If life begins at conception, then that means God has blessed us with a child regardless of when we go to a doctor or start showing noticeably signs of pregnancy.
If life begins at conception, then we are parents as soon as a child is present in the womb. Birth obviously changes many things, but it does not increase the "aliveness" of the child.
If life begins at conception, then miscarriage is death, and like all other human death, it should be mourned over and recognized as evidence of the fall. Should miscarriage happen, we would want the body of Christ to grieve with us just as if we had lost a toddler or a teenager.
If life begins at conception, then when we pray for our baby, we are not praying for our future child. We may be praying for the future birth of our now-living child, but the baby is just as much alive and a part of our lives as if he or she were currently in Leah’s arms.
If life begins at conception, then the process of raising our child in the nurture and admonition of the Lord has already begun, even if just in the form of praying for the baby and maintaining godly personal and family disciplines that the baby will one day be included in and taught to apply personally.
If we as Christians truly believe that all of human life is sacred, then we need to quit acting like the world when we talk about pregnancy. That fetus is a baby is a child is a person who is created in the image of God. While being sensitive to the innumerable people who have suffered tragedy during pregnancy, we need to encourage each other to publicly rejoice in new life as soon as we are aware of it. We need to jettison all future tense language when referring to our status as parents, because if there is life in the womb, then we are parents in the present.
How we talk about pregnancy can be a ministry to others, both Christians and non-Christians. How we treat pregnancy can be an evangelistic tool for unbelievers, a matter of edification for other believers, and a means of sanctification in the life of the mother and father.
My prayer is that more Christians would practice a consistent ethic of life when it comes to how we understand pregnancy, and what we communicate to others about the gift of new human life. A pregnancy is evidence of both God’s goodness and His sovereignty, and we should always approach pregnancy in a way that glorifies the Giver of all life, praising Him for His wonderful gift and pointing others to the Source of all life.
Nathan Finn is associate archivist at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., and a Ph.D. student in church history.
© 2006 Baptist Press. All rights reserved. Used with permission.
