For many Christians, the question of when life begins is fundamental. Some think that life begins at conception, while others feel it begins at birth or at another point in the fetus’ development.
For decades, scientists have debated when life begins, complicated by scientific advances that have changed our understanding of embryonic and fetal development. On the other hand, those who believe that life begins at conception will find the Bible a great source of inspiration and instruction.
In this article, we will look at some Bible verses that support the idea that life begins at conception and consider how they affect our understanding of the sanctity of life.
Life begins at conception Bible verses
1. Genesis 1:27
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”
2. Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
3. Psalms 139:13-14
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
4. Isaiah 44:24
“This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, who formed you in the womb: I am the Lord, the Maker of all things, who stretches out the heavens, who spreads out the earth by myself.”
5. Job 31:15
“Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?”
6. Galatians 1:15
“But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased”
7. Exodus 20:13
“You shall not murder.”
8. Deuteronomy 30:19
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.”
The Role of Conception in God’s Plan for Creation
9. Psalm 127:3
“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
10. Genesis 9:1
“Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.'”
11. Jeremiah 29:11
“For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'”
12. Isaiah 43:7
“Everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”
13. Psalm 139:16
“Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
14. 1 Timothy 2:15
“But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.”
15. Genesis 17:16
“I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
16. Psalm 128:3
“Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table.”
The Sanctity of Life According to the Bible
17. Exodus 20:13
“You shall not murder.”
18. Deuteronomy 30:19
“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Nowchoose life, so that you and your children may live.”
19. Psalm 139:13-16
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
20. Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
21. Proverbs 6:16-19
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”
22. Psalm 127:3
“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him.”
23. Matthew 18:10
“See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”
Biblical Evidence for Life Beginning at Conception
24. Psalm 139:13-16
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”
25. Job 10:8-12
“Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again? Did you not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh and knit me together with bones and sinews? You gave me life and showed me kindness, and in your providence watched over my spirit.”
26. Isaiah 44:2
“This is what the Lord says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.”
27. Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
28. Galatians 1:15
“But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased.”
29. Luke 1:44
“As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.”
30. Exodus 21:22-23
“If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands andthe court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life.”
31. Psalm 22:9-10
“Yet you brought me out of the womb; you made me trust in you, even at my mother’s breast. From birth I was cast on you; from my mother’s womb you have been my God.”
32. Psalm 71:6
“From birth I have relied on you; you brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise you.”
33. Psalm 139:13-14
“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
34. Job 31:15
“Did not he who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same one form us both within our mothers?”
35. Isaiah 49:1
“Listen to me, you islands; hear this, you distant nations: Before I was born the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name.”
36. Jeremiah 20:17
“For he did not kill me in the womb, with my mother as my grave, her womb enlarged forever.”
37. Psalm 51:5
“Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.”
The Sanctity of Human Life
38. Genesis 1:27
“So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.”
39. Exodus 20:13
“You shall not murder.”
40. Matthew 5:21
“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.'”
41. Proverbs 24:11-12
“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,” does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?”
42. Matthew 25:40
“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.'”
43. Jeremiah 22:3
“This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place.”
44. Psalm 82:3-4
“Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
45. Isaiah 1:17
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
The Value of Children
46. Matthew 19:14
“Jesus said, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'”
47. Mark 10:13-16
“People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.’ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them.”
48. Psalm 127:3-5
“Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court.”
49. Proverbs 17:6
“Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.”
50. Ephesians 6:1-3
“Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.”
51. Colossians 3:20
“Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”
52. Deuteronomy 6:6-7
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
53. Proverbs 22:6
“Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it.”
The Call to Protect Life
54. Psalm 82:4
“Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
55. Proverbs 24:11-12
“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it? Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?”
56. Isaiah 58:6-7
“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?”
57. Isaiah 1:17
“Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”
Conclusion
The view that life begins at conception is based in both science and faith. While science confirms that a distinct human life begins at conception with its own unique genetic code, the Bible teaches that each individual is created in the image of God and thus has inherent worth and dignity.
Many Bible verses, including Psalm 139:13-16 and Jeremiah 1:5, affirm the sanctity of human life from conception to natural death. This idea has far-reaching repercussions for problems like abortion and assisted reproductive technologies.
Recognizing the value of human life at all phases of development can ultimately lead to greater respect for the gift of life and a commitment to safeguarding and nurturing it.
