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“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).
We are at war with Satan! Words are part of this war; and when it comes to words, Satan’s battle style is, well, charming. Believe it! The King James describes the voice of the wicked in Psalm 58:5 as “the voice of charmers, charming.” It couches evil in soft, harmless-sounding terms, and gives a lyrical picture of Satan’s seductive style. Satan’s voice is not satanic. It is a deadly voice but a voice that dresses in evil and speaks in soft, harmless-sounding words.
The Voice of Charmers
Satan hates life and loves death. He spends much of his time charming the virtues of the latter and charmingly devaluing the former. He deceives many into being “the voice of charmers, charming.” He charms these unwitting accomplices into thinking they actually benefit life by peddling death. Here are a couple examples:
The voice of Planned Parenthood is “the voice of charmers, charming.” They are summa cum laude students, nearly as masterful as the master. They charm the young into early sexual activity. Then they charm them into abortion. They hide statutory rape. They aid sex traffickers. They build massive, fortress-like slaughter houses. When states cut funding, they cut other services—but not death.
The voice of the Hemlock Society (Compassion and Choices) is “the voice of charmers charming.” They charm the frail into thinking they have a duty to die and get out of the way. They advertise killing as a means of caring and tirelessly lobby for assisted-suicide laws. They speak of death as the compassionate relief of suffering and label this enemy of God “friend.”
Christ’s people hear these and other charming voices day after day. Satan uses them to point us to death, not the Lord of Life, to rescue us from our problems. So charming are his words that what he offers never seems like idolatry, but it is. Satan would have us believe death is our god.
The reason I’m so bold in asking you to consistently and generously support Lutherans For Life goes way beyond an effort to change laws or correct moral flaws in our culture.
We are in a spiritual battle. We need to counter “the voice of charmers, charming.”
We need to keep people from seeing death as their rescuer.
We need to point people to Jesus. Such a mission is too important for me not to ask and to keep asking. Please help LFL in this battle to counter Satan’s many voices with your prayerfully considered gift of $35, $50, $100, $250 or more (or whatever you are able to give).
The Voice of the Church
Also understand that your gift goes way beyond just supporting a life-affirming ministry. It comes back to you as we seek to equip Christ’s people for this battle. That’s our mission:
“Equipping Lutherans to be Gospel-motivated VOICES FOR LIFE.”
We can learn some things about such voices from John the Baptist. Scripture refers to him as “the voice” preparing the way for Jesus (Isaiah 40:3). This camelhair-clad, bug-eating voice was not always charming. “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?” (Matthew 3:7)
He pointed people to their sin and called them to repentance.
But John’s voice also pointed elsewhere. “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)
He pointed people to their Savior—the only one who could change hearts, forgive sins, and transform lives.
The Church emulates John in many arenas calling wrong things wrong, calling people to repentance, and pointing them to Jesus.
The notable exception is the life arena. Fear drives this silence—fear of controversy, of offending, of becoming political. Charmer Satan loves this silence. It gives him another charmingly persuasive line, “You never hear anything about it in church do you?”
A woman with an abortion in her past wrote to us at the Life Center.
“My heart’s cry is to be a flashing neon sign to those who will listen, tell them of how the devil would like to steal from them. I want to give the devil a bad day! We must find a way to care for other hurting women who have been abused in this manner. Do what you can. Do all you can. The people must hear.”
Yes, the people must hear the voice of the Church. We have the most powerful and positive life-affirming voice in the universe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Our voice speaks of the fundamental value our Triune God gives to life. From this foundation the Church’s voice calls wrong things wrong. That which devalues and destroys human life assaults the Author, Redeemer, and Sanctifier of life.
The voice of the Church does not uphold the value of human life because we live in a society that doesn’t, but because we serve a God who does. We call wrong things wrong so people will recognize the charms of Satan and turn to the Lord of Life, not the god of death.
From our Trinitarian foundation, the Church’s voice tells what God, in Jesus Christ, has done about wrong things. Sitting next to that person in the pew who needs to hear that abortion is wrong, may be someone who was charmed into thinking it was right but now knows in their burdened heart just how wrong it was. They need to hear the voice of the objective, unconditional, and complete forgiveness given in Jesus spoken directly to their sin. Otherwise, the charmer’s voice sneaks in. “Forgiveness for what you have done? You never hear anything about it in church do you?”
Yes, the Church needs to be a voice in the life arena—unyielding but loving, condemning sins against life and consoling those who have sinned against life, calling to repentance and pointing to Jesus.
Our pastors have what it takes to be this voice, our theology which articulates the Gospel so well. LFL seeks to equip pastors and congregations to be that voice and make the connection between the truth and grace of Jesus and the life issues.
Being the Voice
But your gift does even more. Those who hear this voice also need to BE this voice. The voice of the Gospel moves people into Gospel-motivated action.
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People become voices For Life through prayer as they pray for our Church, our country, hurting people.
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People become voices For Life through service reaching out to those who need an encouraging word, a helping hand, a comforting presence.
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People become voices For Life through education helping others understand how God’s Word of truth and grace connects to the life issues.
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People become voices For Life through witness pointing people to the true source of rescue. People become activist voices by participating in Life Chains, Marches for Life, and prayer vigils.
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People become political voices by practicing Christian citizenship and bringing their influence to bear through the political process.
To counter the “voice of charmers, charming,” LFL will continue to “equip Lutherans to be Gospel-motivated voices For Life.”
The more Lutheran pastors, educators, congregations, and schools proclaim that voice and put that voice into action, the closer we will come to LFL’s vision, “Every Lutheran congregation upholding the God-given sanctity of human life and influencing society to do the same.”
Please share with us in the vision and help us strive, with God’s help, to get there. I promise your gift will be used to counter the voice of the charmer and god of death and promote the voice of the Redeemer and Lord of Life.
Your servant For Life,
Jim Lamb
P.S. Did you know that you can continue to be a voice For Life even after the Lord calls you home? Give us a call. We provide estate planning that can help you and your family save money now and provide ongoing gifts to counter the voice of the “charmer that charms.”
