Since the inception of the Church, evil men have sought to lead it. Even the Apostles had many run-ins with such false teachers, and warned that not only would they frequently spring up in the future, but that people would tolerate, and even seek them (e.g. 2 Timothy 4:1-5). For us, the faithful, God has this simple charge: "And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Ephesians 5:11). But to those workers of darkness who would pervert the Church, He says this: "But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, and will bring swift destruction on themselves." (2 Peter 2:1).
In our day and age, one of the most common teachings people's itching ears want to hear is that abortion is totally cool. If a woman wants an abortion, she should be allowed to have one, and it's nobody's business. We certainly shouldn't be lobbying the government to ban the practice. After all, we can't legislate morality, can we?
Those who say such daft things as "you can't legislate morality" obviously have no idea what legislation actually is. According to none other than God Himself, the government has a very important purpose. Let's open Romans 13 and see what the Good Lord would say about "you can't legislate morality":
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof."
Above is the entire chapter of Romans 13, which plainly tells us the purpose for which God raises up governments. Notice, first of all, their source of legitimacy is God. "For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God." If God does not legitimise a power, it is illegitimate. From this, we gain the answer to the question "what distinguishes government from mob?" Without God, the answer simply becomes "the government have bigger guns". But in the Christian faith, the answer is God's authority.
But pro-Lifers appear to have a problem here. "Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation." So should Christians living under a pro-abortion government really be making such an effort to change the law? There are many angles from which to approach this question, starting with the merciful answer that, at least in the U.S., doing so is entirely legal. The U.S. Constitution makes it illegal for even the government to act against lawful protests, to prevent religious expression, or to coerce people into voting for abominable practices to remain legal. Pro-life advocates do not have to resist the law, but rather can work safely within it, which will hopefully soon result in victory.
Furthermore, with the presumption that God is the source of legal authority, it makes no sense to suggest that such authorities can ever legitimately go against Him. To citizens unfortunate enough to live under evil governments, the answer is obey them normally, but when they promote, encourage, or command sin, we absolutely do not obey. We have Biblical precedent for this: "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins." (Acts 5:29-31).
We see, then, that the logical answer is obey God, even when the government doesn't. Think of it this way: Let's say a police officer approaches you. As a police officer, he has a lot of legitimate authority from the government for which he works as an enforcer. It is good for you to obey him. That is, unless he tells you to do something illegal. "Hey, here's a case full of illegal drugs. Go give them to that guy in the alleyway over there, then bring back the money he gives you." Do you engage in the drug deal because a cop told you, or do you walk away, and report the incident at the first opportunity?
The answer is fairly obvious. You obey the higher authority over the lower. Otherwise, the higher authority will punish you along with the lower. In the same way, when the government compels you to sin, disobey them, trust God to sort it out later. And believe me, He will sort it out. For the faithful, there is nothing God cannot repay a hundredfold. Many brethren have gone to their graves, only to continue into glory for His sake. We have been stoned, we have been burned, we have been fed to lions, we are not even immune to crucifixion. But every drop of blood was worth it.
But for the rulers themselves? Observe, Psalm 82: "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah. Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked. They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course. I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes. Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations."
As long as sinners reign on the earth, sin will be a regular feature even in organisations designed to punish sin. Nevertheless, God cannot, and will not, allow it to fly for long. When governments pervert justice, a grace period may well be assigned, but rest assured, judgement is coming. For the impenitent, that will be particularly unpleasant. Indeed, for many unjust rulers, the judgement has already begun. One law must be obeyed by even the most powerful of kings; the law of death. "...it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
But we don't even need to go outside of Romans 13 to see all of this, because even in Romans 13, Paul tells us this: "For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake."
It is clear, then, that it is well within the legitimate purview of government to step in and stop abortion. If it is the job of the government to be a terror to evil, a revenger to execute wrath upon evildoers, how could they not be a terror to abortionists? Paul himself hearkens back to the law, saying "Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet". Notice among these, "thou shalt not kill". Irony of ironies? Those who support abortion tend to also oppose capital punishment on the basis of "thou shalt not kill". The guilty? These should live. The innocent? These should be killed, paid for at taxpayers' expense, and we'll call it "healthcare".
But the correct understanding of "thou shalt not kill", as indeed is reflected in more modern translations, is "you shall not murder". Murder is defined as the intentional taking of innocent life. There are situations in which it is entirely permissible to take a life. Capital punishment carried out by a legitimate authority, soldiers on the field of battle, even a private citizen acting in self defence. Not included in the list of appropriate times to take a life is when a so-called doctor takes the life of a child who does not yet have the mental or physical capabilities to commit sin worthy of death. God hates the very hands of people who commit such crimes (Proverbs 6:16-17). The irony is, when you commit such bloodthirsty acts, God says you become worthy of such a punishment (Genesis 9:6). Since God wiped away impenitent sinners in a flood, He has declared that capital punishment is the appropriate response to crimes such as abortion.
So what does all of this tell us about "pro-choice pastors"? Put simply, it tells us that there is a contradiction in terms here. The Lord plainly tells us that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him (1 John 3:15), and since abortion is murder, any so-called pastor who supports it may as well scream "I am a child of the devil", for he is no more a child of God than the men who hung Jesus on a cross. I have no doubt in my mind, and nor should you, that if Christ were to speak to such false teachers, He would repeat His words recorded in John 8:44 "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."
Thus, it is prudent to say to all abortionists, be they corrupt rulers, wolves in shepherd's clothing, hypocrites of the Hippocratic oath, or sinner in the pews, repent. Abortion is the purest of evils, destroying the innocent without cause, and having the audacity to call it a good thing. Those who partake, directly or by word, are guilty of much innocent blood, and so only one thing can spare them an eternity of torment without rest: The innocent blood of Christ.