I HAD AN ABORTION - CAN I BE SAVED/FORGIVEN?
I HAD AN ABORTION -
CAN I BE SAVED/FORGIVEN?
Yes, you can be forgiven. No matter your past—including abortion—God’s grace through Jesus Christ offers full forgiveness, healing, and a new beginning to anyone who turns to Him in repentance and faith.
One of the things they don’t tell you if you’re considering having an abortion is how you are going to feel after it. Research shows that women who have had an abortion sensed a feeling of guilt, spent time imagining what their aborted child would be like, with long-term effects such as depression, feelings of loss, shame, and phobic responses to infants being widespread. For 42% of these women, the adverse psychological effects of abortion endured over 10 years.
If you have had an abortion, or as a guy encouraged or even manipulated a woman into having one, you might be carrying a heavy weight of guilt and shame. Maybe, if you’re exploring Christianity, you assume that having had an abortion would prevent you from becoming a believer. Or maybe you are a believer, and you’re asking if God could ever love you again. These are big and serious questions, and not ones we want to simply bypass with a nice, quick answer.
So let’s look at how God views abortion, and how he views those who have had one.
1. YES, ABORTION IS A SIN
The Bible teaches that human life is sacred and of incalculable value because God created it in His image (Genesis 1:27). From the moment of conception, a baby is a unique person with inherent value, known and loved by God. Psalm 139:13-16 says God knits us together in the womb, forming our innermost parts before we’re born. In Luke 1, Elizabeth speaks to Mary who is less than two weeks pregnant, too early to notice without a pregnancy test, and calls her a ‘mother’ and the baby Jesus in her womb ‘Lord’.
Abortion ends that life. It’s not just a medical procedure, it is not merely a woman’s body, it is not merely a woman’s rights issue, it is not merely a personal choice. It’s the taking of a human life, and a violation of God’s command, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).
The world might tell you that it was not that at all, or that you had a good reason to end this life, whether because you couldn’t afford it, it wasn’t the right time, and to just put it behind you. But in your heart of hearts, you know this is true, which is why you feel the way you do about it now. Whether you felt pressured, scared, or alone when you made that choice, the truth remains: abortion destroys a God-given life. Feeling guilt over it is, in fact, the right reaction.
However, you also need to know two things: you are not alone in your guilt, and God has an incredible solution for it.
2. WE HAVE ALL SINNED
The seriousness of abortion doesn’t mean you’re alone in sin, though. The Bible goes to great lengths to tell us that every single person in the history of mankind is a sinner. Romans 3, for instance, says that, “None is righteous, no, not one,” and that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:10, 23). Whether it’s lying, lust, hatred, theft, dishonoring parents, or anything else you can think of, including abortion, we are all guilty.
And though not all sin is equal and some things are worse than others, we are still all in the same boat. All of us have sinned, having not met God’s standard, and we all on our own stand condemned under the law of God. As sin is a breach of the perfect commands of an infinite God, the penalty due for this is severe. In fact, it is death, as Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death…”
But…
3. CHRIST'S POWER TO FORGIVE
Romans 6:23 does not end there. That verse, though it starts with the wages of sin being death, goes on to say, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The good news of Christianity is not that our sin doesn’t matter. It matters a lot. It is, however, that Jesus came to save sinners rather than condemn them (John 3:17). God, though the just penalty for sin is death, sent His Son to pay that penalty for us. On the cross, Jesus took the punishment for every sin, including yours (1 Peter 2:24). The Bible promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). That “all” includes abortion. No matter how heavy your guilt feels, Jesus’ sacrifice is enough to pay the price for your forgiveness. .
You might think, “But I knew it was wrong, and I did it anyway.” Even then, God’s grace is bigger. King David committed adultery and arranged a murder, yet God forgave him when he repented (2 Samuel 12:13). Paul, who persecuted Christians, became a great apostle after God’s mercy transformed him (1 Timothy 1:15-16). Your sin, though big, is not bigger than God’s grace.
4. FIND HEALING AND HOPE
What does that mean for your sense of guilt and shame? Well, you bring it to Jesus.
1 John 1:9 tells us, “But if we confess our sins to Him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” If you confess it to Him as sin, not minimizing it, not attempting to cover it up, but simply tell Him what you have done, ask Him to forgive you, and trust Him for that forgiveness, your guilt is gone.
Furthermore, God promises that His forgiveness is total and transforming. We’re told that, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west,” (Psalm 103:12) and that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If you come to Christ, He will wipe away your sin, and with it your guilt and shame. Sure, sometimes it can take your mind a while to catch up, but God sees you as brand new. And think about this, even after ending the life of your child, God loves you enough to adopt you as His child through faith in Christ. No longer does your past define you, but you are defined by God’s great love and mercy towards you.
And furthermore, God can use your story to help others and maybe even to save the lives of other unborn children. And by sharing the hope you’ve found, you can invite people to experience the great forgiveness God has given you.
Why not turn to Him now, and receive the forgiveness He offers you?
Yes, you can be forgiven. No matter your past—including abortion—God’s grace through Jesus Christ offers full forgiveness, healing, and a new beginning to anyone who turns to Him in repentance and faith.
One of the things they don’t tell you if you’re considering having an abortion is how you are going to feel after it. Research shows that women who have had an abortion sensed a feeling of guilt, spent time imagining what their aborted child would be like, with long-term effects such as depression, feelings of loss, shame, and phobic responses to infants being widespread. For 42% of these women, the adverse psychological effects of abortion endured over 10 years.
If you have had an abortion, or as a guy encouraged or even manipulated a woman into having one, you might be carrying a heavy weight of guilt and shame. Maybe, if you’re exploring Christianity, you assume that having had an abortion would prevent you from becoming a believer. Or maybe you are a believer, and you’re asking if God could ever love you again. These are big and serious questions, and not ones we want to simply bypass with a nice, quick answer.
So let’s look at how God views abortion, and how he views those who have had one.
1. YES, ABORTION IS A SIN
The Bible teaches that human life is sacred and of incalculable value because God created it in His image (Genesis 1:27). From the moment of conception, a baby is a unique person with inherent value, known and loved by God. Psalm 139:13-16 says God knits us together in the womb, forming our innermost parts before we’re born. In Luke 1, Elizabeth speaks to Mary who is less than two weeks pregnant, too early to notice without a pregnancy test, and calls her a ‘mother’ and the baby Jesus in her womb ‘Lord’.
Abortion ends that life. It’s not just a medical procedure, it is not merely a woman’s body, it is not merely a woman’s rights issue, it is not merely a personal choice. It’s the taking of a human life, and a violation of God’s command, “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13).
The world might tell you that it was not that at all, or that you had a good reason to end this life, whether because you couldn’t afford it, it wasn’t the right time, and to just put it behind you. But in your heart of hearts, you know this is true, which is why you feel the way you do about it now. Whether you felt pressured, scared, or alone when you made that choice, the truth remains: abortion destroys a God-given life. Feeling guilt over it is, in fact, the right reaction.
However, you also need to know two things: you are not alone in your guilt, and God has an incredible solution for it.
2. WE HAVE ALL SINNED
The seriousness of abortion doesn’t mean you’re alone in sin, though. The Bible goes to great lengths to tell us that every single person in the history of mankind is a sinner. Romans 3, for instance, says that, “None is righteous, no, not one,” and that, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:10, 23). Whether it’s lying, lust, hatred, theft, dishonoring parents, or anything else you can think of, including abortion, we are all guilty.
And though not all sin is equal and some things are worse than others, we are still all in the same boat. All of us have sinned, having not met God’s standard, and we all on our own stand condemned under the law of God. As sin is a breach of the perfect commands of an infinite God, the penalty due for this is severe. In fact, it is death, as Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death…”
But…
3. CHRIST'S POWER TO FORGIVE
Romans 6:23 does not end there. That verse, though it starts with the wages of sin being death, goes on to say, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
The good news of Christianity is not that our sin doesn’t matter. It matters a lot. It is, however, that Jesus came to save sinners rather than condemn them (John 3:17). God, though the just penalty for sin is death, sent His Son to pay that penalty for us. On the cross, Jesus took the punishment for every sin, including yours (1 Peter 2:24). The Bible promises, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). That “all” includes abortion. No matter how heavy your guilt feels, Jesus’ sacrifice is enough to pay the price for your forgiveness. .
You might think, “But I knew it was wrong, and I did it anyway.” Even then, God’s grace is bigger. King David committed adultery and arranged a murder, yet God forgave him when he repented (2 Samuel 12:13). Paul, who persecuted Christians, became a great apostle after God’s mercy transformed him (1 Timothy 1:15-16). Your sin, though big, is not bigger than God’s grace.
4. FIND HEALING AND HOPE
What does that mean for your sense of guilt and shame? Well, you bring it to Jesus.
1 John 1:9 tells us, “But if we confess our sins to Him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” If you confess it to Him as sin, not minimizing it, not attempting to cover it up, but simply tell Him what you have done, ask Him to forgive you, and trust Him for that forgiveness, your guilt is gone.
Furthermore, God promises that His forgiveness is total and transforming. We’re told that, “He has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west,” (Psalm 103:12) and that “anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
If you come to Christ, He will wipe away your sin, and with it your guilt and shame. Sure, sometimes it can take your mind a while to catch up, but God sees you as brand new. And think about this, even after ending the life of your child, God loves you enough to adopt you as His child through faith in Christ. No longer does your past define you, but you are defined by God’s great love and mercy towards you.
And furthermore, God can use your story to help others and maybe even to save the lives of other unborn children. And by sharing the hope you’ve found, you can invite people to experience the great forgiveness God has given you.
Why not turn to Him now, and receive the forgiveness He offers you?
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Check out these articles and videos to dig deeper into this topic.