When Life Truly Begins
Ryan Cox • September 24, 2021
When Life Truly Begins
Ecclesiastes 11:5, “Just as you do not know the path of the wind and how bones are formed in the womb of the pregnant woman, so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.”
In this passage, the Hebrew word maw-lay’
is translated “pregnant” (“with child” in other versions). The word means, “full, fullness, fully” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance). We learn from this that the womb of a mother is filled with child.
As soon as fertilization takes place, a baby’s genetic make-up is complete (“Fetal Development”, clevelandclinic.org). From that moment on, a mother is fully with child. It is not a tissue mass, but a human being made in the image of God, filling his or her mother’s womb.
16 times the Old Testament scriptures use haw-reh’
to refer to a pregnant mother; it means “conceive, with child” (Strong’s). Again, the Word of God is clear that a pregnant woman is “with child”, not “with bio-tissue”.
One such passage is Exodus 21:22. In the very first chapter after God gives the Ten Commandments, the Lord says, “²² If men struggle with each other and strike a woman with child so that she gives birth prematurely…
²³ if there is any further injury, then you shall appoint as a penalty life for life”. The Creator God Himself declared that if someone caused the death of a child in the womb, it was just as much murder as killing a child outside of the womb.
It must also be noted that in verse 22, the word yeh’-led
is used to refer to the “fruit” or child. The word is used 89 times in God’s Word and denotes children both in the womb and out.
To God, it matters not the child’s location (whether in a womb or not); the child is a precious human made in His image.
In the New Testament, the Greek word brephos
is used 8 times and translated “child, baby, or infant”. It is used in reference to Jesus both in Mary’s womb (Luke 1:41) and outside Mary’s womb (Luke 2:12). The idea that a baby isn’t a living child entitled to protection of the law until it is outside of the womb breathing on its own is completely obliterated by this word referring to one who has the breath of life both in the womb and out.
However, we have not yet answered the question as to when life truly begins. Most often we hear the argument that is most scientific – life begins at conception. This, though, is not necessarily scriptural. The Scriptures teach that life does NOT begin at conception, but BEFORE.
Ecclesiastes 11:5 says, “you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.” And God states in Jeremiah 1:5, “Before
I formed you in the womb
I knew you”.
Life does not begin at conception – life begins in the mind of God our Creator! And since we “do not know the activity of God who makes all things”, we cannot be so presumptuous to think we know
when
God (who is outside of time) determined in His eternal plan for life to create each and every one of His image bearers.
Humanity, therefore, has no right, let alone authority, to take the life of another human outside of the purview of the Creator’s authority and His eternal law found in His Book – the Bible.
For more information about the abortion issue, consult the 3-part series entitled “America’s Molech Worship” recently posted at www.creationtruth.com/thescroll
Here we are again, just a few days before Christmas. It seems the old adage, “The older you get the faster time flies,” is so true. There is not a year that passes when we look back and think, “Wow, this year took forever!” History is passing by and we look forward to the new year as we continue to focus on our eternal destiny. Our theme this year has been, HISTORY & DESTINY. Christmas is a great time to reflect on these two realities. Everyone has “Christmas history”, as I term it - those moments from past Christmases that are remembered year after year. Maybe it’s a great family gathering or Christmas activity that has become a beloved tradition. All of those moments are formed by previous years’ experiences. Sometimes this season can be tough, as we may have that memory of a loved one that has passed or other difficulties that we may be facing. Christmas history is always impactful, be it good or bad. This makes me reflect on the first Christmas. For Mary and Joseph, there was no previous history like that moment, per se. Yet, the history of the prior four thousand years had been preparing for the manger, the moment in history that our Savior would be born and begin Christmas history for all of us. Whether it is acknowledged or not, without Jesus’ birth in history, none of this season happens. Each and every Christmas our desire is to make those “Christmas history” memories for our family. Our desire is to impact the future of our family, our destiny. Often our efforts fall short or are interrupted by things out of our control. In those moments, so much stress can come from our efforts not going as planned. Sometimes it ends up ruining the whole season, especially if our focus has not been on the simple fact that He was born to bring peace, not stress. Let us not forget that it didn’t start the way Mary and Joseph had planned, with no room in the inn. But the Lord provided a place for them to rest and deliver the baby. Immanuel, God with us, is the bell ringing for all eternity that started that first Christmas. Our eternal destiny hinges on whether we acknowledge who He is everyday, not just in this season. Yet, this season is most assuredly a great time to emphasize His gift of life for all eternity. Our Creator became as one of His image bearers in that stable under imperfect conditions. He joined HISTORY and DESTINY that moment in time. The years of history that prepared the world for the child born that first Christmas would give us hope for all eternity. Jesus is the marker for all history. Because of that moment in time, our life can have peace for eternity through Him. May we all focus on the culmination of HISTORY & DESTINY during our family Christmas celebrations this year. Our history is written but our destiny is hope in Jesus Christ, our Creator and Savior. Blessings this season to you and your family from all of us here at Creation Truth Foundation!