Question and Answer
Where does the Bible teach that a baby in the womb is a living human being?
Scripture clearly states that God forms, sees, and ordains life in an unborn baby in the womb (Ps. 139:13–16). God also sets people apart for service to Him from the womb, as He did Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5) and Paul (Gal. 1:15). If they were not living persons while still in the womb, that would not be possible. Moreover, it’s possible for God to work spiritually even in an unborn baby’s life. John the Baptist was “filled with the Holy Spirit, while yet in his mother’s womb” (Luke 1:15), and the Spirit prompted John to leap while in his mother Elizabeth’s womb when Mary, pregnant with the Messiah Jesus, visited (Luke 1:41). It’s plain from Scripture that an unborn child is a fully human living person, made in the image of God, and therefore precious to God Himself.
BY Dr. Michael Rydelnik
Dr. Michael Rydelnik is a professor of Jewish Studies at Moody Bible Institute and the host of Moody Radio’s Open Line with Michael Rydelnik. He is the author of 50 Most Important Bible Questions inspired by both his radio show and his columns for Today in the Word. Michael served on the translation team of the Holman CSB Bible and contributed to several other books and study Bibles. Michael also appeared in the Lee Stroebel video The Case for Christ. Michael and his wife, Eva, have two adult sons. The Rydelniks live in Chicago, Ill.