§ 1 The argument
The prohibition of murder and its penalty are grounded in the image of God (Gen. 9:6), which every human bears from the beginning — not conferred at birth, viability, or a heartbeat. Scripture consistently treats the unborn as persons: knit and known in the womb (Ps. 139:13-16; Jer. 1:5), called a 'baby' with the same word used of newborns (Luke 1:41-44), and protected by full 'life for life' justice when killed (Ex. 21:22-25). If the unborn is a human image-bearer, abortion is the killing of an innocent person, and the only faithful legal response is equal protection.
§ 2 Supporting points
- Genesis 9:6 grounds lethal justice for murder in the image of God, a universal (pre-Israel) command given to Noah.
- Exodus 21:22-25 applies the 'life for life' penalty to the death of a child in the womb.
- Luke 1:41-44 uses brephos ('baby') of the unborn John — the same word for the newborn Jesus (Luke 2:12).
- Psalm 139, Jeremiah 1:5, and Psalm 51:5 locate continuous personal identity before birth and from conception.
§ 3 Discussion questions
- What single question decides whether abortion is murder — and does Scripture leave it unanswered?
- If image-bearing is the ground of protection, when does a human begin to bear God's image?
§ 4 Related
Source transcript
Drawn from
Does the Pro-Life Movement Hate Justice? (T. Russell Hunter, 'Justice Alone') — The 'consistent' case: Gen 9:6 + Ex 20:13 + Ex 21:22-25 + Lev 20.
§ 5 References
When Human Life Begins — 'a whole, genetically distinct, individuated zygotic living human organism'
medical position statement
Supports: corroborates the biology of a distinct human organism from fertilization
The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology ('a zygote is the beginning of a new human being; human development begins at fertilization')
embryology textbook
Supports: standard embryology: a new human being begins at fertilization