This is an edited transcript of a sermon preached at Union Church on Sunday, Mark 12:28-34.

The words of Mark 12:28-34 resonate across centuries: love God with all your being and love your neighbor as yourself. Today, we delve into what this command means when applied to one of the most profound moral issues of our era: abortion.

As a pastor, I find controversy uncomfortable—it’s rarely pleasant. Yet, there are moments when faithfulness to God and to you, my church, requires your pastors to engage in difficult conversations. This is such a moment, as we explore what it means to love our unborn neighbors.

The Call to Faithful Leadership

Pastors often fall into two extremes: some are perpetually entangled in disputes, thriving on conflict, while others shy away from any confrontation. Neither approach serves God or his people. A pastor who seeks fights brings unneeded disrepute on God and harm to the flock. The pastor who avoids all battles fails to shield them from wolves or dangerous ideas. Pastors are called to reflect God’s character, be gentle with the sheep, and resolute against threats to truth. Today, I am intentionally setting aside my natural inclination to avoid conflict for the love of God, the church, and neighbor.

You might ask, “Why talk about abortion at all?” Many have been taught it’s too divisive for church or polite company, leaving some confused or offended. Let me clarify: we must address abortion because it’s rooted in Scripture, demanded by God’s commands, devastating in its consequences, and central to our worship.

Scripture, not personal opinion, shapes our church. We follow where God’s Word leads, believing its teachings, trusting its promises, and obeying its commands. As we’ll see, God speaks clearly about the unborn. Ephesians 5:11 instructs, “Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.” We’re called not only to avoid evil but to confront it, as believers did during the African slave trade or the Jewish Holocaust.

The scale of abortion is staggering. Globally, 73 million abortions occur annually, ending six out of ten unintended pregnancies and three out of ten overall. In the U.S., 700,000 to 900,000 babies—20-25% of those conceived—are aborted each year. Every two years, global abortion deaths surpass the combined tolls of history’s worst dictators, equivalent to four Holocausts annually. This isn’t merely about life and death; it’s about murder, massacre, and genocide.

At its core, abortion isn’t a political or humanitarian issue—it’s a worship issue. It challenges our purpose as God’s image bearers and His redeemed children, striking at the heart of our call to love God and neighbor.

The Heart of Life: Loving God and Neighbor

Jesus answers the timeless question, “What is the meaning of life?” in Mark 12:28-34, distilling all of Scripture into two commands: love God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself. These aren’t novel ideas but the essence of Old Testament ethics, encapsulating every command in the flow of loving God and others.

Loving God is primary. The most moral act we can undertake is to recognize, revere, and rejoice in the God who created us. Without this, all else is rebellion. Our goodness is ultimately measured not by human relationships but by our devotion to God. Yet, when we love God, a beautiful transformation occurs: we begin to love our neighbors, who bear His image. This is especially true for believers, who reflect Christ’s likeness (1 John 4:20).

You weren’t created to merely work, obey, or exist, but to be a worshiper who loves and an image bearer who reflects the ultimate Lover. Christianity isn’t about rules or rituals but the joy of loving God and loving like Him. If we fail to love God authentically, we miss the purpose of our existence and the joy Christ secured for us.

So, how does abortion relate? It’s not about politics or personal views—it opposes the very purpose of our lives: to love God and others. Abortion, the killing of unborn image bearers, is unloving to neighbors by enabling destruction and unloving to God by defying His Word, harming His people, and dimming His glory. The gospel shows the strong One sacrificing Himself to bring life; abortion shows the strong sacrificing the unborn, bringing death.

Who Is My Neighbor?

This brings us to a pivotal question that one man asked Jesus in Luke 10:25-29: “Who is my neighbor?” Every generation poses this question to justify their actions toward fellow image bearers. The treatment of Jews during the Holocaust or African slaves warns us that if we can convince ourselves someone isn’t human, we feel free to act against them without restraint or pain of conscience. Killing innocent humans is always wrong, but if we convince ourselves that some people aren’t really humans then the matter is different.

Consider the Balloon Boy incident of October 15, 2009, when a helium balloon was thought to carry a six-year-old boy, Falcon. The world watched as helicopters and police chased it, only to find Falcon safe at home. The urgency stemmed from believing a person was inside. If it was empty, there’d be no crisis. Similarly, abortion’s morality hinges on one question: what is inside the woman? Scripture and reason answer unequivocally: a human person made in the image of God, worthy of life.

The Unborn as Our Neighbor: Scripture

God’s Word provides compelling evidence for the personhood of the unborn. According to Scripture, they are our neighbors whom we’re obliged to love and protect.

In Exodus 21:22-25, Scripture addresses harm to a pregnant woman. If her unborn child is killed, the penalty is life for life, indicating the unborn’s equal value to a born person. The Hebrew terms used—yeled (human child) and yasa (to come out, meaning birth)—underscore this. Yasa appears 1,061 times in the Hebrew Bible, never meaning miscarriage. Other terms for miscarriage (nepel and sakal) are absent here, reinforcing that the unborn is a human child, not mere tissue. Accordingly, abortion (i.e. the intentionally killing of the unborn) is infanticide.

In Psalm 139:13-16 David says, “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” He uses “I” and “my,” identifying himself as the same person in the womb as outside it. He wasn’t a clump of cells but David, a person with continuity from conception. David even confesses he was a sinner from conception (Psalm 51:5), a status only persons can hold. God’s intricate work—“knitted” and “woven”—signals divine craftsmanship, a sacred process demanding respect. You’ve seen the signs, “Men at Work: Stay Away. Similarly, over the swelling womb of every woman we must see a spiritual sign: “God at work, stay away.”

In Luke 1:39-45 we read that Elizabeth, six months pregnant, carries a “son” (1:36). Mary, likely only days or weeks pregnant, is called the “mother of my Lord” (1:43), and her child is the “fruit of her womb” (1:42). The term brephos, used for the “baby” leaping in Elizabeth’s womb (1:44), also describes born infants (Luke 2:12, 1 Peter 2:2). The unborn 4-week-old is just as much a baby as the born 4-month-old. Even more, John’s leap for joy in Elizabeth’s womb at the presence of Jesus displays personhood who entered the world at conception, not birth. The unborn are clearly called humans with relational and spiritual capacities.

The Incarnation itself is perhaps the most profound proof helping us see the unborn as humans worthy of life. Jesus, the King of Glory who holds the universe together, became human at conception, not birth. As an embryo, He bore the divine image, fully God and fully man. If it would be unthinkable to deny Jesus’ personhood or harm Him in the womb, how can we justify such actions for other unborn image bearers? By entering humanity at conception, Jesus sanctified every stage of human development, from zygote to adult maturity. The trail blazed by Jesus proves all human life sacred from womb to tomb.

Early Christians, being taught by these very Scripturees, echo these truths. The Didache (AD 50–100) commands, “You shall not murder a child by abortion, nor kill that which is begotten.” Tertullian (c. AD 197) wrote, “Prevention of birth is hastened homicide… He who will be a man is a man already: for indeed the entire fruit exists already in the seed.” The church’s understanding bears witness human life – both the born and unborn – is holy, valuable, and worthy of life.

The Unborn as Our Neighbor: Philosophy

Beyond Scripture, human reason—particularly the SLED argument from philosophy—reinforces the unborn’s human life and personhood. To see this, consider the acronym SLED which stands for Size, Level of development, Environment, and Degree of dependency. This helpful acronym addresses the common objections many have to identifying the unborn as humans with the right to life and demonstrates that no arbitrary trait justifies denying the unborn’s right to life.

Size: Some argue the unborn, especially embryos, are too small to be persons. Yet, size doesn’t determine value. A newborn is smaller than a toddler, who is smaller than an adult—does size diminish their worth? Embryos, though microscopic, contain the full genetic code of human life. As Klusendorf notes, “Only a monster would argue that the smaller and weaker the baby, the less claim that baby has on our protection.” A six-foot man and a six-millimeter embryo are equally human, as size is irrelevant to intrinsic dignity.

Level of Development: Others claim the unborn lack personhood because they’re less developed, lacking traits like consciousness or mobility. But development is a continuum, not a threshold. A fetus at eight weeks has a beating heart but no self-awareness; a newborn lacks reasoning; a toddler can’t perform complex tasks. Yet, we don’t strip rights from infants or the developmentally disabled. Those with genetic anomalies or injuries limiting capacities retain full human rights. The unborn, at any stage, are developing humans, not potential humans, with the same inherent value as those further along.

Environment: Some argue the unborn aren’t persons because they reside in the womb, not the outside world. But location doesn’t define humanity. Moving from womb to delivery room, or from California to Canada, doesn’t alter one’s essence. The womb is merely the natural environment for early human development, no more dehumanizing than a crib or a home. Suggesting that a change in location—birth—grants personhood is arbitrary and illogical, akin to saying someone loses rights by stepping into a different room.

Degree of Dependency: Critics assert the unborn’s dependence on the mother negates their personhood. Yet, dependency is universal. Newborns rely on caregivers for survival, as do the elderly, disabled, or sick. Even healthy adults depend on food, air, and systems beyond themselves. If dependency disqualifies personhood, infants, coma patients, and anyone needing medical support would lose rights. The unborn’s reliance on the mother’s body is no different in kind from a baby’s need for milk or an adult’s need for oxygen—it’s a feature of human life, not a flaw.

The SLED argument uses our God given reason to demonstrate the differences between the unborn and born are morally irrelevant. There is no legitimate moral difference between unborn and born humans. If it’s wrong to kill a toddler for being small, less developed, in a crib, or dependent, it’s equally wrong to kill an unborn child for the same reasons. From conception, the unborn bear the same image of God and possess the same rights as born people.

Living Out Love for the Unborn

So, how do we love our unborn neighbors? 1 John 3:18 urges, “Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.”

If you or someone you know faces an unexpected pregnancy, don’t choose abortion. Love your unborn child by seeking help. Our church and the Pregnancy Resource Center in San Clemente stand ready to support you and your child. You’re not alone, and we love you.

If you’ve supported abortion in thought, word, or deed, change your mind—repent. Since your actions flow from your beliefs you be unable to love the unborn unless you accept what God says about them: they’re image bearers worthy of love and life. Without changing your mind on this matter, loving God and others won’t follow.

In Christ, there’s full forgiveness for those who turn to Him. Whether you’ve advocated or participated in abortion, know two truths: you’ve contributed to taking innocent life and Christ offers complete forgiveness to those who call on his name. Moses and Paul, murderers both, found grace. Jesus prayed for His crucifiers’ forgiveness. He offers the same grace to you. As Mark 2:17 says, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” Are you a sinner? Yes and so am I. But in that admission there is hope: Christ has come for sinners. As the song says, “Our sins, they are many, his mercy is more.” Believe in Jesus, and He’ll forgive, heal, and renew you to love like Him.

Love the unborn through action. Teach your family, church, and community. Be salt and light, exposing evil for the sake of joy. Consider supporting the local pregnancy centers and find ways concrete ways to serve moms, dads, and babies in our community.

Finally, love the unborn by rejoicing in God. Rejoice that He cares for the innocent and one day will bring justice to our sad world. Rejoice that He saves sinners who turn to Him. Rejoice that He teaches us to love in a way that reflects His life-giving, joy-bringing love. Our joy in Christ fuels our love for all neighbors, born and unborn. The more joy we have in him, the more love we’ll have for others.

Yes, we mourn the darkness of our days, but in Christ, we have reason for joy amid tears. Sin, death, and sorrow won’t have the last word. As Revelation 21:3-4 promises, God will dwell with us, wiping away every tear, ending death and pain. No matter how dark it gets, the dawn is coming, and Christ will make all things new.