What Does the Bible Say About Abortion, According to Got Questions?
The question of abortion is one of the most pressing moral issues of our time. For Christians, the ultimate authority must be the Bible. Got Questions, a popular Christian resource, addresses the subject of abortion from multiple angles [1][2][3][4][5][6]: what the Bible teaches about the sanctity of life, whether abortion is always sin, the impossibility of being both pro-choice and Christian, and why God’s commands regarding judgment in the Old Testament differ from the practice of abortion today. They also explore the meaning of difficult passages like Numbers 5:11–31, sometimes cited as an example of biblical abortion.
This article summarizes Got Questions’ perspective while pointing out both its strengths and areas that require fuller biblical and theological reflection.
1. The Bible and the Sanctity of Life
Got Questions consistently begins with the conviction that abortion is a matter of life and death.
Created in God’s image: Genesis 1:26–27 declares that human beings are made in the image of God. To take an innocent human life is to strike against that divine image.
Life begins in the womb: Psalm 139:13–16 and Jeremiah 1:5 emphasize that God forms and knows a person before birth. Life is not potential—it is present in the womb.
Abortion as murder: Because life begins before birth, abortion is seen as the unjust killing of an innocent human being, which the Bible condemns as murder (Exodus 20:13).
Got Questions grounds its answer in the Bible’s high view of life from conception onward.
2. Is Abortion Always Sin?
Got Questions acknowledges that most abortions today occur for reasons of convenience, economic stability, or personal preference. These are considered sinful because they place self-interest above God’s gift of life.
Heinous sin: Ending life for lifestyle choices is described as heinous in God’s eyes.
Rare exceptions: They note difficult cases such as ectopic pregnancy or when the mother’s life is directly at risk. In these tragic scenarios, the ethical decision is more complex. While they do not call such cases morally equivalent to elective abortion, they acknowledge them as situations requiring careful, prayerful consideration.
Moral clarity: Even with difficult cases, Got Questions maintains that the default biblical stance is clear: abortion rejects God’s sovereignty over life and death.
3. Why a Christian Cannot Be Pro-Choice
Another article argues strongly that it is inconsistent to claim Christ and simultaneously support abortion.
Incompatibility of views: A pro-choice position affirms the right to kill unborn children, directly opposing biblical teaching.
Transforming grace: Got Questions allows that some Christians may initially hold pro-choice views due to cultural influence, but insists that God’s Word and Spirit will renew their minds if they truly submit to Christ (Romans 12:2).
Witness of the church: To tolerate or promote abortion undermines the church’s testimony to the sanctity of life.
Thus, one cannot consistently be a Christian and remain pro-choice without rejecting or redefining biblical truth.
4. Why Abortion Differs from God’s Old Testament Commands
Some object that God Himself sometimes commanded Israel to destroy nations, including women and children (Deuteronomy 20:16–18; 1 Samuel 15:3). How, then, is abortion wrong if God at times sanctioned death? Got Questions responds with several points:
God’s prerogative: As the Creator, God has the right to give and take life. Humans, however, are forbidden to murder.
Judgment, not choice: God’s commands to Israel were acts of divine judgment against wicked nations, not human decisions of convenience. Abortion, by contrast, is a willful human act to end innocent life.
Holiness of God: These acts remind us of God’s holiness and justice, not a license for us to imitate.
This distinction preserves the Bible’s consistency: abortion is always wrong because it is murder committed by human choice, not divine judgment.
5. Strengths in Got Questions’ View
Got Questions provides a strong biblical grounding for a pro-life stance. They rightly emphasize:
The sanctity of life from conception.
The seriousness of abortion as murder.
The incompatibility of pro-choice ideology with biblical Christianity.
Additional emphasis for consideration:
Covenant perspective: While they highlight God’s image, note how the covenant with Abraham, fulfilled in Christ, frames children as blessings and heritage (Genesis 17:7; Psalm 127:3).
Gospel hope: Conversations about abortion can be heavy on condemnation but light on redemption. The Gospel proclaims forgiveness for those who have sinned, including abortion, through Christ’s blood (1 John 1:9).
Eschatological hope: Abortion is connected to the larger biblical story: one day, death itself will be destroyed (1 Corinthians 15:26). This places abortion within the cosmic conflict between life and death, ultimately resolved in Christ’s victory.
Conclusion
According to Got Questions, the Bible clearly teaches that abortion is the wrongful taking of innocent life. It violates the image of God, rejects the covenant blessing of children, and cannot be squared with true Christianity. While critics point to Old Testament judgments or Numbers 5, these do not provide biblical justification for abortion.
Yet beyond the debate lies the deeper truth of the Gospel: sin, even abortion, can be forgiven at the cross. The hope of the Christian faith is not merely opposition to abortion, but the proclamation of life—life in Christ now and life eternal in the coming kingdom of God.
Bible verses related to Abortion
Genesis 1:27 – “So God created man in his own image… male and female he created them.”
Exodus 20:13 – “You shall not murder.”
Psalm 139:13 – “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.”
Jeremiah 1:5 – “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.”
Deuteronomy 30:19 – “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life.”
Luke 1:41 – “The baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 12:2 – “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”
1 John 1:9 – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 Corinthians 15:26 – “The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”
Revelation 21:4 – “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more.”
