Defining Life

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; Jeremiah 1:5

Too often we read words but don’t fully grasp their meanings. I have found that if I look up key words in text I understand the intent or concept much better because I have a broader sense of what words mean. I pulled out a few key words from the above bible passage and noted their meanings according to Webster.

Formed: verb/ 1.to shape, fashion; 2. to train, instruct; 3. To develop; 4. To make up, constitute; 5. To organize into

Womb: (see uterus)a hollow organ of female mammals in which the embryo and fetus are developed

Knew: verb/ 1.To be well informed about; 2. To be aware of; 3. To be acquainted with; 4. To recognize or distinguish

Born: (see bear)1. To carry; 2. To have or show; 3.To give birth to; 4. To produce or yield; 5.To support or to sustain; 6.To withstand or endure; 7. To need; 8. To carry or conduct; 9.To give

In the Jeremiah verse, the “I” referred to is God. The one true God, creator of heaven and earth. God is telling Jeremiah that He created him in his mother’s womb but even more importantly He tells him that He knew him before that process even began!

Using the definition of knew above we can clearly see the following things:

1. God clearly was “well informed” about Jeremiah before he was conceived. God is all-knowing and He knew who Jeremiah was, who he was going to be, how he would live his life, and what his purpose in life would be long before he actually created him in his mother’s womb.

2. God was “aware” of Jeremiah from the beginning. Again, he had a vision for this man long before he came to be. God knew the who, what, when, why, and how about Jeremiah before anyone else did.

3. God was “acquainted” with Jeremiah before he was formed. He had a love for him and a desire to be in relationship with him long before he came into existence.

4. God “recognized” Jeremiah and was able to “distinguish” him from all others in the universe before there were even any in the universe to compare against. This demonstrates an intimate knowledge by God of Jeremiah. He knew what things made him different from the others whether in outwardly appearance or in how he processed information, expressed emotion, or physically engaged in work. God knew what made him tick and set him apart before his heart began to beat.

If we believe. . .

1. God is the author and creator of life
2. God intimately knew us long before we came into existence
3. God loved us from the beginning of time, and
4. God had a plan for our lives when he created the world

Then we must at least define life immediately upon conception!

God would define life from the moment He conceived us in his mind but we cannot phantom that or apply a point in time to that so the least we can do is define it at conception.