A man named Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn once said, “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either — but right through every human heart — and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained.” To unpack that just a bit I’ll say that while I’m incredibly grateful to God that Roe has been overturned, I am under no dissolution that the market for abortion will be reduced. I don’t mean to say that the main issue now is that so-called “back-alley” abortions will dramatically increase. Although that may indeed be true, it’s still not the center of the issue.
The heart is the heart of the matter. The legality of abortion, even though it has perpetuated great evil, was never the cause. This is a moral issue before it’s a legal issue. C.S Lewis said, “You cannot make men good by law: and without good men you cannot have a good society.“ What lies at the core of the issue of abortion (and any sin for that matter), is as much desire as the act. The act is the manifestation of the desire, but the heart is the heart of the matter.
Changing the law is a first, best step in the right direction. It certainly creates a foothold from which higher ground can be gained. However, ultimately, it’s hearts that must be changed; then the actions will follow. Matthew 5:28 says, “But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” It’s the desire that is the spark of a thing. Similarly in Matthew 15:19 – 20, Christ says, “For from the heart comes evil thoughts, murder, adultery, unchastity, theft, false witness, blasphemy. These are what defile a person, but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile.” It’s the heart that’s the heart of the matter.
The overturning of Roe is a legal matter and one of many, many, many laws. But even in the garden of Eden when there was only one law we had to comply with, we still couldn’t manage to get it right. Without God’s help we never will. Get God to the people, that’s how the heart is changed, and the heart is the heart of the matter. Evangelize… start now. Be joyous, and generous. “Be kind and merciful and brave,” said C.S. Lewis and show people the God we all know is there. Tell them about the good things He’s done in your life. You do your part and He’ll do His. The heart is the heart of the matter and God is the one who changes hearts.
