Does life begin at conception according to the Bible?

The primary biblical argument for life beginning at conception is found in Psalm 139, where David claims that God is present in the first moments of a person's life, and that He has plans for that life from its first moments: "For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. … Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them" (Psalm 139:13, 16).

Other verses in the Bible also support the value of unborn life:

Jeremiah 1:5 says, "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."

Isaiah 44:24 talks about God as "your Redeemer, who formed you from the womb."

Paul says in Galatians 1:15 that God "had set [him] apart before [he] was born."

Job 33:4 says, "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."

If we believe what the Bible says, we must come to the conclusion that in both physical and spiritual terms, an unborn child is the blueprint for a fully-formed human being.


Related Truth:

What does it mean to be fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)?

What does it mean that humanity is created in the image of God?

Why did God create humanity?

Abortion - What does the Bible have to say?

What is the Christian view of stem cell research?


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