BIRTH CONTROL
Ten Arguments against the use
of birth control and a response to each:
1.
Genesis 1:28; 9:1
a.
If this were a specific command to every individual,
every man and woman would be required to marry. But clearly marriage is not a
universal obligation (Jesus, Paul, 1 Cor. 7).
b.
This text does address the responsibility to bear
children but says nothing about how
many or for how long.
Nothing in the text explicitly requires us to have as many children as is
biologically possible.
c.
Genesis 1:28 must be read in the light of Genesis 1:26.
2.
Deuteronomy 23:1 – The
argument is that this prohibition reflects God’s displeasure with any means of
birth control.
a.
There is nothing to indicate that these men were
castrated as a means of birth control.
b.
In all likelihood, this refers “not to states of
infertility produced by illness or accident, but to deliberate acts of
castration at times associated with pagan worship in the ancient Near East” (John Jefferson Davis, Evangelical Ethics, P&R, 2004, p. 37).
3.
Genesis 38:6-10 (Deuteronomy
25:5-10)
a.
Onan’s sin was
not that he violated the general command to have children, but that he violated
the specific obligation in the law of levirate marriage. His action was sinful
not because he used a form of birth control, but because he disobeyed a legal
responsibility to raise up seed in his deceased
brother’s name (probably because he didn’t want to assume the personal and
financial obligation of raising them).
b.
Leviticus 20:10-21 lists specific sexual crimes
punishable by death under the Mosaic Code. If coitus interruptus,
such as that committed by Onan, were regarded as an
abuse or sin, one would expect to see it in this list.
4.
Psalms 127:3-5; 128:1-6 – No one
would dare disagree that children are a wonderful blessing from the Lord.
a.
Why should we conclude from these texts that we are
morally obligated to have as many children as is biologically possible?
b.
As with all God’s blessings, we must be wise and prudent
stewards in the enjoyment of them.
5.
The purpose of sex in marriage
is procreational, not recreational.
a.
The Bible reveals [many] purposes [beyond procreation] for
sex in marriage.
b.
If this argument were valid, it would be sinful for a
married couple to have sexual relations subsequent to female menopause or a
hysterectomy or in cases where either husband or wife is sterile.
6.
Birth control is unnatural and
artificial – Common sense suggests that the purpose for human sexual
organs is reproduction. Anything that prohibits or interrupts the sex organs
from performing their appointed role is thus sinful.
a.
We do many so-called unnatural things that run counter to and hinder so-called nature, none of which any of us would
regard as immoral or unbiblical: shaving, air-travel, mowing the lawn, etc.
b.
If we consistently applied this principle we would be
forced never to employ medical assistance, medication, or surgery.
c.
Those who employ this argument concede the use of the
rhythm method and abstinence during times of ovulation, none of which is itself
natural (charting or scheduling
intercourse based on body temperature, etc., is hardly natural; and abstinence runs counter to the natural sex drive).
7.
Birth control betrays a lack of
trust or faith in the sovereignty of God. He is Lord over the womb. If God
wants us to have children, He should be free to bestow them. If He doesn’t want
to, He (and He alone) should have the power and prerogative to prevent
conception.
a.
We must be careful that our trust in God is not simply irresponsible behavior.
b.
If this argument were consistently applied, we should
never work, use locks or alarms on our homes, save money for emergencies,
purchase life or health insurance, wear safety goggles when using a weed-eater,
use sun-screen when outside, or support the police or national defense.
8.
Birth control has the potential
to alter in a destructive way our concepts and experience of love and
commitment.
a.
The fact that birth control may yield negative consequences does not itself make birth control
wrong. The absence of intimacy, promiscuity, etc., are wrong, not because one
may have employed a contraceptive device, but because such things are declared
to be wrong in the Bible.
9.
Birth control encourages
promiscuity among both married and unmarried people.
a.
We must distinguish between an object and the purpose or use
to which an object is put. Cars are not sinful simply because people can use
them to escape the scene of a crime they’ve just committed. The fact that an
object can be used for immoral purposes does not necessarily prove the object
is in and of itself immoral.
10.
Birth control devices have
negative side-effects and are detrimental to one’s health. Since our bodies are
the temple of the Holy Spirit, we should not employ those things that do damage
to our physical constitution.
a.
On this point, I agree: if a birth control device is found conclusively to have
physically destructive side-effects, it should not be used. But such scientific
evidence does not exist for all methods of contraception.
Sam Storms
Birth Control, November 6, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com. Used by Permission.
Is a Christian couple free to take steps to avoid ever
having any children? The issue here is one of motive: Wrong motives for
being childless:
1.
The world is over-crowded.
2.
The world is too corrupt.
3.
“We don't like kids!”
4.
“We want the money and time to spend on ourselves.”
Right motives for being childless:
1.
If there is good reason to believe the parents would pass
on a genetically fatal disease.
2.
If you are physically able to have kids but physically
unable to raise and nurture them.
3.
If children would impede a clear call to ministry
(missionaries).
4.
If you are financially unable to provide for them (but
this is only legitimate for delaying the bearing of children, not for not
having any at all, ever).
Sam Storms
Birth Control, November 6, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com. Used by Permission.
My conclusion is that the Bible
nowhere prohibits the use of birth control. But are there any texts that
suggest or imply that birth control is morally permissible?
1. 1 Corinthians 7:5 – “While this passage does not mention contraception, it
does carry important implications for the discussion. Here it seems evident
that God's will for the Christian couple is not “maximum fertility,” i.e., the maximum
number of conceptions biologically possible during the course of a Christian
marriage. By mutual agreement, sexual relations may be renounced for a time in
order to pursue spiritual objectives – in this case, prayer. The larger
principle would be that Christian couples have the right to choose to “override”
the usual responsibility to procreate (Gen. 1:28) for a season in order to
pursue a spiritual good” (John Jefferson Davis, Evangelical Ethics, P&R, 2004, p. 39).
2. 1 Corinthians 7:26-28 – Here Paul advises Christians to avoid taking on the
responsibilities of family life due to the impending persecution.
3. 1 Timothy 5:8 – This text not only demands that we work or in some way
provide financially and physically for our family, but also forbids us doing
anything that would hinder such care, even if we are employed. We are forbidden
to take on obligations, no matter how well intentioned, which would lead us to
fail to provide basic necessities for those who are dependent upon us.
Sam Storms
Birth Control, November 6, 2006, www.enjoyinggodministries.com. Used by Permission.
Neither Paul nor any other New Testament writer envisions
any Christian couple voluntarily remaining childless for the duration of
marriage.
John Jefferson Davis
Evangelical Ethics, P&R, 2004, p. 40.