The state is not here to service the church and enforce her laws. The church is here to serve the state or, more accurately, the people therein.

We were never meant to fight issues like abortion through the courts and the halls of lawmaking. We were meant to weep on our knees before God over the loss of unborn lives. And, while weeping, hold the hand of the woman seeking an abortion and defend her right to choose. In doing so we can say with our actions “we are here for you and your choices; look at our lives – there is another way”.

If we cannot point to another way through our lives and actions, we have no business condemning others when they fail to follow a path that we ourselves have yet to demonstrate.

Is it not written in the book of Romans, “who are you to judge another man’s servant?” If we are not to even judge our fellow servants in Christ, how much less are we supposed to judge those that serve any other authority?

We cannot make laws to enforce righteousness. It is written, let the sinner keep on sinning until the great and mighty day of our lord. We need only look at the chronicles of God’s chosen people to see how hard righteousness through laws is to achieve. Did not Peter himself say, “why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?”

Likewise, it is written of the law that the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. So why, exactly, have we taken it upon ourselves to impose the letter of law upon unbelievers and believers alike? Is that not unrighteously putting God to the test just as Peter said?

If Peter himself called the law given by God a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear, why do we think we can do better? Can we hope to write a better law than God? Are we so arrogant as to think that we no longer need God’s grace and are fit to write perfect laws?

Where is it written to harass those who are ignorant of God’s perfect law and act contrary to it? Is it not the case that we are called to be a light in this dark world? If our light does not shine – if we are too weak to show a better way – why should we be surprised if our fellow citizens do not follow we what have failed to show?

Our own lives testify against us. We are not the likeness of Christ when we try to force unbelievers into following standards we ourselves have yet to clearly demonstrate.

Both the old and new testaments speak of defending the oppressed. It is easy to defend the oppressed when we see them as essentially one of us. It is written that even the pagans love their friends. As imitators of Christ we are called to defend all the oppressed – even those we strongly disagree with.

We were not shown Christ joining with the beating down of a woman caught in adultery. No, we were taught Christ shutting down the angry and religious so that when they are gone, we can say – as Christ did – neither do I condemn you.

We are supposed to stand with and defend women who seek abortions – especially from the frightening and angry mob that would assail her. Jesus was called a friend of sinners. Tell me, when we stand outside abortion houses with our signs – how are we being friends of sinners. Surely we are instead making ourselves enemies and opponents of sinners thereby failing to be like Christ.

Until we can see clearly enough to live lives that are shining examples of a more righteous way, we must continue to set our own house in order first. We have, it seems, many logs to remove from our eyes before we can remove the speck from the eyes of others.

The state is not here to make laws to enforce our religion. Our religion is here to point us to God who, by His Spirit, teaches us to embody God’s perfect law. God’s law is supposed to be written on our hearts and not on the statutes of the countries where we live.

I put it to you that, as ambassadors for Christ, we must defend a woman’s right to choose. I further suggest that it is love not hate that will draw others to our way. It is our gentle and kind manner even in matters that grieve us deeply that stands a chance to draw people towards a different choice. No one ever won a single soul by shouting and berating unbelievers while holding up signs.

We, the church, need to change and not the laws of the land where we reside.