Diving right in, let’s see what the BIBLE says about humans:
Genesis 1:26 Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth." 27 So God created humankind in his own image; in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them: God said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it." (CJB)
NOTE that YHWH "created humankind in his own image" (not necessarily in appearance; but rather, to reflect His Essence, "who" He is; His Divine Holiness....)
Eggs and sperm reside inside LIVING beings. They are living organisms that DO something: when activated via the sex act, they come together to create a living, breathing human being that does what? - it reflects YHWH's IMAGE!
Now, let’s check out some verses which prove that pre-born babies ARE considered human beings by the Almighty Himself:
Exodus 21:22 “If people are fighting with each other and happen to hurt a pregnant woman so badly that her unborn child dies, then, even if no other harm follows, he must be fined. He must pay the amount set by the woman’s husband and confirmed by judges. 23 But if any harm follows, then you are to give life for life, 24 eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, 25 burn for burn, wound for wound and bruise for bruise. (CJB)
The passage above reveals that if the child lives and is unharmed, the one who made the mother go into labor must still be punished for the couple's pain and suffering.
Isaiah 49:5 So now Adonai says — he formed me in the womb to be his servant, to bring Ya‘akov back to him, (CJB)
Genesis 25:22 The children fought with each other inside her so much that she said, “If it’s going to be like this, why go on living?” So she went to inquire of Adonai, 23 who answered her, “There are two nations in your womb. From birth they will be two rival peoples. One of these peoples will be stronger than the other, and the older will serve the younger.” (CJB)
Psalm 139:13 For you fashioned my inmost being, you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I thank you because I am awesomely made, wonderfully; your works are wonders — I know this very well. 15 My bones were not hidden from you when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. 16 Your eyes could see me as an embryo, but in your book all my days were already written; my days had been shaped before any of them existed. (CJB)
Could it be any clearer?
Luke 1:39 Without delay, Miryam set out and hurried to the town in the hill country of Y’hudah 40 where Z’kharyah lived, entered his house and greeted Elisheva. 41 When Elisheva heard Miryam’s greeting, the baby in her womb stirred. Elisheva was filled with the Ruach HaKodesh 42 and spoke up in a loud voice, “How blessed are you among women! And how blessed is the child in your womb! (CJB)
The above passage upholds the personhood and value of the unborn in several ways:
- Elisheva (Elizabeth) calls Miryam (Mary) a mother, despite Miryam being in the very early stages of her pregnancy.
- Upon hearing Miryam’s voice, the unborn Yochanan (John) the Baptizer leaps for joy in Elisheva’s womb, meaning he is a person capable of emotion.
- Yochanan’s reaction also means he was capable of recognizing Miryam’s voice and acknowledging the unborn Messiah even in the womb! And lastly, this encounter represents a partial fulfilment of Yochanan’s life purpose: to announce the arrival of Mashyiach Yeshua. Even before he was born, Yochanan had begun to fulfill his life’s calling!
Please read on:
Jeremiah 1:4 Here is the word of Adonai that came to me: 5 “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I separated you for myself. I have appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” (CJB)
The Holy One consecrated Jeremiah and appointed him to be a prophet while he was still in his mother’s womb. Before he was even born, ADONAI already had a plan for his life - and God even SAID He personally formed Jeremiah and knew him in the womb!
Psalm 51:5-6: True, I was born guilty, was a sinner from the moment my mother conceived me. Still, you want truth in the inner person; so make me know wisdom in my inmost heart. (CJB)
In the above passage, David’s words reveal he was not simply an “impersonal entity”; rather a person with the ability to be a sinner from conception on — and one desired by God.
Judges 13:3 The angel of Adonai appeared to the woman and said to her, “Listen! You are barren, you haven’t had a child, but you will conceive and bear a son. 4 Now, therefore, be careful not to drink any wine or other intoxicating liquor, and don’t eat anything unclean. 5 For indeed you will conceive and bear a son. No razor is to touch his head, because the child will be a nazir for God from the womb. Moreover, he will begin to rescue Isra’el from the power of the P’lishtim.” (CJB)
In the above passage, an angel tells Manoach’s wife that she will conceive and give birth to Shimshon (Samson), who will be a Nazarite “from the womb,” meaning ADONAI had a plan for him prior to and from the moment of his conception! (Nazarites were Israelites whose lives were consecrated to the service of God - See Numbers 6.)
Please notice, Shimshon’s mother is even instructed to follow the same restrictions a Nazarite must follow while she is pregnant! Notice the angel’s use of the personal pronouns “his” and “he” when talking about the boy’s Nazarite status, providing both personhood and agency to a preborn child.
For those still insisting a fetus is just a “blog of tissue” that isn’t human – I urge you to read the Bible, from cover to cover, so you can get a grasp of just how very important God’s entire Creation is to Him … especially the humans who, we are told, are MADE IN HIS IMAGE.
Please take a moment to read Genesis 9:5-6, and notice that, when coupled with Genesis 1:26-27, we can see that abortion (a contemporary issue about which there are endless pro and con debates and arguments) IS MURDER! The "abortion rights" advocates keep insisting that "it's not a baby until it's born."
Here is what the CREATOR says to those who destroy HIS Image:
Genesis 9:5 I will certainly demand an accounting for the blood of your lives: I will demand it from every animal and from every human being. I will demand from every human being an accounting for the life of his fellow human being. 6 Whoever sheds human blood, by a human being will his own blood be shed; for God made human beings in his image. (CJB)
An embryo is nourished by human blood. It GROWS inside its mother, which means it is ALIVE! (Dead organisms don't grow.) So, no matter what the "Pro-Choice" types insist: snuffing out an embryo's life is MURDER in YHWH's eyes!
Thank You, YHWH, for these awesome revelations!
