The Unborn Child

Prefatory Remarks

The question that is often a bone of contention is when a child becomes a person having a soul which does not die with the body. For the atheist the question does not arise, as he does not believe that man has an immortal soul or anything of that kind. Others hold views that go from one extreme to the other. On the one hand there are those that hold that a person's soul existed from all eternity, through those that hold that the soul comes into existence at conception, on through those who perhaps hold that it comes into existence when the baby quickens, right up to those who hold that it comes into existence when the baby is born (i.e. takes its first breath). Then on the other hand there are those who hold that it does not start to exist until the child has reached an age such as twelve when it can be regarded as a responsible individual.

The question is what does Scripture actually teach ? There has been a tendency of recent years for Christians to suppose that a child has a soul from conception. In this they appear to be influenced by the idea that if this is not so it is difficult to argue that abortion is not an acceptable solution to an unwanted pregnancy. However, this is not in itself a justifiable reason for holding that a child has a soul from conception.

The Teaching of Scripture

Scripture states that man became a living soul when God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 2:7). This was after he had been formed, dust of the ground. Thus, a child does not breathe until after it has been formed (rather an obvious statement !). However, what is said in Genesis 2 is one of the those apparently simple statements in the early chapters of Genesis which have profound implications and often provide solutions to what appear to be difficult philosophical problems. However, it is to be noted that what is said in other passages of Scripture is in accord with what we have in Genesis. In Ezekiel 37, where we get the prophecy of the valley of dry bones, we find that there is a clear distinction made, on the one hand, between the coming together of the bones, the sinews and flesh coming upon them, their being covered with skin and, on the other hand, the breath coming into them so that they lived. Without breath there was no life.

In the spiritual realm the situation is similar. Christ did not build his assembly whilst here on earth. He said "I will build my assembly" (Matthew 16:18). Material was there in the disciples, but it awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit before the assembly came into existence (Acts 2:1-4). Ephesians 2:19-22 would confirm that the forming of the habitation of God (another aspect of the assembly) involved the work of the Spirit.

The Old Testament passages regarding the tabernacle and temple are similar. In Exodus 40:34 & 35 we find that the cloud covered the tent of meeting. Until then the tabernacle was not properly speaking the house of God. It was built that God should occupy it, but until he had it was simply an unoccupied structure. The order is similar in 2 Chronicles 7:1-3 where the temple was filled with the glory of Jehovah.

The fact that an unborn child is not a person is also shown by the fact that it is not named until it is born. Adam was not named until he was created (Genesis 5:2). Seth was not named until he was begotten (Genesis 5:3) and so on. The situation is the same today, a birth is not registered until a child is born. It is not named on conception. Further, a person's age is calculated from his birth; not from when he was conceived. Turning to the New Testament we find that John the Baptist was not named until he was born, though the the angel had said what he was to be called before he was even conceived (Luke 1:13 and 57-63). It is the same in the case of Christ, as it is said: "Thou shalt conceive in the womb and bear a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus" (Luke 1:31). In Luke 2:21 we have: "And when eight days were fulfilled for circumcising him, his name was called Jesus, which was the name given by the angel before he had been conceived in the womb". Matthew's account is similar: "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus" (Matthew 1:21). This is what in fact happened as it says in Matthew 1:25 "She... brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus". God had prepared Jesus a body (Hebrews 10:5), but until he was born he did not occupy it. He came into the body prepared for him as it says: "Coming into the world he says,...thou hast prepared me a body". Because of the foregoing it has not been the practice to have a formal burial service for a child stillborn, though of course one could pray with the Father and Mother because of their sorrow in not having the child they had expected.

The Teaching of Nature

Apart from the specific teaching of Scripture on the subject, there are problems connected with saying that an unborn child is a person. Many foetuses (what we today call an unborn child) don't live many hours. Are we to suppose they have souls that will live eternally ? An unborn child has not done anything good or worthless (Romans 9:11). God alone knows what they will do after they are born, but until then they will have done nothing of moral value or the reverse and therefore there would be no point in them having part in the resurrection.

Further, it must be noted that until a child is born it is part of its Mother. It receives its nourishment from her via the umbilical cord and if the cord were cut it would almost certainly die. It is not whilst in the womb properly speaking a distinct individual. There is the potential for a new person, but until the child is born it is not that. Normally it has not been known whether a child will be male or female until it is born, so it cannot on that account be named.