How to Be a Pro Life Man
2022 was a monumental year in the fight to protect innocent life in America. However, since that Dobbs v. Jackson victory, the fight for life has hardly let up. Now the battles are being fiercely fought at the state level, while it also appears that abortion will continue to play a significant role in presidential elections.
In this cultural climate, it is essential that Christian fathers lead the way in the fight for life. Our faith in God’s Word, the new life we have received through Christ, and the blessing of being fathers all compel us to protect God’s gift of life. But what does it mean to be a pro-life man? Is there anything we can do beyond the ballot box? Here are six characteristics that we can pursue:
1. A pro-life man is a sexually-pure man
Abortion is so prolific because sexual immorality is so prolific. One report indicated that 85% of women who have abortions are unmarried.1 This obviously means that a man was willing to participate in an immoral sexual relationship, and the result was the death of an innocent child.
It’s been said that abortion is sacrificing the vulnerable for yourself, rather than sacrificing yourself for the vulnerable. The same could be said for adultery and pornography. Whether it leads to the death of an innocent baby or not, sexual immorality always devalues life. A pro-life man will take God’s plan for marriage and sexuality very seriously.
2. A pro-life man is a sacrificial man
Abortion is part of a pervasive culture of self-centeredness in which personal happiness is the highest good. But the god of personal happiness is a brutal god, for the human heart is capable of doing great harm to others to get what we want. “You desire and do not have, so you murder” (James 4:2). A pro-life man has experienced the saving grace of Jesus Christ who “came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). A pro-life man will always seek to be like Christ as a sacrificial man.
3. A pro-life man is a responsible man
Responsibility is one of the core attributes of godly masculinity. Not surprisingly, women who are considering an abortion say that the most important influence in their decision will be the father of the baby.2 Moms want to know if the dad will step up and be responsible! A sacrificial man will be ready to take responsibility. He will understand that conceiving a child is easy; fatherhood is the real responsibility. “Act like men, be strong” (1 Corinthians 16:13).
4. A pro-life man is a committed and diligent husband
A committed and diligent husband is a tremendous pro-life influence because his wife has the confidence that he will respond to an unexpected pregnancy with love, commitment, diligence, and sacrifice. She will look forward to parenting with him and will be confident that by God’s grace the two of them can tackle all of the challenges of parenting together.
5. A pro-life man is a protective man
A pro-life man understands that God entrusted men with greater raw physical strength than women or children (1 Peter 3:7). He also placed husbands and fathers into a place of leadership in the home. In both cases men will be accountable to God for whether or not we use our strength to protect the vulnerable.
Jesus said that a shepherd who is just a “hired hand” will flee when danger comes, leaving the sheep vulnerable to attack (John 10:12-13). Worse yet are the shepherds who devour the sheep for their own benefit (Ezekiel 34:3). But a man who knows the Lord Jesus Christ as his Great Shepherd will lay down his life to protect others from danger (John 10:11).
6. A pro-life man is a ministry-minded man
The pro-life headlines are about elections, legislation, and laws, but the actual moments that determine life and death happen when real people face crisis pregnancy decisions. A ministry-minded man will lead his family in caring, serving, and being attentive to the needs of others, and that kind of attentive care is exactly what results in life in some beautiful situations. If there are people who are ready to love and support and help, what seems terrifying and impossible at first starts to seem possible. Women and couples who were considering abortion sometimes decide not to take the life of that baby.
In addition to this, a ministry-minded man can also get directly involved in local pro-life outreach. As the statistics have continued to demonstrate that fathers are a very significant factor in pregnancy decisions, biblically-faithful pregnancy resource centers across the country have begun to focus more and more on ministry to dads. However, this requires Christian men from the community who are willing to get involved. If you have a biblically-faithful pregnancy resource center nearby3, you might be surprised to find out how you can make a difference in encouraging men to embrace fatherhood.
From these six characteristics we can see that being a pro-life man is about much more than politics and courtrooms. It’s about the heart of a man and his actions toward those around him. A pro-life man loves the “Author of life” (Acts 3:15) and seeks to have His heart and follow His example in every way.