A consideration of other thoughts or philosophies concerning the beginning of life opens up a whole can of worms as we see in the world today. Some advocate that life starts when a heart beat of the foetus is heard but can’t be called a living being until it’s born. Others will advocate life starts when the baby takes his/her first breath at birth outside the mother. All the different thoughts, outside God’s plan of continuous Life and Spirit, will give openings for terminations of pregnancies at any time of gestation. Do we accept this because the baby or foetus is not really alive yet and can be discarded at any time at will. No! As we said in part 1, life is continuous and is always present.
Can we then ask, “Does this physical in-the-body life end, and if so, when?” In the medical profession we might say when bodily functions stop to exist. Which means no heartbeat or respiratory sounds for at least 2 minutes, no pupil movement, are the pupils dilated? and other checks normally to be done. The conclusion then would be that the patient has died and his/her earthly, physical life has stopped to exist, and has come to an end. But can we really say that life has finished? The life is continuous in offspring but the physical body of the person has ended its purpose of being a habitation on the earth.
If LIVING is the activity of being alive in this physical realm, how do we live, specifically compared to the animals or plants who are also living. Animals and plants follow their instinct for shelter, survival and reproduction. Can we say this about humanity? Due to the inequality in distribution of wealth, a majority of humanity is living and pursuing the basic necessities of life: shelter, food etc. Others will pursue wealth for their own selfish purposes, for the ‘one with the most toys wins’. Verses 19-21 of Matthew 6 talk about storing up treasures for oneself and not taking others into consideration who need help and love. Verses 25-34 say not to worry (not to be so occupied) about tomorrow, don’t pursue these things, you are worth more than the birds of the air who don’t store food, they do not sow or reap—and yet, they are always fed because your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are even more precious to Him than a beautiful bird. Or consider the lilies of the field how they grow. They do not work or weave or sew, and yet their garments are stunning. Your worth is going back to even before creation; we have always been His own, even before time was. Genesis 1, the creation of all things, everything was created good but in verse 31, after He had created man, God saw all he had made and it was very good. Man in His image and in His likeness, very good. John 10:10 reminds us again “I have come so that they may have life and have it in abundance”, or have life in all its fullness.
