By Leah MarieAnn Klett, Assistant Editor Tuesday, September 17, 2024

Theologian and Pastor John Piper weighed in on a question from a listener struggling with guilt after having an abortion in an episode of his podcast "Ask Pastor John" and encouraged her to embrace God's grace, as no sin is beyond His forgiveness.

The listener, an anonymous young woman, expressed feelings of unworthiness, questioning whether God could ever forgive her for what she describes as her "very worst sin."

The woman wrote, “Dear Pastor John, I had an abortion. That is the one and only thing I knew I would never, ever do. But I did it. I cannot begin to detail here the grief and damage it has caused me, and I know I deserve every bit of it. I feel as though I will always be a low-class Christian because of what I’ve done.”

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Listen to the "Ask Pastor John" podcast on Edifi here 

Piper, chancellor of Bethlehem College and Seminary in Minneapolis, Minnesota, first introduced the concept of "gutsy guilt," a term he uses to describe a way of dealing with sin that combines acknowledging wrongdoing with a persistent hope in God's forgiveness.

Drawing from the Old Testament prophet Micah, Piper highlighted a passage that underscores the possibility of redemption even in the face of divine judgment. "Rejoice not over me, O my enemy; when I fall, I shall rise; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord because I have sinned against him, until he pleads my cause and executes judgment for me," he quoted from Micah 7:8–9.

While the young woman should acknowledge the gravity of her sin, she should also embrace the Gospel's promise of forgiveness, the 78-year-old pastor said.

"Abortion — and every other sin — is something we should always be punished for. And there is a universe of difference between ‘should be punished for’ and ‘will be punished for.’ Gutsy gospel guilt says, ‘I am guilty. I should be punished now and forever.’ That is the very meaning of sin and justice. And gutsy gospel guilt says, ‘But I will not be punished. I will not be punished because Jesus bore my punishment for me, and I have forsaken all my self-reliance, and I throw myself wholly on his mercy.’”

The woman's letter also touched on her sense of not belonging in church due to her actions. In response, Piper stressed that the Church is meant for people who recognize their need for grace. "If the only people who belong at church are those who deserve to be with God’s people in his presence, worshiping and growing in him, nobody would belong to church. Nobody would go to church," he said. 

He cited 1 Corinthians 6:9–11, reminding listeners that the church is composed of people who have been transformed by God's grace.

Regarding her feelings of disgust with herself, Piper acknowledged that such a response to abortion is understandable and even healthy. However, he encouraged the woman to move through her self-disgust into a place of hope and reliance on God's grace. 

“To look back on abortion and not be disgusted would be a sign of sickness. To see it with disgust is a sign of health. Unless there is gutsy disgust, you’ll collapse. Gutsy gospel disgust is not paralyzed. It gives up on self and walks into the power of grace. All of us are disgusting — and we should not run from it but through it, into God’s grace,” he said.

Piper emphasized that seeking forgiveness because of a desire for God is not selfish but rather what believers are called to do. "If you want forgiveness because you want God, that’s not selfish. That’s what you were made for," he stated. “And it honors God, not you. It honors God. God is glorified when you want to be satisfied in God.”

Piper concluded by affirming that God's invitation to forgiveness and new life is open to all, referencing Revelation 22:17. "If you’re thirsty for God, he invites you. He wants you. And when you come to him, he has plans for you," he said.

A 2023 study from the Family Research Council's Center for Biblical Worldview found that one out of every six regular churchgoers in the United States has had, paid for or encouraged an abortion. Additionally, seven in 10 women who have had an abortion identify as a Christian, according to a 2015 Lifeway Research study.

David Closson, director of FRC's Center for Biblical Worldview, wrote in an op-ed that the FRC’s survey's findings on churchgoers' views on abortion merit attention and show an "ongoing need for instruction in a biblical worldview, particularly on abortion and the value of human life."

“If America’s most devout Christians are confused about abortion, there is little hope for the pro-life movement. Thus, as pro-lifers chart the path forward post-Roe, pastors must take the lead in shaping the conscience and moral imagination of their people,” he wrote.