Right to Life Vs Right to Live
Christ’s ministry on Earth had a profound and transformative purpose: to teach us that we can have a personal relationship with God. His goal was not to establish a Christian government to legislate morality but to invite individuals into a journey of faith and transformation through free will. We can look into this through Christ’s teachings, the example of His ministry, and how we can reflect His priorities in our own lives.
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray, He included the phrase, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Luke 11:2-4). This prayer does not call for us to establish a theocratic government or to impose Christian ethics through legislation. Instead, it invites God’s reign into our hearts and lives, transforming us from the inside out. The kingdom of God is not about political structures but about spiritual renewal, as Paul reminds us: “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17).
The danger of conflating Christ’s mission with the establishment of laws is that it undermines the essence of free will. God created us with the ability to choose—to accept or reject Him—because true love and devotion cannot be coerced. As Jesus said, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). Notice the word “desires”: this is a choice, an invitation, not an imposition. Laws enforcing Christian behavior may compel outward compliance but cannot transform hearts or lead to salvation. Jesus’ mission was not about creating whitewashed tombs—people who appear righteous outwardly but are inwardly unchanged (Matthew 23:25-27).
To better understand this, let’s consider the abortion debate as an example. Many Christians advocate for laws banning abortion, believing this aligns with God’s will. While the desire to protect life is godly, legislating morality in this way often alienates nonbelievers. It shifts the focus from Christ’s message of grace and redemption to a legalistic framework that mirrors the Pharisees’ approach. The Pharisees, whom Jesus frequently rebuked, “tied up heavy loads that are grievous to carry, and laid them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them” (Matthew 23:4). The religious emphasis on rigid rules obscured the deeper truths of mercy, compassion, and justice.
Jesus’ interactions with sinners demonstrate His priorities. Consider the story of the woman caught in adultery (John 8:1-11). The Pharisees wanted to stone her, as the law of Moses commanded. Jesus, however, redirected their focus from the law to their own hearts, saying, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw the first stone at her” (John 8:7). One by one, they walked away, and Jesus told the woman, “Neither do I condemn you. Go your way. From now on, sin no more” (John 8:11). Jesus’ response was not to condone sin but to extend grace and invite transformation. This approach—meeting people where they are and leading them to repentance—is vastly different from imposing laws to regulate behavior.
Paul’s ministry further illustrates this point. His mission was to spread the gospel, not to create a Christian political system. When he addressed the Roman authorities, his aim was their salvation, not to rewrite their legislation. Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 9:22 encapsulate his strategy: “I have become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some.” He understood that faith is a matter of the heart, not something that can be legislated. His letters often emphasized grace over the law, reminding believers that “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13). Christ, likewise, cautioned the Ephesians (through John in Revelations 2:4-5) not to 'leave their first love,' but to 'repent and do their first works' - that is, to spread the Good News (Matthew 28:19) and love their neighbor (James 2:5).
The abortion debate—and any ethical question—ultimately comes down to this: Are we trying to legislate people into the kingdom of God, or are we inviting them to encounter Christ? The former approach risks driving people away from faith. Forcing Christian morals on nonbelievers can breed resentment and hypocrisy rather than inspiring genuine faith. As Jesus warned the enforcers of legalism, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens that are difficult to carry, and you yourselves won’t even lift one finger to help carry those burdens” (Luke 11:46).
Instead, our mission is to embody Christ’s love and draw people to Him. This means demonstrating mercy, compassion, and justice. It means recognizing that complex ethical issues like abortion cannot be resolved through legislation alone. Laws may serve a utilitarian purpose in society, but they are no substitute for the transformative power of the gospel.
The challenge for us is to live out our faith in a way that invites others to know Christ. This involves humility, recognizing that we do not have all the answers. It involves grace, offering love and support even to those who make choices we disagree with. It involves trust, believing that God’s Spirit is at work in ways we cannot see. As Paul wrote, “Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one” (Colossians 4:6).
Ultimately, Christ’s kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36). Our role is not to establish it through laws but to reflect it through our lives. When we focus on introducing others to the love and grace of Jesus, we participate in the great commission: to make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that He has commanded (Matthew 28:19-20). Let us strive to bring His kingdom to hearts, not to legislatures, trusting that God’s will shall be done in His time and His way.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible