April 1, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – Abortion is many things, but at its worst, it is a sin.
My sins, your sins, and the sins of the entire world are what crucified Jesus Christ…
…and are the reason for this week – the week that changed the world.
Sin is not a popular topic in our world today (even among many Christians) and as a result, we have dangerously lost the sense of sin.
Without sin, Jesus Christ would not have needed to lay down His life, suffer and die. Without the acknowledgement of sin, we cannot receive forgiveness. By denying the reality of sin, we rob Jesus Christ of the powerful offering of His mercy. As the timeless phrase goes, we allow the devil to steal our shame. Preacher and martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer called this cheap grace:
“Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the Cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.”
Fulton Sheen said, “Forgiveness is not cheap. If He offered it without a Cross, you would not take it. That Cross is the price God paid to buy you from your sins. Without it, there is neither sin nor God.”
The suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are our hope and our joy. They are why we go pray at abortion facilities.
We must show up at abortion facilities, not because we are sinless, but because we are sinners who know Jesus Christ will forgive any sin and set us free. Sin is at the root of the abortion crisis – the sins that lead to abortion, the sins of silence surrounding abortion, and the sins of those who do the abortions.
Sin is how we got here. But sin is not how the story ends as we see in the women, babies, abortion workers, and all those impacted by the healing love of Jesus Christ.
We know God can do mighty works when His people come together as is evident by the 18,511 babies saved, 2,011 abortion workers quit, and 111 abortion facilities closed since the founding of 40 Days for Life, including the location where the campaign started which now serves as the headquarters for the organization.
This week is a beautiful time to thank God for the gift of His Son and to ask how He can use you as a vessel of His mercy and love to combat the evil of abortion. As we celebrate Holy Week, may we trust in the power of the resurrection and the mercy of Jesus Christ — for ourselves and the whole world. That is what is ending and will end abortion.
Shawn Carney is a bestselling author and CEO and president of the pro-life organization 40 Days for Life. He is the author of The Beginning of the End of Abortion and To the Heart of the Matter.