“I’ve Had an Abortion. Will God Forgive Me?”

A Little Lesson

In this episode of Little Lessons, Bible teacher David Servant offers hope to those who have had an abortion in the past and wonder if God will forgive them. Learn more!

woman wondering if God will forgive her for getting abortion


The following excerpt is taken from a transcript of the video above.

In this little lesson, I want to address those women who have had an abortion. And I guess I could also include those men who have encouraged the women they’ve been impregnated to have an abortion, because they’re equally as guilty, and equally as in need of forgiveness from God. Let me preface all this by saying, and this is a kind of a follow-up on my last Little Lesson, which I really, really hope if you haven’t seen that one that you will watch it, because it goes into the core issues.

But let me preface all this by saying that God has pretty much pointed his finger of condemnation to all of us, yours truly, as well as every other human being in the world. The Bible makes it so clear that we’re all sinners, to some level. I grant you, some are worse sinners than others, and God would say that as well. There’s wicked people, and there’s very wicked people, and there’s the uber wicked people, but you’re in that spectrum somewhere. And I like to think that I was, not of the higher echelons of that spectrum, but God is our judge. But regardless, abortion is not the only bad thing that we do. And I’ve got lots of skeletons in my closet. Now, I’m not feeling guilty as I was at one time.

And why? Because I’m certain that I’ve been forgiven. I’m not saying those things never happen, but I’m certain I’ve been forgiven. Why? Because that’s the overriding message that God has been sending to humanity for thousands of years now in various forms and fashions. That if you will ask for forgiveness and if you’ll turn away from your rebellion, your sin, doing things your way, he gives you a fresh start. And it gives you a fresh start, but it gives you like a big boost of health too in the way of putting the Holy Spirit into people who truly repent and who truly believe in Jesus. Okay. So, what I’m saying in this little lesson is not only applicable to women who had an abortion and they’re feeling the horrible weight of guilt. And let me just change what I just said though. That horrible weight of guilt, that was the wrong adjective, that weight of guilt that a loving God is sending you, because he wants you to repent and receive his forgiveness.

You see, so do you understand that guilt is from God and it’s designed to motivate us to repent. That’s what’s going on with guilt. And so, right there, just intuitively, you know that if God’s making you feel guilty for something, it’s because he’s offering you forgiveness. If he didn’t care, if there was no opportunity for forgiveness, then there’d be no need for God to make you feel guilty. But that guilt is conviction from God. And so, I’m not just speaking to people who’ve had an abortion, or women who’ve had an abortion, or men who have encouraged women they’ve been impregnated to have abortions or whatever, or anyone who’s encouraged anyone to have an abortion for that matter. I’m not just speaking to them. I’m speaking to everybody in humanity right now, and my former self. Okay.

But I came to that place where the weight of guilt upon me was sent by a loving God to motivate me to wake up to my misery, and my rebellion, and believe in Jesus, believe that he is who he simply claimed to be and proved who he was by his many miracles and so forth, and turned from my sins. It happened. It happened. And all that is in the past. And the Bible says that if anyone is in Christ, because that’s part of the package that God gives us, you get put into him. It’s mysterious on some levels, but you can understand it to some degree. We’re placed in his body and we actually become one spirit with the Lord. Why? Because his Holy Spirit then comes to live in those who believe in him. And he’s one with his spirit. And so, we’re in him and he’s in us. And we’re one with Christ since that’s why the Bible, the New Testament, which says we’re members of his body and so forth. And we take a communion, the Lord’s supper, the Eucharist, whatever you might call it, that’s also symbolic.

Christ is coming inside of us, because he is inside of us. All right. So, will God forgive you? Well, not automatically, no. Forgiveness is predicated upon your doing two things. Number one, you have to ask for forgiveness. So, you’re admitting that what you did was wrong. You’re humbling yourself. So, you’re not so prideful in justifying all these things that you’ve done, that you know that are wrong, abortion included. So, you humble yourself. “Okay, Lord, I’m agreeing with you. I blew it. I’ve blown it many times in many ways, on many levels. I’m a sinner. Please forgive me.”

If you just say, “Well, okay, I’ve got forgiveness. So, now I’ve got a license to keep on sinning. I can just keep asking for forgiveness.” See, now that shows that you’re really not sincere. Naturally, with true asking of forgiveness, there would come at least a sincere desire of repentance that I’m determined to chart a new course from here on. Even if I stumble, and fall, and fail, my heart has fundamentally changed. I’m now aligned with God and I’m going to do my best with his help to obey him. All right. So, yes, God will forgive you if you’ve had an abortion. And guess what? Here’s some more good news. When you die, you won’t go to hell. You’ll go to heaven. And guess what, more good news, that child or those children whom you aborted, they’ll be there. And more good news, guess what? They won’t be holding it against you, because God won’t be holding it against you. And they, like him, will have forgiven you.

It’s an excellent deal from God. That’s why the Bible repeatedly says, “We’re saved by grace.” You can’t earn your way into heaven. It’s way too late for that for all of us, because we all sin. I mean, you know, you read the first story in the Bible about Adam and Eve, well, all they did was eat an apple for crying out loud. And that little thing was enough to alienate them from God. So, I’ve done a lot more than just eat an apple. Okay, so we desperately need forgiveness and it’s available to everybody. Praise God. Praise God. So, I encourage you to receive it and begin to enjoy your life more more God intended it.

And then look forward to an eternal life exactly how God intended it.

Until next time, may the Lord bless you.