Another week is upon us here at the Ask Pastor John podcast and we start the week on a somber note Rodrigo from Brazil writes in to ask of this Pastor John Hello, I've seen your effort to combat the terrible abortion policy that has literally ripped apart thousands of precious lives Jesus says let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these So my question is do aborted babies go to heaven Even not having the chance to be born and to piggyback on this question in recent online debates Critics of the pro-life movement say that if aborted babies do go to heaven Then why is abortion really a big deal in the end for Christians?

What would you say Pastor John? Well, I have argued numerous times that infants who die Do go to heaven and the articles and sermons can be found at Desiring God by simply searching to infants who die go to heaven I do believe they are in a sinful condition when they die.

I don't believe Believe that they're saved because there's no original sin. That's not what I'm arguing My view is not based on how cute or innocent they are It's based largely on God's apparent commitment to a kind of public justice in which He makes the rejection of observable evidences of truth the basis for his final condemnation Romans 1 20, but that's that's not what I'm arguing for now in this answer I'm just going to assume that Rodrigo can go to The website and get more on that.

I'm gonna tackle. Why would you oppose abortion? If you thought you were sending many many babies wonderfully to heaven To put it the way Rodrigo put it in recent online debates critics of pro-life say if aborted babies go to heaven Then why is abortion really a big deal in the end for Christians?

And my answer is it is a big deal for six reasons at least Number one, it's a big deal to kill babies in the womb because murder is a big deal We know it's a big deal because the reason capital punishment was inaugurated by God after the flood Was because of how big a deal it is to murder someone Who's in the image of God?

Genesis 9 6 whoever sheds the blood of man by man shall his blood be shed for God made Man in his own image. That's what makes it such a big deal. You don't kill Beings uniquely created in the image of God number two It's a big deal to kill the unborn to try to justify murder by the heavenly destination of of the one being murdered because the same Justification could be used for a one-year-old or a two-year-old who are incapable still of processing and construing God's revelation.

So if Christians were to buy the argument sure, that's fine you can go ahead and take the lives of of Infants in the womb because they're gonna go to heaven then we can just go around kill all the one-year-olds and guarantee they go To heaven kill all the two-year-olds and guarantee that they go to heaven and and we'll draw the line maybe around I don't know three or four.

That's a horrific Position to take and is it a big deal number number three? It's a big deal to justify murder that way by the heaven-bound Destination of the one being murdered because the same thing would be used in to justify killing Christians Let's just let's go out and convert people then kill them quick before they can commit apostasy or backsliding it's a Horrible logic number four.

It's a big deal to kill those who committed no crime Just in order to dispatch them to heaven because the Bible addresses this very kind of twisted thinking When it says shall we sin that grace may abound? In other words somebody was trying to use the logic against Paul that Grace would abound wherever sin abounds.

And so well goodness gracious. Let's do some more sin and Paul Responded shall we do evil that good may come God forbid. So his answer is no. No, it's it is a wrong Logic to sin in order that some good might come from it. We're dealing with God here.

Not just pragmatics Number five it is a big deal because life on earth is good and wonderful It is a right thing to want to be alive on the earth and the Apostle Paul when he weighed dying and going to be with Jesus and Staying alive and serving the church.

He opted to stay alive. Here's what he wrote For to me to live as Christ and to die as gain If I'm to live in the flesh that means fruitful labor for me at which I shall choose. I cannot tell I'm hard-pressed Between the two my desire is to depart and be with Christ for that is far better Okay, so that that would you well then just choose death for goodness sakes, but he says verse 24 but to remain in the flesh is More necessary on your account Convinced of this.

I know I will remain and Continue with you all for your progress and joy in faith So it is far better He says to be with Christ in one sense if it's just me and my sufferings that are being taken into account Please Lord, I would rather be home But if I take into account my ministry my relationships the good I might do in glorifying God and serving People for the season that he gives me here on the earth Larger purposes are in mind and we ought not to to take that a possibility away from anyone So if there's an unborn person, we shouldn't say oh, well, they get to go to heaven So don't give them any chance to serve God on the earth that that doesn't follow from biblical Reasoning and lastly it's a big deal because it is presumption to step into God's place and Try to make the assignments to heaven and to hell God is the judge not us our duty is to obey God not play God So yes, babies do go to heaven I believe and no don't kill them because they're in the image of God and because earth is their home on the way to heaven and Rightly, so and because we are not God Amen, very good.

Thank you pastor John and tomorrow We return to the abortion topic and talk about whether or not Christians can in good conscience Pay taxes to a government that subsidizes the abortion industry It's an important question on the table and for everything related to this podcast You need to know go to desiring God org forward slash ask pastor John.

I'm your host Tony Reinke I'll see you tomorrow on the ask pastor John podcast