Abundant Life with Jesus? Guess Who is Excluded!

[Nic Samojluk]

You might be aware that during the month of August, the main topic of Pastor Randy Robert’s sermons at the Loma Linda University Church was the abundant life Jesus promised to his followers. An abundant life seems to have been the main purpose for Jesus’ earthly mission, because he declared:

“The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” [John 10:10]

Sometimes we think that this abundant life Jesus promised is for the future life with him following his Second Coming in the clouds of heaven in order to take us to his eternal home in heaven; nevertheless, it seems that this abundant life is meant to begin here and now.

“I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.” [Mark 10:29-30]

How do we know that this abundant life begins here and now? Because Jesus told us that this eternal life is the result of our knowledge of Jesus Christ, and this knowledge begins the moment we believe.

“And this is the way to have eternal life--to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.” [John 17:3]

This is confirmed by the following statement made by the Lord following the healing of the invalid at the Pool of Bethesda:

"I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life.” [John 5:24]

The Opinion of Jesus

Let’s take a closer look at the text we cited at the beginning. Who is included in this reference by the Lord? The context indicates that Jesus was talking about human beings.

“The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” [John 10:10]

So my question is: Are the babies who have not been born yet entitled to this abundant life which the Lord promised to his followers? Do they belong within the category of human beings? If they do, how can they enjoy this abundant life if we deprive them of life before they have had the chance to see the light of day?

The answer to the question I stated depends on who we go to in search for an answer. Some experts argue that the size of a human being is an important factor in deciding who is entitled to this abundant life. They tell us that the unborn is too little to have a right to life, and much less a right to an abundant life. So let us consider whether the little ones have an entitlement to the abundant life promised by the Lord:

“In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father's will that even one of these little ones should perish.” [Matthew 18:14]

"See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” [Matthew 18:10]

Evidently Jesus was greatly concerned about the rights of the little ones, and in fact he told us that in the final judgment our eternal destiny will hinge on the way we have treated the “little ones” or the “least of these.”

“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” [Matthew 25:37-40]

The question is: Do the unborn babies qualify to be described as the “least of these”? The above text indicates that Jesus identified with the least. Could it be that when we dismember the tiny body of an unborn baby by pulling their arms and legs from the baby’s torso and when we crush its tiny head we are actually mistreating the Lord?

The Opinion of Some Adventist Leaders

Now let us contrast what Jesus said with what some of our Adventist experts are now saying. I will start with a well known former Adventist leader:

On August 20, 1990, The Pacific Union Recorder published an article written by John V. Stevens Sr., the Pacific Union Conference Public Affairs/Religious Liberty Director, titled Abortion Answers and Attitudes, in which he adamantly defended the women's right to abortion. His arguments were mainly based on human freedom. I will insert here a few quotes to illustrate his position:

“The best example is Christ who chose to die in order to restore that freedom lost through sin so that all can choose to mold their own destiny. Christ valued choice over life.”

“Every human being, created in the image of God, is endowed with a power akin to the Creator--individuality, power to think and to do. (Education, page 170) This takes place after birth, when the developing baby becomes a person.”

Sixteen Years Later, John Stevens was still defending the practice of abortion with the same arguments; and in doing this, he reflects the thinking of many leaders, as well as lay people, in the SDA Church, as evidenced by the official document titled, Guidelines on Abortion. Recently, in the March 1, 2006 of the same SDA publication, he stated the following under the Title: “Abortion Commandment?”

“Many people view abortion as killing, therefore a Ten Commandments issue. However, nowhere in Scripture are we told that abortion is a crime, or killing, or even a sin.”

Now let’s listen to what another renowned Adventist leader stated in connection with the legalization of abortion by the State of Hawaii four centuries ago:

“On March 17, 1970, Neal C. Wilson, the President of the North American Division made a public statement announcing that the church would neither promote nor support the legalization of abortion, with the following clarification: Though we walk the fence, SDAs lean towards abortion rather than against it. Because we realize we are confronted with big problems of hunger and over-population, we do not oppose family planning and appropriate endeavors to control population. [35] On May of the same year the General Conference officers approved the Suggestive Guidelines for Therapeutic Abortions, but the plan to submit this to a vote by the 1970 General Conference session was dropped. [George Gainer, The Wisdom of Solomon? Spectrum 19/4 (May 1989): 38-46.]

And here is the opinion of a well known Adventist evangelist named Kevin D. Paulson. Here is a paragraph from an article he sent to me in which he defends the practice of killing unborn babies.

“Some Adventists seem to be forgetting this. Many are forming opinions about abortion, not from the study of Scripture or the Spirit of Prophecy writings, but from listening to popular Christian leaders like James Dobson, Tim LaHaye, Franky Schaeffer, and Bill Gothard. Sincere though they may be, these men espouse many theological errors and have no understanding of God's truth for this time.” [http://sdaforum.com/page247.html

You can read his elaborate arguments in defense of the practice of abortion by clicking on the Internet link I provided above.

What is your Personal Opinion?

Who should we trust, Jesus or these Adventist leaders? Abortion is a profitable business, and some Adventist physicians have become millionaires thanks to the current open season for the extermination of innocent unborn babies. A few years ago it was reported in our official “Ministry” magazine that five of our Adventist hospitals were offering ELECTIVE abortions to their patients.

Of course, “elective” means that there no evidence of any abnormality in the unborn baby. The only reason for the killing is that the woman is faced with an unwanted pregnancy and is not willing to carry it to term. What do you think? Should the killing of innocent babies continue in some of our Adventist hospitals? Jesus said:

“The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” [John 10:10]

When we engage in the destruction of human life, aren’t we doing the work of the one described in the Bible as the one who has been “a murderer from the beginning?