Abortion and Selfish Ambition

[This is a shortened, edited, and updated version of a sermon preached January 23, 2000. You can read the sermon in its entirety here.]

Thursday January 22 marks the 47th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade that prohibited states from putting almost any restrictions on abortion. Since then, tens of millions of unborn babies have been aborted in this country, very rarely less than 7-8 weeks after conception. At 7-8 weeks, the baby’s heart is beating; his hands and feet are formed; she swims through the amniotic fluid.

Twenty years ago our friend Michele gave birth to baby Sean, only six months into her pregnancy. Sean weighed 28 oz; here is his picture. Today, by God’s grace, Sean lives. Yet thousands of babies as old and developed as Sean have been aborted in this country, legally, many by a procedure too gruesome for me even to describe.

Indeed, today a large percentage of all babies conceived in the US are aborted, while millions of couples wait years for a baby to adopt.

Why does this happen? Why do mothers kill their own babies? Why do fathers agree to do away with the bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh? Even among those who identify themselves as Christians, why do some favor no limits on abortion, or even have abortions themselves?

The fundamental problem is that we give the wrong answer to the question: Where does one find fulfillment and satisfaction?

Getting this answer right is of central importance, above and beyond the abortion debate. You may give the “right” answer to abortion questions, but still get this answer wrong. If you believe that you will only find fulfillment and satisfaction by success in this world – by accomplishment, by relationships, by pleasures – then in the end you can rationalize almost any action.

Dear friends, the only source of true fulfillment is God Himself. If we are satisfied with God, if we seek Him first, if we truly delight in Him, then we have all good things.

On the other hand, a heart not satisfied with God, not delighting in Him, a heart which is dead set on trying to get what the world has to offer, frequently will not let anything stand in its way. When our hearts are set on fulfilling our worldly desires, we end up destroying what God has given us for true fulfillment – like the children He has given us.

So where is your heart?

We will first examine a question specific to the abortion debate: Is an unborn baby human? Then we’ll return to James and investigate the central problem, which he identifies as selfish ambition resulting in death. But James also presents the solution to this problem: Humbling oneself, resulting in exaltation.

Is an Unborn Baby Human?

What does Scripture say about unborn babies? Are they human? Let’s consider three biblical reasons for answering “yes” to the question, along with biblical support for our actively defending the unborn.

First, the Bible uses the same word to refer to babies before and after birth. Genesis 25:22, referring to Isaac’s wife Rebekah when she is pregnant with Jacob and Esau: “The children struggled together within her.” The word “children” is the normal Hebrew word. Similarly, Luke 1 records what happens when Mary, who is pregnant with Jesus, visits her cousin Elizabeth, who is in the 6th month of her pregnancy with John the Baptist: “When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb.” The word “babe” translates the same word used in the next chapter to refer to Jesus after his birth: the angel says to the shepherds, “You shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Second, God chooses and works on unborn babies. In Psalm 139:13 David writes, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” David’s essence, what makes him David, was put together by God not at birth, but prior to birth, in the womb. Furthermore, the angel says to Zechariah concerning his son, John the Baptist: “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine or liquor; and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’ s womb” (Luke 1:15). Can a non-human be filled with the Holy Spirit?

Third, Adam’s original sin and humanness are passed on at conception. David writes in Psalm 51:5: “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me.” David is not saying that his mother was particularly sinful. He is saying that from the moment of conception, he was in sin. In Romans 5 Paul states that sin entered the human race through Adam and is passed down to all his descendants. Therefore at the moment of conception, that new creature is both sinful and human, created in the image of God.

So the Bible teaches that unborn babies are human. But does it matter? Do we need to be concerned with these babies, particularly before they are viable outside their mother’s womb?

God is especially concerned with the weak and powerless. Psalm 82:3-4 reads: “Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” Who is weaker and more needy than that little one who will die if separated from his mother?

If the unborn baby is a weak, needy human, and if God is especially concerned with the weak and needy, then abortion is a terrible, common sin.

Let us now turn our attention to the central cause of such sin.

The Problem: Selfish Ambition

Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. James 3:13

James asks each one of us: “Do you think you are truly wise and intelligent?” What is the evidence for wisdom or intelligence?

James says the evidence includes “his deeds [done] in gentleness of wisdom.” The word translated as “gentleness” here is translated “meek” in the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” This refers to our yielding to God, our willingness to say, “God, you are the wise one. I submit to you, acknowledging that your ways are far above mine.” So I would paraphrase “deeds in the gentleness of wisdom” as “actions characterized by wise yielding to God.”

Now James contrasts such a person with the false wisdom of the world:

But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. James 3:14

The person in verse 14, instead of yielding to God, has “bitter jealousy” and “selfish ambition.” The wise person has a focus on God and his goodness; this person is focused on self, on what he does not have.

The word translated “selfish ambition” is unusual, appearing in earlier literature only in Aristotle, where it refers to the way a politician will try to make himself look good — frequently through deceitful means — to attract more support. Like such a politician, the unwise man is trying his best to arrange matters so that he gets what he wants; the unwise man tries to get others to admire him, even if he is unworthy of their admiration.

But isn’t this the advice that we hear so often today? In books and on the internet, we read how to present ourselves in the best light so that we can advance in our careers; on the racks in the supermarket, we read headlines telling us to buy the magazine so that we can know the secrets of making a 40 year old look like a 20 year old, so that we can find life by catching that attractive, elusive member of the opposite sex. In effect, all this advice is instructing us in the best way to fulfill our selfish ambition.

What is the source of such “wisdom?”

15 This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.

Clearly, this is not the godly wisdom we read of in verse 13. Instead it is “earthly, natural, demonic.” In English translation it appears that there is a contradiction between the last two words. But James’ contrast is not between “natural” and “supernatural.” Instead, he contrasts the wisdom from God with the natural, pseudo-wisdom of our sinful selves.  These natural, sinful desires can cause us problems on their own — but Satan also works through these desires, tempting us away from God.

What is the result of selfish ambition?

The Result of Selfish Ambition: Death

What is the source of quarrels and conflicts among you? Is not the source your pleasures that wage war in your members? 2 You lust and do not have; so you commit murder. James 4:1-2

James says the result of this selfish ambition is murder, death. Certainly James is not talking exclusively about literally killing another person; for example, if I am filled with selfish ambition, and my wife gets in the way — then I kill the marriage.

But just as certainly, this verse is fulfilled literally in abortion: If my baby girl gets in the way of my selfish ambition — kill the baby before she’s born.

Abortion and other forms of killing result from our selfish ambition, our exalting pleasures and fulfillment in this life above the true fulfillment that only God can give.

For in the end, all forms of sin constitute a rejection of God. Indeed, James goes on to say that this rejection of God is the equivalent not only of murder but also of adultery:

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4

James uses the word “adulteresses” here. Does this mean that all of us men are off the hook? No. God’s people are the bride of Christ. So if God’s people look for pleasure and fulfillment away from any source other than God himself, that is adultery. Hostility. Becoming God’s enemy. We, Christ’s bride, are adulteresses.

Therefore, selfish ambition leads us to become murderers and adulteresses. We have rejected God. Will he reject us? Will he divorce us? James has just said we have made ourselves into God’s enemy; is there no hope?

The Solution: Humbling Oneself

Consider this paraphrase of James 4:1-10:

(1) Why is it that you war and battle each other? Is not the source the strong desires for what you do not have, these desires that battle inside you? (2) You want something badly and don’t have it, so you kill; you passionately want something others have, and can’t obtain it, so you battle and war with each other.

Fools! God is the source of everything good. You don’t have, because you haven’t asked Him! (3) Or, you’ve asked Him, but you’re trying to use God as a genie to provide ephemeral pleasures for yourself.

(4) Do you not realize that you are the bride of Christ? If you then love the world, you are nothing but an adulteress! You are acting in hatred toward your true husband, making yourself His enemy! (5) Did God write this in the Scriptures for no reason? “I have made my Spirit to live in you, and thus I have a deep, jealous desire that you be mine alone.”

(6) But do not despair; God’s grace is greater than all our sin. Therefore he also says in the Scripture, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (7) Therefore, be humble! Submit yourself to God as to a military commander, who has the good of the entire army at heart. Do not give in to Satan’s temptations, but resist him — and by God’s grace he will flee from you. (8) Approach God yourself, and he will come to you. Cleanse yourself from outward sins; make your inner thoughts and desires pure, devoted to God, instead of divided between God and the world. (9) Mourn for your sin, and for the sin around you; replace your carefree silliness of enjoying worldly pleasures with gloom and mourning for all that’s wrong. (10) In sum, come into God’s presence, falling on your face, acknowledging that you deserve nothing from Him, that you have spurned the one who loves you — and your husband, the source of all true joy, will pick you up, honor you, and give you the true joy and pleasure of knowing Him.

James’ final command, to humble ourselves, sums up all the commands. He tells us: Replace your selfish ambition, your desire to put yourself to the forefront, with true humility, acknowledging and accepting your place in God’s plan. Only in that way is there hope.

The Result of Humbling Oneself: Exaltation

The irony of all this is stated in verse 10: When we truly humble ourselves, when we acknowledge that we are nothing before God, when we quit trying to make ourselves look better than we really are, then God lifts us up! He exalts us! God tells us that we will find our true selves by abandoning the world’s ways of exalting ourselves. When we humble ourselves, we become what God intends us to be; we find all true fulfillment, all true glory, all true happiness, all true joy. For joy and peace are found only in a relationship with our Creator.

Conclusion

John Piper puts it this way:

The root cause of abortion is the failure to be satisfied in God as our supreme love. And, for all the great legal work that needs to be done to protect human life, the greatest work that needs to be done is to spread a passion – a satisfaction – for the supremacy of God in all things. That’s our calling

Do you find your satisfaction in God? Or in the possessions and relationships of this world?

How often do you give in to the temptations of this world, and seek fulfillment through exaltation of self, killing and destroying all that gets in your way?

What about abortion itself? As we have seen:

  • Aborting a baby is a terrible sin.
  • Encouraging another to have an abortion is a terrible sin.
  • Planning to have an abortion should you or your girlfriend become pregnant is a terrible sin.

How many of us have committed one of those terrible sins?

How many of us have committed other terrible sins, of seeking after earthly treasures, loving this world, pursuing ephemeral pleasures?

My friends: I am a terrible sinner. But the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus died on the cross for terrible sinners such as you and me!

So humble yourself! And He will exalt you!

I encourage you: Take a piece of paper, and on that paper write two words: “Condemned” and “Forgiven.” Look at those two words; consider the implications of each one. Then circle the one that is true for you. For there are only two choices. One is true. The other is not.

If you circle “condemned,” then I praise God. You’ve taken the first step toward forgiveness. Humble yourself in God’s presence. Trust Jesus as the One who paid the penalty for your sins. You need no longer be condemned.

If you circle “forgiven,” if you are forgiven in Christ, then there is no longer any reason for guilt, no matter what you have done, no matter what terrible sin you have committed.

Have you mourned for your sin? Have you wept over it? Do you want to be clean, in your actions and in your heart? Do you long to be rid of this sin that ensnares you? Do you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord? Will you be satisfied in him?

Psalm 51 tells us: A broken and contrite heart he will not despise. Know it! Delight in Him! Be satisfied in Christ alone!

 

The Arrogant in Heart

God hates human pride. He detests human arrogance. Indeed, one could argue that pride and arrogance are the fundamental sins according to Scripture, for all other sins result from exalting our own judgments, our own opinions, our conceptualization  of our own best interests, above God’s Law.

Consider some examples of the ways pride and arrogance cause us to act:

  • Pride keeps a struggling couple from seeking help in their marriage.
  • Pride keeps a father from confessing to his child that he acted harshly.
  • Pride causes us to lash out when others confront us with our sins.
  • Pride causes us to look for and find even imaginary weaknesses and faults in those who oppose us.
  • Pride causes us to label those who differ from us on theology or politics or public policy as morons or morally corrupt or unworthy of being listened to.
  • Pride causes a pastor to care more about his reputation than about those in his care.
  • Most of all, pride keeps us from humbling ourselves before God, acknowledging that He created us, He knows us, He knows what is best for us – and that He alone can tell us how to be right with Him.

So we can see why God hates pride. But Scripture tells us He not only hates the sin of pride. He also detests those who exhibit pride:

“Everyone who is arrogant in heart is an abomination to the Lord; be assured, he will not go unpunished” (Proverbs 16:5 ESV). Or, as the NIV renders the first clause: “The LORD detests all the proud of heart.”

Those of us brought up on platitudes like, “God hates the sin but loves the sinner” shrink back from such harsh statements. We’re tempted to slough them off as characteristic only of the Old Testament. But it is Jesus Himself who says, “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers, and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 13:41-42). It is Jesus Himself who tells us that He will say to many on the Last Day, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41). Just so with the arrogant in heart; they will not go unpunished. Jesus will see to that on the Last Day. For they are an abomination to Him, and their sin is not atoned for. “And the haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day” (Isaiah 2:17).

But praise God there is hope for the proud – or none of us would be saved! Our gracious Lord invites us to confess our sins, to humble ourselves before Him, to admit that we are not worthy now to come into His holy presence and we can never make ourselves worthy. He commands us to repent of our arrogance and to acknowledge Jesus as our Savior, our Master, and our Treasure.

Have you made that most important confession, that humbling of yourself before God? Guess what? Your battle against pride and arrogance has only just begun. Welcome to the continual, day-to-day, hour-by-hour fight.

Engage in this fight by, first, testing yourself regularly: Do I think of myself more highly, or simply more, than I ought? Am I humbled today by the glory, majesty, wisdom, love, power, and mercy of the Lord? Do I see myself today as deserving of God’s condemnation, yet embraced by Him solely because of His mercy? Am I thinking today, “How can I be served?” or, “How can I serve?”

Then, second, think of those around you who seem arrogant and prideful. Some perhaps are hindering your work, hampering your ministry; some perhaps are even attacking you. Pray for God to grant them repentance, leading them to a knowledge of the truth (2 Timothy 2:25-26). Pray that nothing in your response to their arrogance would drive them further from God. Know that God will punish that sin – so don’t be dismayed or disheartened by their opposition. He will bring down the proud – either through humbling them via salvation or through punishing them directly. Ensure that you don’t have a preference for their personal punishment.

So, Christian, be at peace. Serve faithfully. God will deal with all the proud, all the arrogant. Put to death that desire for self-exaltation. Continue to humble yourself before Him, without worries. Delight in your dependence on Him – and trust Him to exalt you at the proper time (1 Peter 5:6).

 

Our Incurable Disease

You have an incurable disease. All humans do. We inherited this disease from our parents, and they from their parents – all the way back to Adam and Eve.

There is no human help for this disease. Oh, we can alleviate a few of the symptoms through discipline, through accountability, through learning more self-control – but this disease is similar to the hydra of Greek mythology. When anyone cut off one of the hydra’s heads, two more immediately grew. When you learn to control one part of your disease – say, bursts of anger – more symptoms of the disease pop up – say, pride and arrogance.

But God in His grace and mercy offers you a cure. The question is: Will you accept it?

Scripture provides us with an apt picture of the way we are prone to resist this cure through telling the story of a leper in 2 Kings 5.

In the ancient world, leprosy was incurable. Naaman, a general in a powerful army, comes down with this disease. An Israelite servant girl in his household tells his wife of a prophet in Israel who can cure the disease. So Naaman’s king writes a letter to the King of Israel, telling him to cure Naaman of his leprosy.

The Israelite king is distraught, thinking the other is looking for a pretense to go to war. But when the prophet Elisha hears of the events, he tells the king to send Naaman to him.

Naaman arrives at Elisha’s place, bearing many gifts – he is a wealthy man and thinks he can pay handsomely for this service. He is an important man, and thinks this prophet will be impressed by his presence.

But Elisha doesn’t even come out to see Naaman. He simply sends a messenger, who instructs the general to go wash in the Jordan River seven times, and he will be cured. Hear Naaman’s response:

But Naaman was angry and went away, saying, “Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage (2 Kings 5:11-12).

Naaman’s pride almost causes him to miss this grace from God. But God shows him even greater grace, as He leads Naaman’s servants to appeal to him to try this simple task the prophet gave him. He washes seven times in the Jordan – and is cured.

Just so with us. God offers us healing of our incurable disease if we only turn to Jesus and trust Him with our lives. But so often we are like Naaman: We don’t like God’s plan. We want to prove our worth through some great deed we do for God. Or we want God to perform some grand visible miracle that will call attention to us. Or we want God to cure the disease in a different way, a way that seems better to us. “Just trust Jesus? Why? Why not some other way? Why not many other ways? How simplistic!”

Like Naaman, we can turn our backs and miss God’s grace because of our pride, because of our preconceived ideas about how God should work.

But praise God that He persists in the offer of the Gospel. As in Naaman’s case, He sends others to us to say again and again, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31).

Don’t despise the miracle of simple faith. Admit you are diseased. Confess that you cannot cure yourself. And throw yourself on God’s mercy offered to you through Jesus Christ.

When you, like Naaman, humble yourself before the One True God, He will save you – through the death, resurrection, and reign of the Lord Jesus Christ. And you will discover the love, joy, and peace you have so deeply desired.

Humble Yourself Before God!

Those of you following the Bible Unity Reading Plan recently read these words that God says to Pharaoh through Moses and Aaron: “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?” (Exodus 10:3)

Indeed, that is God’s question to every man. You would think that we humans – weak, sinful creatures that we are – would easily humble ourselves before the One who fashioned the universe, before the One who is holy, holy, holy, before the One who offers us grace and mercy and eternal joy through Jesus Christ though we deserve His wrath. But not so. From the Garden of Eden until today, we humans have found humbling ourselves before God to be a great challenge.

So as an encouragement to humble yourself, listen to these Scriptures. Let them dwell in you richly. He saves a humble people. Make sure you are among them.

Psalm 18:25-27 (from this coming Sunday’s sermon text):   With the merciful you show yourself merciful; with the blameless man you show yourself blameless; with the purified you show yourself pure; and with the crooked you make yourself seem tortuous.  For you save a humble people, but the haughty eyes you bring down.

Psalm 25:8-14 Good and upright is the LORD; therefore he instructs sinners in the way.  He leads the humble in what is right, and teaches the humble his way.  All the paths of the LORD are steadfast love and faithfulness, for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.  For your name’s sake, O LORD, pardon my guilt, for it is great.  Who is the man who fears the LORD? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.  His soul shall abide in well-being, and his offspring shall inherit the land.  The friendship of the LORD is for those who fear him, and he makes known to them his covenant.

Psalm 147:5-11  Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure.  The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground.  Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make melody to our God on the lyre!  He covers the heavens with clouds; he prepares rain for the earth; he makes grass grow on the hills.  He gives to the beasts their food, and to the young ravens that cry.  His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man,  but the LORD takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love.

Psalm 149:3-4  Let [the children of Zion] praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!  For the LORD takes pleasure in his people; he adorns the humble with salvation.

Proverbs 3:33-34   The LORD’s curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the dwelling of the righteous.  Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he gives favor.

Proverbs 15:33   The fear of the LORD is instruction in wisdom, and humility comes before honor.

Proverbs 22:4  The reward for humility and fear of the LORD is riches and honor and life.

Isaiah 66:1-2  Thus says the LORD: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?  All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the LORD. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word.

Zephaniah 3:11-12   “On that day you shall not be put to shame because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me; for then I will remove from your midst your proudly exultant ones, and you shall no longer be haughty in my holy mountain.  But I will leave in your midst a people humble and lowly. They shall seek refuge in the name of the LORD.

Luke 1:46-55 [Mary is a model of humility for all of us.]  And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,  for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;  for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.  And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.  He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;  he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;  he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

John 13:3-5   Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist.  Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

Philippians 2:3   Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.

Colossians 3:12-17   Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,  bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.  And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.  And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.  Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Ephesians 4:1-3   I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called,  with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,  eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

James 4:4-10  You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.  Or do you suppose it is to no purpose that the Scripture says, “He yearns jealously over the spirit that he has made to dwell in us”?  But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”  Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.  Be wretched and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom.  Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you.

1 Peter 5:5b-7  Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”  Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

 (All emphases are added).