Happy Thanksgiving from Personhood Florida

Here’s the answer to a question that’s often asked, “When does human life begin?” One belief is that human life begins at the moment of conception, but according to God’s rightly divided Word, the moment of conception is the moment the potential for human life begins. The potential for human life must be logically and clearly separated from human life itself. At the time of conception, when one sperm of a male, out of as many as a half billion possibilities, unites with one egg of the female, that is not yet the human life the Word of God refers to. Conception is only the beginning, the potential for human life. Human life, according to God and His Word, begins with the first natural breath after the baby is born. When a human being breathes on his own, then God labels him a “living soul.” This is when human life begins. Genesis 2:7 states this clearly:

Genesis 2:7:
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Man became a living soul when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life. He was not a “living soul” before. An embryo or a fetus may be considered a soul, but not a “living soul.” When a fetus takes its first breath, it becomes a living soul. Let’s consider, when does human life end? It ends with the last breath. So, when does human life begin? With the first breath.

The soul life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood….”) and is passed on to the next generation when the sperm impregnates the egg at the time of fertilization. Then at birth, when the child takes his first breath, he becomes an independent living soul. The breath of life at birth ignites a series of vital changes in the cardiovascular and pulmonary systems of the newborn so as to sustain that child’s life functions independent of the mother. The breath of life occurs as the child breathes in through its nostrils or mouth, not through the connection to the mother. The unborn does not breathe on its own in the womb and therefore cannot receive the breath of life, which is the determining factor in being labeled a living soul.

What is developing in the womb is life as an appendage of the mother’s body; it is a human being once it is born and breathes on its own. And when a person takes his last breath, his soul is gone, his life is over (Psalms 146:4).

Another verse of scripture that helps us logically and clearly separate the potential for human life from human life itself is in Luke 1. This is where the angel Gabriel revealed to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus, our savior, by way of the Holy Spirit, meaning God. Note how the angel referred to the unborn.

Luke 1:35:
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit] shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

God’s messenger, the angel Gabriel, called Jesus Christ “that holy thing” before he was born. The words “holy thing” represent one word in Greek, which is in the neuter gender, not masculine. While he was in the womb, Jesus Christ was not yet considered a human being, but a “holy thing.”

When God by way of His Word is allowed to define our terms, it is clear that the unborn is not yet a human being, for “breath life” has not yet begun.

When does human life begin? With the first breath.