If an unmarried Christian girl
becomes pregnant, what can the
church do?
With the world’s morals
continuing to spiral downward, efforts
to stem the tide of moral decline in the
church are commendable.
But some Christian leaders
consider the presence of a pregnant
teenager in a church service to be an
indication of moral weakness within the
church body. Seeking to avoid the
appearance of evil, and hoping to
protect their younger members from
corrupt influences, these leaders stand
boldly against unwed pregnancy.
Sadly, many Christian girls who
become pregnant in such circumstances
feel that their only option is to abort
the child, because they want to protect
their family and church from shame.
Others refuse to sacrifice their
innocent children, and endure the
contempt they receive from their
church and family.
But unplanned pregnancy is not a
sin!
God chose to send His Son into
the world through an unmarried girl. If
unwed pregnancy is unrighteous, why
didn’t God wait until Mary was married
to send Jesus?
Pregnancy is never a sin; it may
be the result of sexual sin. If we are not
careful to distinguish between the sin
and its consequences, we may play a
tragic role in the death of an innocent
child.
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"Shall I give my firstborn
for my transgression,
The fruit of my body
for the sin of my soul?
He has shown you, O man,
what is good;
And what does the Lord
require of you
But to do justly,
To love mercy,
And to walk humbly with
your God?"
(Micah 6:7-8)
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God does not want us to sacrifice
our children for our sin. He wants us to
do justly: to treat others with integrity,
especially those who are weaker than
ourselves (such as a helpless baby, or
the baby’s imperfect mother).
He wants us to love mercy: the
pregnant girl needs compassion for her
innocent child, and the church needs
compassion for the pregnant girl.
He wants us to walk humbly with
Him: a girl who has sinned ought to
refuse to cover up her sin, but humbly
admit her guilt. The church that is
seeking to protect the sanctity of
marriage should humbly accept the
failings of their immature sister in
Christ, applying generous portions of
God’s grace to the girl’s plight.
The church need not resign itself
to moral decline: it is possible to protect
the sanctity of marriage without
sacrificing our children.
The solution is public confession.
I recall vividly the day when a
young couple stood in front of a church
I attended. “We have sinned,” the boy
said, “and now she is pregnant.” The
confession brought pain to the entire
congregation, but the church was made
stronger by going through this
experience. Many young people
(including myself) were provided with a
compelling warning regarding the
consequences of sexual sin.
Once the sin has been confessed,
the congregation should welcome the
girl back into fellowship, forgetting her
sin and focusing on her future (and the
future of her child).
Our God who has promised to
work everything together for good for
those who love him (Romans 8:28) will
use this experience to encourage
holiness in the church, to promote
mercy, and to save the lives of precious
children.