上帝能够宽恕堕胎行为吗?(Can God Forgive Abortions?)

请注意:为了节省空间,这篇文章并不会包括脚注但会以星号做标志,你可以在兰迪阿尔科恩的写作 “为何亲近生命?”  《“Why Prolife?” by Randy Alcorn》中,第18章,102-107页查询有关资料。
上百万的男女,在社会及教会中,正在遭受堕胎所产生的愧疚煎熬之中。几乎五分之一接受堕胎的女性称自己为福音派的基督徒*。这就是说,在一百万的堕胎手术中,四分之一是在基督徒的身上进行的。许多属于这些孩子的父亲也是我们教会的一份子。
你如果是一个曾经接受堕胎的女性,或曾经劝告另一位接受堕胎,这一篇文章是为你而写的。你如果是一位曾经牵涉在一个堕胎抉择当中的男性 - 不管这关乎的是你的女朋友、妻子、女儿,或任何人,这也是为你而写的。
不处理愧疚的根源而试图消除愧疚感只会适得其反。别人或许会说,“你并没有做什么让你愧疚的事,” 但你心里有数。只有逃避现实才能让你避免愧疚感。每当某件事物让你想起你曾经怀过的孩子,逃避现实最终只会导致你情绪上的崩溃。对于你愧疚的问题,你需要一个永久、基于现实的解法,而不是一个伪装。
因为圣经给予那个解法,我将会引用圣经所说的。你可以请教你的牧师、女性团契小组的领导、一个基督徒的朋友或家人来帮助你理解以下的解释。
基督所成就的
好消息是上帝疼爱你,并且渴望宽恕你堕胎的行为,不管你当时是否知道你在做什么。但我们能为好消息而感恩之前,我们必须先知道坏消息是什么。坏消息就是,在道德上犯罪是真实的,我们全部的人都针对上帝犯了许多道德上的罪,而堕胎只不过是其中之一。“因为人人都犯了罪,亏缺了神的荣耀” (罗马书3:23)。
罪就是亏缺神圣洁的标准。它让我们与神隔绝(以赛亚书59:2)。罪欺骗我们,使我们误以为错的是对的,而对的是错的 (箴言14:12)。 “因为罪的工价就是死,但神的恩赏,在我们的主耶稣基督里,却是永生”(罗马书6:23)。
耶稣基督,神的儿子,是那么地爱我们,以至于祂成为了人类的一份子来拯救我们脱离罪恶的问题(约翰福音3:16)。祂在我们的软弱中体恤了我们,但不曾因我们的罪而受到玷污(希伯来书2:17-18,4:15-16)。依着上帝圣洁的标准,耶稣是唯一配得偿还我们罪恶代价的那位,而因此在十字架上赔上了性命(哥林多后书5:21)。祂从死亡中复活,击败了罪恶并战胜了死亡 (哥林多前书15:3-4,54-57)。
当基督在十字架上为我们而死的时候,祂说,“成了” (约翰福音19:30)。这“成了”的词汇在希腊文的翻译,是用来标记被取消的债务证明书上。它的意思就是 “已付全款”。基督的死是为了完全支付我们所欠的债务。
完全的宽恕
因为基督代我们在十字架上所成就的一切,上帝白白赐给我们宽恕和赦免。以下只不过是祂所赐给我们的一些东西:
他没有按着我们的罪过对待我们 
也没有照着我们的罪孽报应我们....
东离西有多远
他使我们的过犯离我们也有多远。
就如父亲怎样怜恤儿子,
耶和华也照样怜恤敬畏祂的人(诗篇103:10-14)。
我们若承认自己的罪, 神是信实的、公义的,必定赦免我们的罪,洁净我们脱离一切不义(约翰壹书1:9)
所以现在,那些在耶稣基督里的人就不被定罪了(罗马书8:1)。
一个不能赚取的赏赐
救恩是一个赏赐 - “你们得救是靠着恩典,藉着信心。这不是出於自己,而是神所赐的; 这也不是出於行为,免得有人自夸” (以弗所书2:8-9)。这赏赐是不能以自己的功劳赚取或争取的。它并不是靠着我们自己的功德或努力得来的,而是单靠耶稣为我们的牺牲。
神呈现给我们宽恕和永生的赏赐,但这不是自动属于我们的。为了拥有这赏赐,我们必须选择接受它。
你或许会想,“但经过我所做的这一切,我根本不配得宽恕。” 这是准确的。我们没有一个人应得宽恕。我们如果应得宽恕,就不需要被宽恕了。这就是恩典关键的含义。基督在十字架上遭受我们所应得的,好让我们得到我们所不配得的 - 一个无汙点的纪录,一个全新的开始。
一旦被宽恕,我们可以期待和基督及我们属灵的家人共享永生(约翰福音14:1-3;启示录20:11-22:6)。你可以期待在天国里被基督的宝血遮盖着而和你的亲人团聚,包括你在堕胎中所遗失的孩子(帖撒罗尼迦前书4:13-18)。
不需在过去的罪中徘徊
一个淫乱的女人在耶稣的脚前哭泣,又不住亲吻祂的脚,然后用自己的头发擦干。耶稣对一个正在批判她的旁观者说,“我告诉你,她许多罪都蒙赦免了,因为她的爱多” (路加福音7:47)。耶稣所给予我们每个人的就是同样的宽恕。
神不希望你因着自己堕胎的经历或任何其他罪行,以自我惩罚的心态度过你的人生。你所应该做的就是接受基督已为你赎罪的事实,而不是重复这赎罪的过程。耶稣曾对一个放荡的女人说,“你的罪赦免了。你的信救了你,平安地去吧” (路加福音7:47-50)。被社会排斥的女人到耶稣的跟前来,而祂以怜悯和宽恕接纳她们。
不管你曾经做了什么,没有任何一条罪能够超越神的恩典范围之外。祂已见识了我们最堕落的状态,却仍然爱着我们。祂宽恕的恩典是毫无止境的。而没有任何自由能够和宽恕所给予的自由相比。
你或许在认罪的当儿便立刻感觉自己被洁净了,或者觉得自己需要帮助去思考并了解这个过程。无论怎样,你已经是被宽恕了。你应该试着忘记过去所发生的,并且迈向一个基督已化为可能的美好未来(腓立比书3:13-14)。每当我们开始觉得自己没有被宽恕,就应当回到神的话语并提醒自己,和彼此,神所给予我们的宽恕。
参加一个堕胎术后关怀小组对你可以有很大的帮助。此外,也有专为女性和男性各别设计的堕胎术后查经课。你也可以利用网上的资源帮助你寻找你需要的支援小组。
随着宽恕后的正确选择
可以理解的是许多堕过胎的女性对这些人仍然怀着怨恨 - 曾利用并虐待她们的男性,曾对她们施压的父母,曾误导她们堕胎而导致孩子死亡的那些人。神要我们把祂所给予我们的宽恕延伸到其他人身上(马太福音6:14-15)。
你必须参与一个治疗性的群体,一个叫做教会的基督徒大家庭。(你若已经在教会的团契当中,请向一个人分享你堕胎的经验并寻求你所需要的具体帮助。)你或许因为你的过去而在基督徒当中觉得自我意识过剩。这是不应该的。一个真正以基督为中心的教会不是展示圣人的地方,而是罪人的医院。你不会因着基督已赦免的罪行而遭受批判及谴责。你所加入的群体和你同样是人,也同样不完美。大多数去教会的人并不是自以为义的人。那些自称为义的人值得我们的同情,因为他们不明白上帝的恩惠。
一个好的教会会教导圣经的真理,也会给予关爱、接纳、和你需要的支持。你若不能在你居住的地方找到这样的教会,请与我们的机构联系,我们将乐意帮助你。
一个你可以采取的行动就是试图去关心那些不想要胎儿的孕妇。神最终可以利用你的经历装备你去帮助别人并和她们分享神的爱。我和我的妻子有一些经历过堕胎的好友。透过她们的关爱和亲近生命的努力,她们给予了其他女性她们曾经渴望拥有的帮助。向他人诉说她们自己的故事不只救了孩子们的性命,避免母亲们遭受堕胎的痛苦,也帮助她们愈合了。这对你也可以有同样的果效。
若需要有关这题目更多的资料,请参阅兰迪阿尔科恩的写作 “为何亲近生命?” 《Why Prolife? by Randy Alcorn》。

Can God Forgive Abortions?

Please Note: In order to conserve space, footnotes are not included in this article but are marked with an asterisk and may be found in Why ProLife? by Randy Alcorn, Chapter 18, pages 102-107.

Millions of women and men, both in society and in the church, are suffering under the guilt of abortion. Nearly one out of five women getting an abortion identifies herself as an evangelical Christian.* This means a quarter of a million abortions are performed on Christians each year. Many of the fathers of these children are also part of our churches.

If you’re a woman who’s had an abortion, or advised another to have one, this chapter is for you. If you’re a man who’s been involved in an abortion decision—whether it concerned your girlfriend, wife, daughter, or anyone it’s also for you.

It’s counterproductive to try to eliminate guilt feelings without dealing with guilt’s cause. Others may say, “You have nothing to feel guilty about,” but you know better. Only by denying reality can you avoid guilt feelings. Denial sets you up for emotional collapse whenever something reminds you of the child you once carried. You need a permanent solution to your guilt problem, a solution based on reality, not pretense.

Because the Bible offers that solution, I will quote from it. Ask your pastor, women’s group leader, or a Christian friend or family member, to help you understand.

The Work of Christ

The good news is that God loves you and desires to forgive you for your abortion, whether or not you knew what you were doing. But before the good news can be appreciated, we must know the bad news. The bad news is there’s true moral guilt, and all of us are guilty of many moral offenses against God, of which abortion is only one. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Sin is falling short of God’s holy standards. It separates us from a relationship with God (Isaiah 59:2). Sin deceives us, making us think that wrong is right and right is wrong (Proverbs 14:12). “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

Jesus Christ, God’s Son, loved us so much that He became a member of the human race to deliver us from our sin problem (John 3:16). He identified with us in our weakness, without being tainted by our sin (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15-16). Jesus died on the cross as the only one worthy to pay the penalty for our sins demanded by God’s holiness (2 Corinthians 5:21). He rose from the grave, defeating sin and conquering death (1 Corinthians 15:3-4, 54-57).

When Christ died on the cross for us, He said, “It is finished” (John 19:30). The Greek word translated “it is finished” was written across certificates of debt when they were canceled. It meant “paid in full.” Christ died to fully pay our debt.

Full Forgiveness

Because of Christ’s work on the cross on our behalf, God freely offers us forgiveness. Here are just a few of those offers:

He does not treat us as our sins deserve 
or repay us according to our iniquities....
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him (Psalm 103:10-14).

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9).

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).

A Gift that Can’t be Earned

Salvation is a gift—”For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). This gift cannot be worked for, earned, or achieved. It’s not dependent on our merit or effort, but solely on Christ’s sacrifice for us.

God offers us the gift of forgiveness and eternal life, but it’s not automatically ours. In order to have the gift, we must choose to accept it.

You may think, “But I don’t deserve forgiveness after all I’ve done.” That’s exactly right. None of us deserves forgiveness. If we deserved it, we wouldn’t need it. That’s the point of grace. Christ got what we deserved on the cross, so we could get what we don’t deserve-a clean slate, a fresh start.

Once forgiven, we can look forward to spending eternity with Christ and our spiritual family (John 14:1-3; Revelation 20:11-22:6). You can look forward to being reunited in heaven with your loved ones covered by Christ’s blood, including the child you lost through abortion (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

No Need to Dwell on Past Sins

A promiscuous woman wept at Christ’s feet, kissed them, and wiped them with her hair. Jesus said to a judgmental bystander, “Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much” (Luke 7:47). Jesus offers the same forgiveness to all of us.

God doesn’t want you to go through life punishing yourself for your abortion or for any other wrong you have done. Your part is to accept Christ’s atonement, not to repeat it. Jesus said to an immoral woman, “Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Luke 7:47-50). Women rejected by society came to Jesus, and He welcomed them with compassion and forgiveness.

No matter what you’ve done, no sin is beyond the reach of God’s grace. He has seen us at our worst and still loves us. There are no limits to his forgiving grace. And there is no freedom like the freedom of forgiveness.

You may feel immediately cleansed when you confess your sins, or you may need help working through it. Either way, you’re forgiven. You should try to forget what lies behind and move on to a positive future made possible by Christ (Philippians 3:13-14). Whenever we start feeling unforgiven, it’s time to go back to the Bible and remind ourselves, and each other, of God’s forgiveness.

Joining a group for post-abortion healing can help you immensely. There are post-abortion Bible studies designed for women, and others for men. Many online resources can help you find the support group you need.*

Forgiveness Followed by Right Choices

Many women who’ve had abortions carry understandable bitterness toward men who used and abused them, toward parents who pressured them, and toward those who misled them into a choice that resulted in their child’s death. God expects us to take the forgiveness He’s given us and extend it to others (Matthew 6:14-15).

You need to become part of a therapeutic community, a family of Christians called a church. (If you’re already in a church, share your abortion experience with someone to get the specific help you need.) You may feel self-conscious around Christians because of your past. You shouldn’t. A true Christ-centered church isn’t a showcase for saints but a hospital for sinners. You won’t be judged and condemned for sins Christ has forgiven. The people you’re joining are just as human and just as imperfect as you. Most church people aren’t self-righteous. Those who are should be pitied because they don’t understand God’s grace.

A good church will teach the truths of the Bible, and will provide love, acceptance, and support for you. If you cannot find such a church in your area, contact our organization and we’ll gladly help you.

A healthy step you can take is to reach out to women experiencing unwelcome pregnancies. God can eventually use your experience to equip you to help others and to share with them God’s love. My wife and I have a number of good friends who’ve had abortions. Through their caring prolife efforts they’ve given to other women the help they wish someone had given them. Telling their stories has not only saved children’s lives, and mothers from the pain of abortion, but has helped bring healing to them. It can do the same for you.

For more information on this subject, see Randy Alcorn’s book Why ProLife?

Photo: Unsplash

Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of over sixty books and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries