chosen to take life. That is how good God is. He just loves people and forgives them.
I can’t argue if God was pro-life by arguing against His allowance of murder. But with the coming of the New Testament came a new way of living, of understanding there is forgiveness and purpose for every single human. This is by the love and grace of a God who died for the wrongdoing of every human on the planet. This is the God I hang my hat on.
I want to live my life like Jesus. That means valuing all life. Yes, many Christians will fight against abortion but neglect oppressed humankind. This is not okay. As a believer in a God who values justice and mercy, it is essential for me to see the value in everyone. But Christians aren’t perfect. While many claim to be, we aren’t, we are just as broken and hurting like all of humankind. But for me, I recognize and believe in a God named Jesus who was the most selfless, loving, forgiving, grace-filled person that has lived. If I claim being a Christian, I have a responsibility to live like Christ.
Ephesians 1:3-12
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I need some clarification here. The argument appears to be that the OT is essentially irrelevant because Jesus comes, but I have a lot of questions. First off it doesn’t address that these horrifically violent acts that were orchestrated by God happened in the first place. Whether it be God demanding the genocides of an entire people (the Midianites, the Benjaminites) or simply sending bears to maul children to death, God still did these horrid things. And the bible frequently described God as constant (ex. Malachi 3:6) so the God killing children is the same God of today.
Also Jesus said a lot of things to directly contradict this idea of OT laws becoming irrelevant with his death. The most glaring example is Matthew 5:17 “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” Literally said the law is not to be destroyed. He even later chastises the Jews for not killing their disobedient children in Mark 7, because the OT law demands it.
Basically I have these questions and would love an academic and theological response. I honestly have trouble with the first point, why these horrific things had to happen in the first place.