Fruit of the Womb

Advancements in the fields of science and medicine have led to an increased awareness of what occurs at the various stages of pregnancy.

It has been discovered that many significant developmental milestones occur long before birth. The first eight weeks following conception are when most body parts and all body systems appear and begin functioning.

Five weeks after conception, the spinal cord, brain, and heart have already started formation.

On the sixth week, the heart (with all four chambers) is pumping blood to the brain and throughout the body.


By the eighth week, brainwaves have can be recorded as well as a response to light and touch.

At 12 weeks, yawning has been observed, fingerprints have begun formation, and some bones begin to harden.

Technological advancements have provided profound discoveries in the immense development that occurs during even the first trimester of pregnancy.

And yet, as the abortion debate continues, new questions have started to surface; questions concerning personhood. These questions do not seek to know if there is life, but rather, ask if there is a soul.

For many, the answer to this question is based on logic and human intuition. One such example is that of the "quickening", for centuries the first movement felt within the womb was a call for the celebration of life. When Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, first felt her baby kick within her womb, the milestone was announced throughout London as bonfires were lit and wine was distributed to the poor.

Some turn to the creation in Genesis, after all, it is here that God first breathed into the nostrils of man to give him life. In fact, there is a common argument that since we find here a breath that leads to life, that a baby does not gain a soul until they breathe their first breath of air.

It is in light of arguments such as these that require the reexamination of what Scripture teaches concerning the beginning of life and the soul. By observing ideas that are consistently stated throughout Scripture and resisting the temptation to insert our modern medical insight into a culture that lacked such intimate knowledge, we can begin to see that Scripture is not so much concerned with when one becomes a person, but how; and that this how is always attributed to a good and personal Creator.

In the historical narrative of the Old Testament, we find that not only is life a gift from God, but the very act of childbearing is a blessing and gift from God. When Rachel is angry because she had not given Jacob any children, Jacob states that God is sovereign over the womb (Gen 30:2). When Sarah, who had lived well past the age of having children laughed at God, He reminded her of that same sovereignty and a year later, she gave birth to Isaac (Gen 18:14). We are reminded often throughout the Old Testament that children are both a gift and a blessing from God (Ps 127:3).

These children, who are gifts from God, are also precious to God. The God of the Bible is known to be active in the intimate process that occurs inside of the womb. God had knowledge of who Jacob and Esau would be before they were born (Gen 25:23), he had a purpose and plan for the life of Samson (Jdg 13:7), and even in the womb he knows us by name (Is 49:1).

Within the womb, this personal God forms and knits us together (Ps 139:13), and although the mysterious process of when we are a person is shrouded within the womb (Ps 139:15), it is God who is actively involved in forming our substance in wonderful fashion (Psalm 139:16,17).

Although Scripture may not address the intricate details of exactly when it clearly addresses the what and how.

All human life, included all life in the womb, is a gift and blessing from God who has created us in his image. The Bible does not leave room for specific terminologies such as zygote, embryo, or fetus. All activity in the womb was hidden and mysterious, but the end result was life. It was the anticipation of this culmination that made all that was hidden within the womb sacred and divine activity.



The information presented regarding the rapid development that occurs during the first trimester can be found here.