Thank you for the question about life, “When does God give life in the Bible?”
God is the Creator of life and the author of life. Since the question deals with when or the timing of life, I am assuming the question is asking about human life. Each person is a physical being as well as a spiritual being. For one’s consideration, God gives life at these moments to a person:
A. God gives physical life to every human being on earth.
Psalm 139 says this, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth” (A searchable online Bible in over 150 versions and 50 languages). Bible citations are in the New International Version.
Job 10 says this, “Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me? 9 Remember that you molded me like clay. Will you now turn me to dust again?” (NIV).
From the above passages and others, David sees God is the Giver of physical life to him. Since God designed David, then he also designed every human being. Our very composition is designed by God through our parent’s genes.
B. God gives spiritual life to individuals who trust Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord.
John 1 says this, “Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (NIV).
John 3 says this, “Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ 8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit” (NIV).
Titus 3 says this, “4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying” (NIV).
Jesus declared that a person needs a spiritual birth from the Spirit of God. The timing of this new spiritual birth happens at the moment when one believes in one’s heart that Jesus died for his or her sins and accepts him as the atoning sacrifice (I John 2:2).
C. God gives resurrected life to every human being.
The Apostle Paul says this for the resurrection of the body for those who died in Christ, “I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (NIV).
The Apostle John says this about the resurrection of those who are not in Christ, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire” (NIV).
The resurrection of believers in Christ happens at the return of Jesus Christ before the Millennial Kingdom begins and the resurrection of non-believers not in Christ happens at the end of the Millennial Kingdom.
I realize that there are individuals who do not believe in the existence of God and any afterlife. The question asks about life FROM A SCRIPTURAL VIEWPOINT. I cited the Scriptural passages for one’s consideration on the topic.
SUMMARY: The Bible states that the Creator God is giver of physical life and that the Spirit of God is the giver of spiritual life to those who believe that Jesus died for their sins.
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