You Can't Lose the Right to Choose - Part 1

I overheard a conversation in which a few of my friends were discussing how words and symbols that once had innocent or godly meanings are now used to represent various forms of ungodliness.  Take the rainbow, for instance.  God created the rainbow as a reminder that He would never again cover the earth with a flood as He did in Noah’s day.  Today, instead of this symbol reminding us of God’s promise, it is widely recognized as a symbol of lesbianism. 

A similar misrepresentation of words and symbols has infiltrated the abortion movement. What comes to your mind when you hear the words, “pro-choice?”  Do you think of someone who advocates the right to choose?  Or do you think of someone who supports abortion?  In this day and time, the term “pro-choice” automatically brings to mind someone who advocates abortion.  “Choice” or the “right to choose” has now been misconstrued and reduced to a term that is equated with murder.

To get a better understanding of what many people are aggressively, yet blindly defending, let’s take a look at the origin of “choice.”  Where did our right to choose originate?  Who gave women the right to choose?  Was it the Supreme Court in its high and lofty role when it made the decision to legalize abortion in 1973?  Did Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood, give women this special ability? Was it the National Organization of Women or another feminist group?  Was it the result of women fighting and picketing like they did for the right to vote?

To all of the aforementioned, no.  The right to choose, not how it has been redefined in this age, but in its purest sense is a gift given to mankind, both men and women, by God Himself and was exercised by the first-formed man and woman in the Garden of Eden.  Yes, contrary to what many may believe, God is pro-choice.  Please understand that I said God is pro-choice, not pro-abortion.  In and of itself, pro-choice just means “for choice.” 

God in His infinite wisdom gave us what no other earthly creature possesses--a free will. Unlike the rest of creation, we humans do what we do because we choose to, not because of some basic instinct or urge.   Despite widespread claims of the “I can’t help its,” we all have the right and the ability to make choices.  This right and ability originated with the Lord.

He is sovereign and powerful, so it would have been an effortless task for Him to make us automatons with no other desire than doing His will, His way.  But the pattern He chose from which to make us is His image and likeness, and this pattern includes a free will.  He desires worshippers who worship Him because they choose to, not because they have to. We, as human beings, know that love and commitment is far sweeter when it flows to us out of hearts that willingly choose to love, as opposed to being coerced.  God certainly desires no less.

His desire for willing worshippers is seen in Joshua 24:15, where Joshua, the leader of Israel, set this ultimatum before the people:

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

This desire can also be seen in the ultimatum presented to Israel by the prophet Elijah in I Kings 18:21:

And Elijah came unto all the people and said, How long halt ye between two opinions?  If the Lord be God, follow him:  but if Baal, then follow him.  And the people answered him not a word.

His stance on choice is also seen with angels.  He created them, but in doing so, He also gave them the freewill to choose whether or not to serve Him.  Eventually, one-third of the angels in heaven exercised their freewill to rebel against God, pledging their allegiance to Satan and joining him in his fall.

Deuteronomy 30 further confirms the fact that God is pro-choice.  Verse 15 says,

See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.

Then, verse 19 says,
I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing;

In these two verses of scripture, God is setting before His people a list of options from which they can choose:  life, death, blessing, evil and cursing.   In doing this, He is allowing them to exercise their ability to choose the direction of their lives.
Thus, we do not possess the right to choose because our country’s government passes a law giving us that right.  We will always have the ability to exercise choice regardless of what the government does because God created us with this wonderful ability.  So, please understand this one important point:  Laws banning abortion do not take away a woman’s right to choose.Continued in part 2 . . .