How the South Dakota Abortion Law Destroys the Gospel

by
Neal Horsley

(Christian Gallery News Service, October 23, 2006) The pro-life movement in this nation has been working for years to make the law passed in South Dakota outlawing abortion the mechanism through which legalized abortion would be abolished in the USA. As this article proves, what began as an attempt to outlaw abortion has become an instrument Satan is using to destroy the gospel. This result is occurring because in the language used within the South Dakota law, an image of God the Father is created that is different from the image conveyed in Holy Scripture.  Since anything that distorts the image of God the Father also distorts the image of God the Son because they are One, and since anything that distorts the image of God the Son necessarily distorts the good news--the gospel--about the Son, then the end result of the South Dakota law is to create a different gospel than the one taught in Holy Scripture. In short, the pro-life movement is bringing to the USA another gospel.

Galatians 1:8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

Obviously this article is no ordinary communication exercise.  To prove the accusation made in the introductory paragraph, an analysis of both what Scripture teaches about the gospel as well as the language of the South Dakota law will be required.  But even though this will entail extraordinary effort on the part of the reader, the risks of avoiding this message far outweigh the cost because no cost is too great to pay to avoid being cursed by God.

For those who believe the Bible to be the truth, there is nothing that a person can be accused of that is more threatening than to be accused of teaching another gospel. However one defines the word, it has to be a horrible thing to be accursed.  It is a sign of our times that not only can the leaders of the pro-life movement in this nation be accused of teaching another gospel, incontrovertible evidence can be presented that proves they are doing this. But what makes this story absolutely historic in importance is the fact that exactly the same charges and evidence that can be leveled against the leaders of the pro-life movement can be leveled against the leaders of every Christian group in this nation who claims to believe that unborn babies are human beings created in the image of God.

I know this accusation is so sweeping as to be on its surface apparently impossible to believe. But look around you today. Do you see a world that is disintegrating as each day passes? Do you see people who are going from decadence to decadence? Do you see anything happening to turn that cycle around? Do you see anything in sight that has the power to arrest their descent into hell? If you see those things, then is it not possible such massive disintegration can be explained by a breakdown of historic proportions among those who inherited the responsibility to help a lost and dying world understand the gospel? Is it not possible that the disintegration you see can be explained as a result of the destruction of the gospel?

If you know the power that the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was supposed to bring to the world, then it is logical to see that a massive meltdown in the world can be traced to a breakdown in the gospel that is being taught in this world.

This article defines and documents exactly how that gospel meltdown has occurred.

The Beginning of the Gospel

You can begin to see the evidence that proves the accusation leveled here when you see that the gospel begins with a message about God the Father.

Paul, the same man who said one who brought another gospel would be accursed, tells all of the world about the beginning of the gospel in a revealing section in Acts 17.  There we are given a picture of how the Apostle Paul went about explaining the gospel to pagan unbelievers, people who knew little about the God of Abraham. Read those passages and you will see how the Apostle Paul made his presentation of the gospel begin with an explanation of the relationship God the Father has with every person who has ever been created on earth.

In Acts 17, Paul explains it this way: "24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. 30And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

Look at the passage and you will see that Paul has just presented the gospel to the people of Athens gathered there in the Aereopagus with him. You can easily see that Paul is presenting the gospel because he concludes his message with these words, "31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

Every Christian knows who Paul is referring to when he talks about the "that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

"That man" is the Lord Jesus Christ. And the end of the gospel, the end of the good news, is there is a way that God has given assurance unto all men...if they will believe the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Can you see that the message about the good news about the Lord Jesus Christ does not, and cannot, make sense unless we also understand the good news that Paul defines at the beginning of his gospel sermon, the good news about God the FAther? See for yourself.

The gospel, the good news, begins with a message about God the Father.

According to the Apostle Paul, the beginning of the gospel is this: "And [God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring."

The good news about God the Father is clear if we break down each section of Paul's statement:

1. Each and every person on earth is His offspring. He is the Father of all people: "([God] hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth...For we are also his offspring)."

2. God chooses the time and place where each and every person is to be born and where they are to live: "([God] hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation.)"

3. God wanted every person to know this about Him so that they would know He was their Father and this knowledge would move them to reach out to get to know Him: "(That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him...)."

4. God makes it so that people can get to know Him as He is because He locates Himself as close to people as it is possible to be: "(...though he be not far from every one of us: 28For in him we live, and move, and have our being)."

Now it is necessary to point out one source of great confusion that has occurred in the history of the church and that is still prevalent today.  A few commentators have interpreted this passage of Paul to be a message about the way God the Father deals with nations, rather than with each and every individual human being.  While this is nowhere near the consensus interpretation, it is necessary to clearly refute it because it obscures the message Paul is trying to send about the gospel.

It seems to me decisive in what God is saying through Paul in that Acts 17 passage, when we see that in v. 27 Paul says God is "not far from every one of us."  By bringing the message to the "one" of us--each individual person ever born--Paul makes it clear that God wants each and every person to know that God the Father not only chose the time and place where they would be born and chose whether they would be born dead or alive, and He did this so that each and every person would know enough about God to want to get to know all there was to know about Him.

Is that good news?  Certainly it is.  What could be better than to know that the Creator of all life and space and time wanted to have a personal individual relationship with you?  Not you in the abstract corporate sense but the you that carries your unique fingerprints and DNA signature.  That is the beginning of the gospel.

At some level, even people who do not believe there is such a Being out there as the One Paul described, if they were honest with themselves, would confess that in theory at least it would be very helpful to have access to such a Being. Who could deny that it would be great to be the child of One who has the power to create every person who has ever lived, and who has the power to decide the moment they are to be born and where they are to live for all their lives? A relationship with such a Being would mean access to literally infinite power. Who could deny that, in theory at least, such access would be a great thing?

Of course if it is understood that such a Being does not exist, theory and speculation about such a relationship would be a waste of time.

But to Paul, there was no theory involved in the message he brought to the people of Athens. He knew for a fact that he had a relationship with such a Being, and he knew it because that Being had shown Paul that Jesus Christ was raised from the grave, was in fact, with Paul as the Spirit of Christ. And it was all those things added together that Paul understood to be the good news, the gospel, that he was supposed to try to tell every person on earth.

And that was the gospel that Paul brought not only to the people of Athens but to every person he ever talked to. The Acts 17 passage shows us a picture that is a model for every gospel message that Paul ever brought. In other places in the Bible where Paul talks about the gospel, he might have expanded or amplified the message he brought in Athens, but there is no basis for thinking that Paul ever omitted any of the points he made there in the Aereopagus when he talked to all the rest of the people he taught as the Apostle Paul, the Apostle of the gentiles.

If you will look at the message Paul brought there in Athens, you will see that the good news he delivered hinged on the fact that each and every person, whether Jew of Gentile, male or female, young or old, was the offspring of a God who chose the time and place where they were to be born, a God who chose whether they were to be born dead or alive. Paul clearly stated that no other god had that power. The Apostle Paul clearly stated that God wanted people to know this about Him so that people would reach out get to know Him. And the Apostle Paul clearly stated that God wanted people to get to know Him because God had done something in raising Christ Jesus from the grave that would cause people to become sure that the God who was their Father in the beginning, the God who made them His offspring, had a way for them to live forever in His Presence.

Now think with me about what happens when it is made to appear to the world that that God has delegated to another power the decision about whether a person is to be born dead or alive.  This is not a matter of mere speculation.  Something has happened in the USA that makes it appear to any reasonable person that God has delegated the responsibility to be the exclusive decision maker about whether a person is born dead or alive to another person.

HOW THE SOUTH DAKOTA LAW DESTROYS THE GOSPEL BY MAKING IT APPEAR GOD IS WILLING TO GRANT TO THE COURTS OF MAN THE RIGHT TO DECIDE WHO IS BORN DEAD OR ALIVE

To see how the South Dakota abortion law creates another gospel, it is necessary to listen to the words in the law and see what those words say about God the Father. (The law is only four pages long and you can read it in pdf format here).

The South Dakota abortion law (it's called the Women's Health and Human Life Protection Act) states, "...that life begins at the time of conception...that to fully protect the rights, interests, and health of the pregnant mother, the rights, interest, and life of her unborn child, and the mother's fundamental natural intrinsic right to a relationship with her child, abortions in South Dakota should be prohibited. Moreover, the Legislature finds that the guarantee of due process of law under the Constitution of South Dakota applies equally to born and unborn human beings, and that under the Constitution of South Dakota, a pregnant mother and her unborn child, each possess a natural and inalienable right to life."

The law continues, "No person may knowingly administer to, prescribe for, or procure for, or sell to any pregnant woman any medicine, drug, or other substance with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of an unborn human being. No person may knowingly use or employ any instrument or procedure upon a pregnant woman with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of an unborn human being."

And finally the law prescribes the penalty for those who break the law, "Any violation of this section is a Class 5 felony."

As you can see, the South Dakota law looks at first glance like it is designed to uphold the idea that God the Father is the only one with the right to decide who is to be born dead or alive. The law seems to be designed to defend that idea that each person at the moment of conception is to be understood to be under the protection of God the Father, and Him alone.

But when you read the rest of the law, you can see that the South Dakota law actually has another meaning, actually sends a different message entirely.

Section 10 and 11 of the law demonstrate this point:

"Section 10. If any court of law enjoins, suspends, or delays the implementation of a provision of this Act, the provisions of sections 6 to 9, inclusive, of this Act are similarly enjoined, suspended, or delayed during such injunction, suspension, or delayed implementation."
"Section 11. If any court of law finds any provision of this Act to be unconstitutional, the other provisions of this Act are severable. If any court of law finds the provisions of this Act to be entirely or substantially unconstitutional, the provisions of §§ 34-23A-2, 34-23A-3, 34-23A-4, and 34-23A-5, as of June 30, 2006, are immediately reeffective."

Do you see what the law actually does? While on the surface the words in the law appear to be designed to proclaim the beginning of the gospel, that God the Father conceives all human beings and from the moment of conception has a plan for that individual that involves being the only One with the Right to decide whether that person is born dead or alive, lives or dies. But when you read section 10 and 11, you see that the law is actually saying that everything the law proclaims is contingent upon approval by the Court system in the United States of America.

In other words, the South Dakota law says that each person has the right to due process of the law from the moment of conception and any person who violates that law is guilty of a crime unless the courts of the United States of America rule otherwise.

It is right there that we can see how the South Dakota law destroys the gospel. The gospel does not begin with the message that God the Father intends for each person to know that God is the One who decides when and where they are born and whether or not they are born alive if the people on this planet agree to let Him have that power.

The gospel proclaims that God so loved the people he conceives that He guarantees their right to live with Him as long as they treat Him like God the Father deserves to be treated. That is the beginning of the gospel.

Now obviously there is a lot more that has to be said before anyone can have enough information to see the whole gospel message.

But the point being examined here is whether or not the gospel can exist in the form the Apostles delivered it if the beginning of the gospel is changed to a different message than the one taught by the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The South Dakota law clearly states that the message about the rights of unborn babies can be nullified and made of absolutely no effect if any court in the nation refuses to allow the law to stand. That is what is clearly and precisely stated in Sections 10 and 11.

Do you see that this message not only contradicts what the Apostle Paul said about God the Father but it also directly contradicts what the founding fathers of the USA said in the Declaration of Independence when they stated that The Creator endowed all men with the Right to Life?

THE PRESENT PRO-LIFE LEADERS ERROR IS A MIRROR IMAGE OF THE ANCIENT CHURCH LAPSI

The cost to this nation in citizens is literally nothing when compared to the cost to this nation in people's ability to hear, understand and believe the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  All you have to do is look at the history of the Church and you will see what Christians have been willing to pay in the past to avoid confusing people about God the Father's desire to be seen to be the only One on earth with the right to decide who is born dead or alive.

In most respects, the pro-life movements decision to allow the courts of this nation to think they have the right to overrule the rights of unborn babies exactly parallels the decision of Christians in the ancient Church who, when confronted by a choice of whether to treat Caesar like he was God or to deny Caesar that message, chose to bow before Caesar and proclaim him Lord.

It is no exaggeration to make this comparison. Christians in Caesar's day were forced to decide whether Caesar had the right to be seen to be the only power on earth who was authorized to decide who lived or who died, and the conditions under which life and death would occur. Some Christians understood that to bow before Caesar was to deny what they understood about God the Father; namely, that all power and all authority came from Him and it was only as earthly powers operated in harmony with the will of God that they were authorized to be obeyed by those who are in Christ Jesus.

Of course, there were other Christians who decided that it was necessary to compromise with Caesar under the conditions extant in the ancient Church. And the conditions were certainly those that reasonable people would seriously consider compromising with.

If Christians did not proclaim Caesar as Lord, they would be killed. But not just killed; they would be tortured with torture unspeakable and obscene to the utmost degree imaginable by evil minds utterly surrendered to the spirit of murder.

As history records, many, perhaps even the vast majority of Christians, proclaimed Caesar to be Lord.

History has a name for those Christians. Lapsi. The Lapsed.

History records that the Christians who bowed to Caesar lapsed from the defense of the faith that was their clearly stated duty, lapsed from preaching the gospel and became agents of another gospel.

What was the other gospel the Lapsi began to demonstrate? That those Christians who cooperated with Caesar would be able to enjoy all the benefits and virtues of those who are in Christ Jesus and, at the same time, enjoy all the multitude of blessings of peace and prosperity that came to those who were loyal and obedient citizens of the Roman Empire. And, according to this other gospel, all that was required to enjoy all these blessings was to proclaim Caesar Lord, giving him the authority to believe he was the only one on earth authorized to be responsible for deciding who has the right to live, and who must be the one to die.

History tells us the Lapsi were accursed. In fact as the loyal followers of the Lord Jesus Christ who defended the gospel by refusing to act like Caesar was Lord were forced to go underground, even to the point of worshipping in caves and subterranean complexes, the Lapsi grew in numbers until the Roman Empire was filled with their churches. Only problem was they had no more access to the power of the Holy Spirit than the most common mass murderer. They received the rain God gave to the just and unjust alike, but that was all. They grieved and quenched the Holy Spirit so that their state was worse off than if they had never thought about being Christians at all. It was worse because they were surrounded by teachers who pretended to be true Christians but were actually Lapsi charlatans preaching another gospel than the one handed down by the Apostles. It was worse because they had quenched the Holy Spirit.

Generation after generation the Lapsi raised their children to bow to Caesar. Generation after generation the Lapsi confused the world about the gospel, leaving it up to an oppressed and often martyred minority to hold on to the gospel handed down by the Apostles through the power of the Holy Spirit. Until, finally, Caesar became a Christian himself. And he allowed all the underground Christians to come out in the open. And the people saw that those Christians had the power of the Holy Spirit because they had preserved the true gospel that began with a wonderful message about God the Father. How He had ways to protect His children even when they died the most horrible deaths imaginable, even when thousands of them had taken up their cross and followed the Lord Jesus Christ to their own personal Golgotha.

And the world realized that all those Christians who had been going to all those Caesar approved Christian churches had not had the gospel at all but had been teaching another gospel all along.

Do you see the parallel between the ancient Church Lapsi and the pro-life Christians who wrote the South Dakota abortion law?

The pro-life leaders boldly proclaimed that the unborn child has rights from the moment of conception, rights that are exactly like the rights every born citizen of the USA is endowed with. Then, after issuing that bold proclamation, the Lapsi pro-lifer says in effect,"that is, unless you the courts say otherwise. In that case, we will accept your word as the word of Truth, your will as the will that guides us on earth."

That is exactly what the ancient church Lapsi were saying to Caesar when they bowed before him and proclaimed him as lord. They were saying we will boldly proclaim the gospel handed down to us as loyal servants of the Lord Jesus Christ, "that is, unless, you, Caesar, disagree. Then we will do what you tell us to do, say what you tell us to say."

For three decades Christians in the USA have been walking the road once tread by the people in the ancient church. We have been surrounded by a federal government that has usurped what once was proclaimed in this nation to be the exclusive right of God the Father; namely the right to define murder and the other laws and the punishment that was to meted to those who broke God's laws. In this generation, the federal government has usurped the role of God in this nation to the extent that the government is now teaching all the citizens of this nation that they have the right to believe anything they want to believe about God. This insurrection against God has even gone to the extent that the federal government has delegated its power to decide who lives and who dies to individual mothers who have been given the right to kill their own unborn child if the child is seen to be a source of inconvenience sufficient to require the death penalty.

And what have most Christians decided to do?

The South Dakota abortion law shows what this generation of Christians have decided to do. We have decided to defend the idea that God the Father gives the right to all people He conceives as long as the federal government, through the agency of the courts, does not tell us to do otherwise. As the South Dakota law so eloquently states, "If any court of law finds any provision of this Act to be unconstitutional, the other provisions of this Act are severable. If any court of law finds the provisions of this Act to be entirely or substantially unconstitutional, the provisions of §§ 34-23A-2, 34-23A-3, 34-23A-4, and 34-23A-5, as of June 30, 2006, are immediately reeffective."

In other words, if the Court disagrees, we roll over and act like everything we were saying about the rights of the unborn was simply not true, or if true, not important enough to get in trouble with the courts over.

And right there we see the reaction of the Lapsi. Right there we see the decision to allow the courts of this nation to define the model of God that we Christians will bow down and treat as true.

TODAY'S CHRISTIAN ORTHODOXY

The pattern of behavior described in this article has become today's Christian orthodoxy.  We, the present generation of Christians in the USA, have become the New Lapsi.  And as the Lapsi of old we have enjoyed all the fruits of peace and prosperity provided by the Empire of this world.  But in the process we have been willing to tolerate the sacrifice of so many millions of God's children that if we actually reaped what we have sown in dead human beings we would see perhaps 30% of the people in this nation destroyed before the eyes of the remaining 70%.

Do you think the Living God is going to leave us with no other response except to wait to reap what we have sown? 

I pray not.  I pray as fervently as I know how that the One who said Let there be light will say Let there be repentance unto good works that will be meet for the gospel.

Will you join us in that prayer?  If so, you have joined the South Dakota Offensive.

Please let us hear from  you today.

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