Life is not a random occurrence. It is intentional, with its creation stemming from God's supernatural act. This intentional nature of life invites us to contemplate its origins, encouraging introspection and a deeper understanding of our existence.
"...then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." (Genesis 2:7 ESV)
According to the Bible, human life begins before a person takes their first breath. This perspective, a source of comfort and guidance for many, states that a human person is already alive in the womb, providing a sense of security and reassurance.
Adam was the only human created from "the dust from the ground." Eve was the only human created from Adam's rib. This does not mean all males are made from "dust" and females are made from a man's rib. That has never happened since the creation of Adam and Eve, whi ch was a distinctly unique creation process, underscores the significance and specialness of human life. It highlights the value and importance of each individual, as we are all part of this unique and significant creation. This is how the first human life began, not how all human lives begin. Nothing in this passage says that humans are formed from dust from the ground and born in lifeless bodies that only God can breathe life into after birth. The Bible does not speak about the beginning of every individual human life but rather the beginning of humanity as a whole race. This truth is seen elsewhere in Scripture.
"The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Answer me, if you can; set your words in order before me; take your stand. Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was pinched off from a piece of clay." (Job 33:4-6 ESV)
Elihu, who made the statement, was not formed out of clay. His point concerned the nature of humankind, not the process by which each person becomes a human life. The verses "the breath of the Almighty gives me life" and "I too was pinched off from a piece of clay" imply that God's breathing of life into a human being was a one-time act for Adam only and not all humankind. At that point, the breath of God continues forward in every human being, sustaining our lives and guiding us through our journey.
Although there is not 100% consensus among scientists, 97 percent believe it is an empirical and irrefutable fact that individual human life begins at conception when the 23 chromosomes of the father's sperm fuse with the 23 chromosomes of the mother's egg to create a single-cell embryo or zygote containing 46 chromosomes with 30,000 genes combined to determine its unique DNA code containing all of a person's physical characteristics: sex, facial features, body type, the color of hair, eyes, and skin.
The fertilized egg immediately travels down the fallopian tube into the uterus, where the lining prepares for implantation. At first, the cells will divide into two groups: two into three for a millisecond, verifying a unique life has begun, then into four, four into eight, and so on, just moments after conception. The zygote then divides again and again in a process called differentiation. Some cells develop into the temporary placenta and are essential for implantation. Other cells develop into the various parts of the baby and increase by dividing rapidly into a ball continuously changing in size. The shape is called a blastocyst and implants itself in the uterine wall about six days after fertilization until day nine. It is implantation that makes the baby more likely to survive. Cells continue to multiply exponentially and develop into specific body parts during the embryonic and fetal development of the child. The term fetus is used beginning at the eighth week of development.
The Bible tells us that an unborn child is a complete human person at the moment of conception when the sperm fertilizes the egg. The child is not independent of their mother when the umbilical cord is cut. Without care from someone, it would die soon.
Life in the Blood
The Bible says that life is in the blood, which the Old Testament frequently affirms (Genesis 9:3-6). A human person has lifeblood flowing through them long before they have breath. They are not property or things to be discarded. They have the attributes of self-consciousness in the womb. Esau and Jacob "struggled together within" their mother's womb (Genesis 21:22; 25:22). The Bible clarifies that a human being is regarded as a separate and distinct life from the moment of conception and deserves to be protected.
The New Testament also refers to the consciousness of a baby.
"And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb..." (Luke 1:41 ESV)
A baby (Gk: ‘brephos’) who is born prematurely has the same signs of life and self-consciousness as a baby that underwent nine full months of development in the womb. The word 'brephos' used in the New Testament for a baby and infants already born is the same word used for a baby in the womb (see also Luke 2:12), without specifying the precise moment they became a 'brephos.' The intentional killing of a 'brephos' at any point is infanticide.
The Standard of Truth for Morality
The Bible, God’s written Word, is the standard by which to determine truth from error (1 John 4:1-6). It is to teach, reprove, correct, and train us for righteousness, equipping us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:16-17). When early Jewish and Christian writers discussed the subject of abortion, they referred to the Bible because it indicates in numerous ways that the “fruit of the womb,” a fetus/unborn child, is a human person from the moment of conception and was considered a male or female human infant/baby/child at conception using personal pronouns that indicate personhood and human characteristics from embryo to adult when God’s image is imparted to them and taking its life would be murder because it deserves special attention (See Genesis 1:27; 9:6; 25:22-23; Exodus 21:22-25; Job 10:8-12; Psalm 51:5;82:3-4; 139:13-16; 127:3; Proverbs 24:11-12; 31:8-9; Isaiah 7:14;49:1; Jeremiah 1:5; Matthew 1:20-21; Luke 1:31,41,44:2:12,16; Galatians 1:15).
The Bible does not explicitly address the practice of abortion, even though it was legal and common in the Greco-Roman world. However, it does provide enough insights to formulate a biblical position on the matter. The Jews believed that deliberate abortions were immoral for less than life-threatening reasons and were intentional acts of bloodshed and disrespect for life, punishable by death. However, there were questions about the severity of a penalty in cases of accidental or therapeutic abortion. Early Christians unanimously believed abortion, in any form, was murder and detrimental to the family unit and society as a whole.
The Bible makes no distinctive difference between the morality of being pro-choice or pro-abortion. Even though some are sympathetic to the pro-abortion side because their interpretation leads them to believe there is a difference between being pro-choice and being pro-abortion, the Bible also makes no such arguments of other absolute and definitive moral issues, such as a person being against murder or rape but believe they should have the right to choose to rape, and or murder, anyone they want.
The Bible clearly teaches that an unborn child is a human being and deserves to be protected. It also provides a clear precedent for speaking out against abortion and other injustices and promoting righteousness in society and before law-makers (See Exodus 8:1; Daniel 4:27; 5:11-24; Isaiah 13-23; Jeremiah 46-51; Ezekiel 25-32; Amos 1-2; Obadiah; Jonah; Nahum; Habakuk 2; Zephaniah 2; Matthew 14:3-4; Luke 3:19; Acts 24:25).
“Rescue those who are being taken away to death; hold back those who are stumbling to the slaughter. If you say, ‘Behold, we did not know this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who keeps watch over your soul know it, and will he not repay man according to his work?” (Proverbs 24:11-12 ESV)
“Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights of all who are destitute.” (Proverbs 31:8 ESV)
Historical and traditional Christian teachings opposing abortion had been unanimous throughout history until the twentieth century when lukewarm church leaders began to infer that a fetus had a lower moral status. Hence, abortion was permissible in some circumstances based upon a couple of verses that are interpreted as God ‘ventilating’ the fetus.
“then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” (Genesis 2:7 ESV)
“As you do not know the way the spirit (breath) comes to the bones in the womb of a woman with child, so you do not know the work of God who makes everything.” (Ecclesiastes 11:5 ESV)
A growing number of Christian leaders believe that a metaphorical interpretation, rather than a literal one, of the word “breathed/breath” is warranted, even though there is no biblical basis for that. The Bible is clear that the “breath” or “spirit” of God comes to a child in the womb to animate it even though it does not inhale air through its lungs. God animates and brings human beings alive and sustains them with His breath/spirit. The claim is also made using the Bible that an abortion is no different than the “‘harm” of a miscarriage.
“When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman’s husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe.” (Exodus 21:22–25 ESV)
Based upon a literal reading of the verses, the word “harm” can refer to either the mother or child and does not specify harm to either of them separately because there are multiple reasons and extremely weak arguments for abortion because the unborn child is seen as less valuable than one who is born.
There are three historical interpretations regarding the use of the word “harm.” It can refer to the woman, the baby being formed, or to the baby miscarrying. Two of the interpretations have been given by Jews and Christians throughout history that claim “harm” refers only to the baby.
The use of the word “children” rather than some impersonal word suggests that what is being delivered is a person formed rather than an impersonal entity with lesser moral status. While it may be contentious whether children and free adult males had the same intrinsic value in ancient Israel, the Hebrew writings overall clearly sees children as profoundly valuable persons (much more so than in the Graeco-Roman culture) and certainly forbids their killing.
The historian Josephus (2013, Against Apion, 2.25) called abortion murder. The Talmud (n.d., Sanhedrin, 57b) includes the fetus in the Noahide covenant prohibiting shedding of blood, lest the culprit’s blood be shed (See Philo (1935, Special Laws, 3.117–118; 1941, Hypothetica, 7.7); Pseudo-Phocylides (1978, lines 149–150,184–186); Sibylline Oracles (1899, 2.281–282); 1 Enoch (1995,69.12,99.5); cf. Tacitus (1925, Histories, 5.5).
The Bible is clear about the value of life in the womb throughout ancient Judaism and the entirety of church history. It unanimously affirms the dignity of the unborn, which is not considered an entity, parasite, unformed substance, or incomplete/subhuman life.
What they do show is that the death of children (born or unborn, adult or infant) for the sins of parents was a familiar phenomenon to ancient Israel and did not necessarily imply a lower moral status (and certainly did not imply the general permissibility of killing them). Hence, there is no sense support for a lower moral status of fetuses or the practice of abortion, even if it refers to miscarriage.
The Bible also prohibits abortifacients, which are drugs that end pregnancy (i.e., the morning-after pill) by using words from the same group as “sorcery” (Gk: ‘pharmakeia’ = use of medicines, drugs, or spells used in the practice of magical arts) (Galatians 5:20; Revelation 9:21; 18:23; 21:8; 22:15).
None of the passages considered can plausibly be used as a basis for attributing lesser worth to unborn human beings. In fact, one of them supports the pro-life view, and another (Genesis 2:7) points to a similar passage in the Bible describing God’s breath reaching unborn life (Ecclesiastes 11:5).
The Sixth Commandment
"You shall not murder" (Exodus 20:13 ESV)
This commandment forbids the murder of human beings because they are created in the image of God, and it is His glorious gift. Murder is specifically premeditated killing. This command does not prohibit war or capital punishment. The Bible says a person "shall not murder." It does not say, 'you shall not kill.'
A mother's womb is the most dangerous place for a human being in America. One out of every five women will intentionally end a pregnancy by having an abortion. Over 700,000 people die from cancer every year in the United States of America. However, over 900,000 people die each year from abortion, making it the number one cause of death.
"When men strive together and hit a pregnant woman, so that her children come out, but there is no harm, the one who hit her shall surely be fined, as the woman's husband shall impose on him, and he shall pay as the judges determine. But if there is harm, then you shall pay life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." (Exodus 21:22-25 ESV)
The Hebrew word for "come out" is 'yeled' which refers to a child being born and not as a product of conception or that it is less valuable than the life of an adult. The same Hebrew word is used in other contexts to designate a child already born.
The word "harm" indicates it refers to the child, not the mother, in two different scenarios. First, if she gives birth prematurely and the child lives. Second, if birth is premature and the child dies, the penalty is life for life. This law says that a fetus at any stage of development is regarded as a living person, and the person who kills it is criminally responsible and must forfeit their life.
The Bible considers a baby to be a person and not some superfluous property or a thing to be discarded. The life of the unborn is just as valuable as the life of an adult. It is a biological reality that a distinct organism comes into existence at conception.
King David considered himself sinful from the moment of conception.
"Indeed, I was guilty when I was born; I was sinful when my mother conceived me" (Psalm 51:5 ESV).
"Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.' (Matthew 1:20 ESV)
The Greek word used here for "conceived" is 'gennaó' which means to bring forth, be born.
The Angel Gabriel told Mary that she would have a child in her womb even though she was a virgin.
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus." (Luke 1:31 ESV)
The Greek word for 'conceive' is 'sullambanoo' and means to bring forth, aid, assist, and help. Mary was "found with child" (Gk: 'en gaster echo" (womb/stomach) (Matthew 1:18).
The first Adam (human) was made (formed) from the dust of the earth in the image of God [aka Jesus]) (Genesis 1:26, 3:19). Jesus is the second Adam, who is God, the Son, and willingly chose to become human by being placed as a zygote into a human woman's womb and as the Triune God, was fully formed as a human being (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). He was not of this world (John 8:23). Jesus has always existed and came to earth 100% fully God with all of His divine attributes, and became 100% fully human, and was not a half-human, half-divine demi-God (John 1:1-18; Philippians 2:5-8).
As stated previously, scientists do not agree 100% on when human life begins. However, the Bible does provide the answer.
"For You formed my inward parts: You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them." (Psalm 139:13-16 ESV)
God knew King David while being "made in secret" in a place humans could not see. Personal pronouns are used in these verses to indicate that there was a person present before birth. The Bible assumes continuity of physical life from before birth until death.
"Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:4-5 ESV)
God told Jeremiah he was set apart before birth and considered him a person before he was formed. King David understood that he was a sinful person at conception.
"Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceived me." (Psalm 51:5 ESV)
Only authentic personhood at fertilization would allow David to possess a sinful nature.
Pre-Birth Consciousness
A team of researchers from the USA, Australia, Ireland, and Germany conducted a study on infants that utilized advancements in identifying consciousness markers through brain imaging in adults and applied them to assess infant consciousness. In adults, some markers from brain imaging that are increasingly used in science and medicine have been found to differentiate consciousness from its absence. The research was published in the peer-reviewed journal "Trends in Cognitive Science" (October 12, 2023) and determined that consciousness is present by birth and starts as early as late pregnancy.
Co-author of the study Lorina Naci, an Associate Professor in the School of Psychology, explained the "findings suggest that newborns can integrate sensory and developing cognitive responses into coherent conscious experiences to understand the actions of others and plan their own responses."
Research resulting from a ten-year study of the hippocampus by George Dragoi, an associate professor of psychiatry and neuroscience at Yale, has confirmed that the human mind is not blank at birth because neural connections are not created after accumulating sensory information and experience. Cell assemblies in the human brain allow for the creation of memories, but only over time do humans develop the ability to perform mental tasks and accurately perceive the world around them (Reference: Dragoi G. The generative grammar of the brain: a critique of internally generated representations. (Nature Reviews Neuroscience. 2024;25(1):60-75.)
The research has helped to understand the actions of newborn infants and how they can formulate responses and process a wider variety of information, such as sounds from varied languages, even though they are aware of fewer items and take longer to perceive their surroundings than adults.
The findings support the Biblical story of Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist, and the cousin of Mary, the surrogate mother of Jesus, who was pregnant at the same time, visiting her. Elizabeth described the life in her womb as "the baby" who "leaped" because of the presence of Jesus and exhibited joy in the presence of God, the Son, who was in Mary's womb.
"In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy." (Luke 1:39-44 ESV)
Exceptions To Abortion
In very rare circumstances (Less than .2%) where a mother might die as a result of pregnancy, both parents may have to decide whether to end the pregnancy rather than lose the lives of both mother and child. It must be emphasized that taking a human life for any reason other than saving a life is wrong.
Abortion is simply not an 'instrument of compassion' for victims of rape or incest. The Bible does not justify punishing an unborn child with death because of the sins of the father. The mother must be given compassionate care and assistance throughout the pregnancy to help her decide whether she wants to keep or place the child for adoption.
There are extremely rare cases that directly affect the mother. Some examples are when a pregnancy occurs outside of the uterus (ectopic), most often as a result of an issue in the fallopian tubes, and also where the developing life in the embryonic stage is somehow released from the ovary but misses the fimbriae and never get into the fallopian tube, which could result in life-threatening rupturing, bleeding, and infection.
Another rare case is when aggressive maternal cancer is identified in early pregnancy, and the challenge is to treat the cancer, which could deform or kill the developing baby, or hope the mother survives the pregnancy as the cancer spreads slowly enough to give her a chance with treatment after delivery.
There are also cases in which the unborn child is carrying cancerous cells as well, which questions the potential for survival even if left to full gestation. If there is a preexisting condition that affects the mother's health, such as COPD, a doctor could advise her not to get pregnant because it will place severe strain on the heart.
Where Do Babies Go When They Die?
The Bible says a person has to 'believe' in Jesus to be saved, which can't be done if they haven't heard the Gospel message (Romans 10:14). The Bible does not say anywhere that God holds people responsible for things they were never directly given the moral ability to respond to. At the heart of Christianity are the beliefs that God is love, omniscient, sovereign, merciful, righteous, patient, good, and kind. He only does what is just, right, impartial, and fair.
"The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made." (Psalm 145:8-9 ESV)
God gives light to each person in the world to enable them to seek and find Him (Job 33:14-30, John 1:4-13, Acts 17:26-30, Romans 1,2,11:32). He has given humanity two types of revelation about Himself, general and special. He continuously makes Himself known generally through the natural world and moral conscience. He has made Himself known through special revelation, which is His Word, the Bible, and through the promised Messiah, Jesus. God does not hold a baby/infant responsible for responding to all His revelation and their guilt for sin.
When King David committed adultery with Bathsheba, it resulted in pregnancy, and the Lord sent the Prophet Nathan to tell David that, because of his sin, He would take the child in death. David responded by grieving and praying for the child. But once the child died, David's mourning ended. David's servants were surprised to hear this, and He said to them,
"While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept. I thought, 'Who knows? The Lord may be gracious to me and let the child live.' But now that he is dead, why should I go on fasting? Can I bring him back again? I will go to him, but he will not return to me." (2 Samuel 12:22-23 NIV).
The words of David indicate that infants who die are safe in the Lord. God can apply the 'sacrificial" payment of Jesus to young children and others incapable of repenting of their sins and receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior because He is eternally good, right, loving, holy, merciful, just, and gracious (Matthew 19:14).
The age of reason/accountability is considered 13 years old in Jewish tradition when a child is regarded as an adult. However, the Bible does not explicitly address that because the age at which a child can distinguish between right and wrong varies. Science has determined that logic, rationality, and moral conscience of knowing good or bad, right and wrong, begin at around six years old when they become more autonomous and make their own decisions to play by the rules and draw their conclusions. A baby/infant cannot make an informed decision to repent of their sin and knowingly choose Jesus as their Lord and Savior (Romans 2:12).
"God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past" (Romans 3:25 NLT)
The Bible is very clear that salvation is by grace through the faith of Jesus and not by any work that could ever be done or through any ritual, and a person becomes eternally justified when they repent of their sins and receive Him as their Lord and Savior (James 2:24; John 3:36; Galatians 2:16, 3:1-29; 2 Corinthians 5:20; Romans 3:22-24,28,4:1-25,5:1; Philippians 3:9; Ephesians 2:8-9). If it weren't for the grace of God, human beings would have to earn salvation, which no one can do. God's justice and mercy are active even for those unaware of Jesus.
Jesus said that after death, the unrighteous are eternally separated from God, and their condition cannot be changed (Luke 16:19-31). The Bible teaches that the eternal state of mankind is determined by our actions during our lives on earth (Ezekiel 18:20). Every human being is "destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).
The Bible tells us that those who have repented of their sin and received Jesus as their Lord and Savior will enter directly, and immediately, into the presence of God after death (Hebrews 5:8-9; Luke 23:43; Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:6,8). No verse in the Bible says a Christian can or should pray for those in the grave because their eternal destiny is confirmed at the moment of death, and their spiritual condition cannot be changed. Death is final, and no amount of praying will bring salvation to a person who rejected Jesus during their life.
The Bible refers to the unborn as a person who exists as an actual living human being from the moment of fertilization. According to the Bible, life begins at conception, not at first breath, and abortion is infanticide.
**For those who have had an abortion, you have already been forgiven by Jesus on the Cross, and you appropriate His forgiveness by repenting of your sin and asking Him to become your Lord and Savior.
Let’s pray…
