Pro-Life Answers to Pro-Choice Arguments. By Randy Alcorn. Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1992. 294 pp. Paper, $8.99.
In all the media coverage of the rhetoric and actions surrounding the abortion controversy, one might even get the impression that pro-lifers believe abortion to be an “evil work” somehow crucial to a person’s eternal destiny. Some in the Free Grace movement might therefore be tempted to avoid getting involved.
Fortunately, this book answers the challenges that may come when one takes a stand for the unborn. The author shows his Free Grace sentiments in Appendix A, “Finding Forgiveness After an Abortion.” There he writes: “There is no righteous deed we can do that will earn us salvation (Titus 3:5). We come to Christ empty-handed. Salvation is described as 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 of works, so that no one can boast’ (Eph 2:8–9). This gift cannot be worked for, earned, or achieved. It is not dependent on our effort but solely on Christ’s generosity and sacrifice on our behalf.”
He goes on to say: “You may feel, ‘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-forgiveness, a clean slate, a fresh start. Once forgiven, we can look forward to spending eternity in heaven with Christ and our spiritual family (John 14:1–3; Rev 20:11–22:6). And once forgiven, you can look forward to being reunited in heaven with all your loved ones covered by the blood of Christ, including the child you lost through abortion (1 Thess 4:13–18).”
Alcorn’s care in articulating his stand on Free Grace has also been exercised in his organization of the six main divisions of the book, which is a tool in the ongoing struggle to protect the unborn.
Charles C. Bing
Pastor
Burleson Bible Church
Burleson, TX
