What matters most in good times matters even more in bad. CompassCare is a Christ-centered agency first and foremost. Over 150 women submitted their lives to Christ at CompassCare so far this year, a 38% increase over 2019. Why does CompassCare remain unapologetically gospel-centric? Wouldn’t it be easier if we just left God out of it? Why couldn’t we just act like cultural chameleons, changing our theological color to match the prevailing cultural hues around us?
It is easy to go along with the sanctioned secular agenda of equality in education, economics, medical care, etc. but the fact remains that there is only one true human equalizer for us…the foot of the cross. The gospel, illustrated beautifully in the parable of the Good Samaritan, reveals that speaking and acting on behalf of the weak and vulnerable is not the job of an impersonal government bureaucracy, but is radically personal. As Jesus came personally to save us from our sin, we too must take personal responsibility for those beaten and left for dead on the side of the barbaric Jericho Road of our culture.
The cross is where the whole of sinful man must go to become equal citizens of God’s kingdom and equal heirs of their kingly Father. None of us are born God’s children. That is precisely the problem and point of Jesus’ coming. As Paul tells the Romans, “… it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise…” (Rom. 9:8). All people are born sinners. We rejected our birthright to reflect the image of God in order to satisfy our own appetites with a proverbial bowl of porridge. But just knowing what is broken–our nature–points us to what is needed, a Savior who restores our ability to fulfill our created purpose of reflecting God’s character back to Him and others (Gen. 1:26-27).
All of us are answerable for our rejection of God to God alone – great and small, rich and poor, slave or free, male and female, Jew and Gentile. We all alike must personally deal with God. This can only be done through Jesus, our great High Priest. He alone is both fully man and fully God. He alone is able to stand in the presence of a holy God to represent man to God. He alone is fully God, representing God to sinful man. In this way God’s perfect justice collided with God’s perfect mercy at the cross of Jesus, rending open the door of salvation for those who kneel (Heb. 4:14-15).
The way of the cross is the only road that holds the promise of hope, both for this age and the age to come for both a person and for a civilization. We do not need salvation from our external circumstances, but from our internal condition. To neglect or exchange the clear gospel message is to, at best, hide our light under a bushel (Lk. 11:33) or, at worst, deny Christ before men (Mt. 10:33).
The gospel of Jesus Christ says that God in His sovereignty seeks to heal and maintain the health of the whole person forever: “…not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pt. 3:9b). This is salvation. Medicine can’t save us. Government can’t do it. Neither can economics redeem us. Society is sick and evil things happen, not because of viruses or bad hygiene, unequal distribution of wealth, or evil historical institutions, but because we have all been defiled from the inside out. As Jesus says, “…there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man” (Mk. 7:15). Paul reveals that all of mankind, “…were formerly darkness” but those who believe on Jesus are “now…Light in the Lord;” so, “walk as children of Light” (Eph. 5:8). God diagnoses the terminal severity of our sin condition and gives us the solution – total submission to the Great Physician, Jesus.
As believers, we understand that every pregnancy, even every medical condition, is part of God’s plan to properly reorient the person toward Him and others. Unplanned pregnancy can help a woman see that her deepest need is not changed physical circumstances, but a relationship with her Savior.
Abortion is not a manifestation of an unequal socio-economic reality, but a symptom of the deathly darkness that defines the soul of every person. So, you and I remain committed to lighting the only path to life for both the mother and her child: Jesus Christ.
Erasing the need for abortion through the gospel,
Rev. James R. Harden, M.Div.
President/CEO
P.S. Kingdoms rise and kingdoms fall but the gospel of Jesus and His kingdom will remain. Stand strong in the gospel, saving souls and babies through CompassCare this giving season.
“I wonder if God gave me this baby.”
Ella came to CompassCare several years ago as a young, vibrant teen with a sparkle in her eye and a joyful bounce in her step. She was considering abortion but decided to continue her pregnancy. She had a beautiful daughter. Two years later, Ella was pregnant again and returned to CompassCare, this time she chose to abort. Ella became pregnant several more times in the coming years, sometimes returning to CompassCare, other times going straight to the abortionist, but each time aborting. With every visit, Ella seemed to lose more of her vibrancy, her lifestyle and decisions weighing heavy on her. Read more.
You Never Stopped Saving Lives Through CompassCare This Year
CompassCare remained open throughout 2020, serving more women seriously considering abortion and saving more preborn boys and girls than ever before! In the midst of this health crisis, with abortion deemed an essential service by New York State, you made it possible for CompassCare to not lose a single hour of patient care. Read more.