The first Adam was created after the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:26). The second Adam (Christ Jesus) is the express image of His (God's) person (Heb. 1:3). The first Adam was created fully mature, was never a child, but was cre­ated a whole living person, a human be­ing with body and soul (Gen. 2:7). The second Adam, the Son of man (who was and is the eternal Son of God) became the seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15), bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh, "that holy thing," conceived in her womb by the Holy Spirit. As man, the Son of man by generation, He possessed both a human body and soul as He de­clared in Matthew 26:38, "My soul is ex­ceedingly sorrowful even unto death." Oh, did He not come to save His people, body and soul?

This question, "When does the soul enter the body of the unborn child?", is exceedingly important, especially in this day with the many opinions regard­ing abortion. If the developing child does not receive its soul at conception, then, until the time it does, it is not a human being, for the complete man, as human being, consists of body and soul (Gen. 2:7).

The immortality of the soul, in contra­distinction to that of the body, is clearly established by Scripture where it is de­clared, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul" (Matt. 10:28). Moreover, Jesus said to the murderer on the cross, "Verily I say unto thee, Today thou shalt be with Me in paradise" (Luke 23:43).

It is clear that the unborn are known personally by God (Psa. 139:15-16; Jer. 1:5) and may be called by God before birth (Gen. 25:22-23; Judges 12:2-7; Isa. 49:1-5; Gal. 1:15). By the light of the Holy Spirit, David was given to see that his person (body and soul) was known to God before his conception. As to the moment of conception, it is written, "Be­hold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Psa. 51:5). Sin is imputed to the person (body and soul) of the individual. To believe it is im­puted first to the body only, cannot be defended by Scripture. When then does the body receive its soul? Is it not at the moment of conception?

Life is characterized by growth and activity, death by the cessation of the same. At conception there is immediate cell division and multiplication. The small group of cells divide and multiply rapidly as the process of differentiation leads to some becoming brain, others an eye, still others a hand and a foot. If at any moment this being dies, the soul leaves the body and all growth and cellular ac­tivity ceases. Those who hold that souls propagate themselves by generation (traducianism), just as do our bodies, must find this contrary to Scripture (Zech. 12:1; Heb. 12:9; Num. 27:16).

More convincing evidence, however, for the soul being given at conception, is that Christ Jesus, the Son of man (very man and very God) was conceived by the Holy Ghost in the womb of Mary (Matt. 1:20) as a living human being (a whole, true and complete man — not a half work), complete in body and soul at the moment of His conception. Was He not known as this whole man, this perfect man even before His concep­tion (Luke 2:21)?

The body lives only while the soul is in it. "Trouble not yourselves, for his life (ziel or soul) is in him" (Acts 20:10). When the soul leaves the body, man is dead. "For the body without the spirit is dead" (James 2:26). When was Christ truly dead? "And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost (soul)" (Mark 15:37; 1 Thess. 2:15).

If these things be so, must not we consider abortion murder, whenever done after the moment of conception?