Start of Life
Is it possible that life begins prior to conception? Jeremiah 1:5 New American Standard Bible (NASB) states 5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
From this we can understand that each person is set apart (consecrated.)
Each life has a purpose and is meaningful.
We also know that it was God who created us. Each of us individually. Psalm 139:13-16 (NASB) “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb. 14 I will give thanks to You, for [j]I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your works, And my soul knows it very well. 15 My [k]frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the depths of the earth; 16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.” Psalm 119:73 (NASB) “Your hands made me and fashioned me;”
Here David indicates that his soul, meaning his mind, is separate from his frame, the body. Meriam Webster Dictionary, on-line, lists the following as the first definition of soul. “The immaterial essence, animating principle, or actuating cause of an individual life.”
There are three dimensions to human life; body, soul and spirit. There are three dimensions of God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Genesis 1:26 (NASB) Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
1 Thessalonians 5:23 (NASB) confirms this “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Hebrews 4:12 (NASB) further reinforces this “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
Let’s stop and review what the Word has said so far:
1. God knew us before conception.
2. He created us in bodily form.
3. He created us in His image.
4. He made man a threefold being body, soul and spirit.
5. He knew the number of our days before “before there was yet one.”
After birth we have a function a purpose that God has planned for us. The expectation is that we are to live out our life in his likeness. But God gave us freewill. God knows we are human and that our choices may not always align with his perfect will.
Sometimes people can be self-centered, stubborn, and disobedient. These are choices we make from the age that we know right and wrong until our bodily death.
People are often afraid of giving up their desires because they don’t understand that Gods plan for our life is oftentimes much better than what we want. It is great when his plans and our goals align. This can happen when we truly seek him. Matthew 6:33 (NASB) “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
God being righteous cannot stand unrighteousness. ”For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (NIV)
Since the time He gave the Ten Commandments he has always required a blood sacrifice for sin. Prior to Jesus’ death that sacrifice was in the form of unblemished lambs and goats. He understood, since before the beginning of time, that would not work forever, and he chose a final blood sacrifice for all humans. That sacrifice was made by Jesus Christ of Nazareth, his only begotten son. Gods desire is that we live eternally with Him and when we accept Jesus as our personal savior, he sees us through the blood of Christ and we are clean.
1st Peter I 18-23 (KJV) states 18” Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, 21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God. 22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.”
How long do we have to accept Christ as savior, until the moment of our bodily death. Christ said to the thief on the cross Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise. Luke 23:43 (KJV)
It is spiritual death that should be avoided. Spiritual death is the total absence from God throughout eternity. Luke 16:23-25 (KJV) states “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.”
Revelation 1:7 (NASB) states 7 ”BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.” So even when the Lord returns the dead will be able to see Him come.
In death our soul and spirit are still functioning. We still retain memories, think, discern, have concern, reason and can see. Our body is not alive but our soul and spirit are.
The Bible clearly indicates we will have a new body at some point on the eternal lifeline. This new body is not constrained by time, space and dimension.
Mark 16:1-13 (NASB) “When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of [a]James, and Salome, bought spices, so that they might come and anoint Him. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, they *came to the tomb when the sun had risen. 3 They were saying to one another, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” 4 Looking up, they *saw that the stone had been rolled away, [b]although it was extremely large. 5 Entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting at the right, wearing a white robe; and they were amazed. 6 And he *said to them, “Do not be amazed; you are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who has been crucified. He has risen; He is not here; behold, here is the place where they laid Him. 7 But go, tell His disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see Him, just as He told you.’” 8 They went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had gripped them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 9 [[c]Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons. 10 She went and reported to those who had been with Him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 When they heard that He was alive and had been seen by her, they refused to believe it. 12 After that, He appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking along on their way to the country. 13 They went away and reported it to the others, but they did not believe them either.”
Jesus was not the only one resurrected at that time.
Matthew 27:50-55 King James Version (KJV) 50 “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. 51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
KJV King James Version of the Bible (Public Domain)
NASB New American Standard Bible (Lockman Foundation)
NIV New International Version (Biblica)
Copyright © 2020 All rights reserved Gladys Smith Article
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