***Is Birth Control Biblical?***
by Tony Warren
There are very few subjects which cause as much consternation and backlash in today's Churches as the teaching against birth control. And I believe the reason that there is such a strong reaction about this is the self centered lifestyles which characterize modern society. Christians of our day define birth control as a prudent act, a common sense act, some even call it a necessary evil. But the honest definition of it is, "a wilful action of perversion of God's natural laws of procreation in the sexual union." Most will readily admit Children are a blessing of God, but then they will just as readily confess that they use birth control to delay or prevent altogether this blessing. So the question is, 'why would anyone work so hard to prevent what they admit is a great blessing of God?' There are generally four reasons that Christians give for practicing birth control (emphasis mine).
1. To reduce the number of Children God can give.
2. To escape the responsibility of Child rearing.
3. To prevent God from blessing a marriage with any Children
4. Because it is 'allegedly' a danger to the health of the mother.
To be quite frank, this practice is inherently evil because the object is obviously to oppose the divine will of God for the creation of Godly children, and to establish one's own private laws governing what is best. In common language, it perverts God's natural law of procreation, into the carnal and unnatural law of creation management.
Though birth control and abortion are obviously two separate issues, it cannot be denied that both stem from the very same root of self-centeredness which thrives in our modern society. In fact, the exact same excuses are used (often word for word) in man's attempts to justify both of these assaults on Biblical principles and procreation. Controlling birth has come to be thought of as a modern era necessity rather than a corruption of the natural law. It is a view which 'in itself' seems to imply that Christians know that this is a 'new' teaching born out of modern times, dual careers, and culture. This should give us all reason for pause, particularly those of us of the Biblical community who are not so quick to remove the ancient landmarks. For we more than any should know that the believer is not to be guided by modern values, nor changes in what's fashionable in the Church community.
The History of the Church and Birth Control
Granted, this practice is so common today that it is something which most Christians probably simply assume is lawful for them to do, however, when we search through the scriptures we find that there is not one single passage which supports divine approval of any desire to control the number of God-given births. Nevertheless, some theologians put forth an argument for it's practice from silence. In other words, because God doesn't explicitly use the term 'birth control,' these men say we can't rule it out. But arguments from silence are by definition based upon nothing, and are thus a faulty defense. God doesn't use the term 'child pornography,' but that doesn't mean that the silence confirms it's a lawful practice. For the law against it is explicitly (yes, not implicitly) in the scriptures, and just because someone says they don't actually see it written, doesn't mean that God is mocked, or that He will not judge. We are 'obligated' to search out carefully these things in the scriptures, and the Spirit of God will lay it upon our hearts and enlighten us.
The fact is, birth control wasn't even a serious issue in the Church (like so many other modern day perversions of truth) until circa 1930. Churches universally condemned contraception as immoral and unbiblical. Control of birth was in the hands of God, and the Christians rather than rebel against it, humbly submitted to that control. It is only recently that even Reformed Churches have succumbed to this degradation, which is nothing more than man usurping the control of birth from God. Consider the very terminology, 'birth control.' Man wants to seize control of life which has been in God's providence since the beginning of time. He wants to rule himself, lest God should mistake the burden of a child with the blessing of a Child. Of course, they won't use that terminology, but that's only because they have to live with themselves. Godly trust has gone the way of the dinosaur, and very few mourn it's loss.
The self-lessness which has been the characteristic of historical Christian Churches, has in modern times become just the opposite. A looming cloud of self-ishness wherein it's all about us and what we want. It's no longer about what God says or what is His revealed will. And it's happened so quickly that many Christians are very surprised to learn that the history of the Church has always been solidly anti-birth control, and anti-divorce. It's almost as if Christians today are living in a vacuum, where only what they see now, has any real significance. But history tells a far different story. Men like Martin Luther (the reformer credited with beginning the Protestant Reformation) likened birth control to sodomy, declaring:
"People who do not like children are swine, dunces, and blockheads, not worthy to be called men and women, because they despise the blessing of God, the Creator and Author of marriage"
Likewise, John Calvin (one of the most prominent theologians of the Protestant Reformation), clearly called it murder in stating that:
"The voluntary spilling of semen outside of intercourse is a monstrous thing. Deliberately to withdraw from coitus in order that semen may fall on the ground is doubly monstrous. For this is to extinguish the hope of the race and to kill before he is born the hoped-for offspring."
"..birth control is the murder of future persons."
Unlike those who rationalize it away in our day, these men understood the very mindset behind this act, and they didn't mince words about exactly what the act implied. It's only in our day of apostasy that preachers in fear of losing members (and in their political correctness) tap dance around this practice.
The Synod of Dort of 1618, issued a Bible commentary which compared birth control to abortion, stating:
"This was even as much, as if he had (in a manner) pulled forth the fruit out of the mother’s womb, and destroyed it."
No one needs to work very hard to testify of the great list of those who opposed birth control, because the list includes just about everyone! It is evident that all historical Church fathers unanimously opposed birth control. Since the beginning, the Church held that birth control was a clear unbiblical practice (for over 1900 years). All the Church fathers, Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant Reformers, all, opposed the use of birth control. In fact, absolutely no Christian group or denomination ever supported this unbiblical use of contraceptives until 1930, when at the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops, a break in this unanimous Historical Church teaching occurred with their passing of Resolution 15. This resolution reads:
Where there is clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, the method must be decided on Christian principles. The primary and obvious method is complete abstinence from intercourse (as far as may be necessary) in a life of discipline and self-control lived in the power of the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless in those cases where there is such a clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood, and where there is a morally sound reason for avoiding complete abstinence, the Conference agrees that other methods may be used, provided that this is done in the light of the same Christian principles. The Conference records its strong condemnation of the use of any methods of conception control from motives of selfishness, luxury, or mere convenience.
Voting: For 193; Against 67.
From here on, the floodgates were opened. Though many Protestant denominations at the time vociferously denounced this move, it wasn't long before even these other Churches caved in to the pressures of modernity, and followed suit. What was once family relationships based on biblical precepts now switched to, "clearly felt moral obligation to limit or avoid parenthood," (whatever that means). But no one cared what it meant, it was a convenient excuse to use, in the limiting of births. And despite the trailer against, "methods of conception control from motives of selfishness, luxury, or mere convenience," that is exactly what it was used for. Another stark example of what happens once you open a crack in the proverbial wall, or open the pandora's box. Even if one's original motives may have been (humanly speaking) noble but misguided, it inevitably brings ruin. That is why we must give no quarter to the weakening of God's laws, or of making exceptions, because they inevitably lead to Church degradation. A small opening always leads to a gaping hole. The Word must be strictly kept, and we must not deviate. This principle brings to mind the story of Uzza, who nobly (humanly speaking) put forth his hand to steady the Ark of the Covenant, as the Oxen stumbled:
1st Chronicles 13:9-10
- "And when they came unto the threshingfloor of Chidon, Uzza put forth his hand to hold the ark; for the oxen stumbled.
- And the anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzza, and he smote him, because he put his hand to the ark: and there he died before God."
The moral of the story being, God commanded that the Ark should not be touched, Uzza knew that, but he thought he was being noble (helping) by ignoring God's precepts 'in this instance.' The result of such disobedience was not commendation, but swift and sure condemnation. A lesson for us all. There cannot practice 'situation ethics' when dealing with Biblical principles. They are there for a reason, and we don't neglect them because we feel sorry for someone, or because one might endure hardship, or because one doesn't have a lot of money. God's laws are not there for one, but for the preservation of the whole. God will take care of the one. Not a sparrow falls to the earth without God's say so, and we are more important to Him than a bird. But once you open that pandora's box just a crack, it is very hard (if not impossible), to close it. And that's just what happened at the Lambeth Conference of Anglican bishops, which had previously in both 1908 and 1920, condemned contraception. Just ten years later, they opened up that box a crack, and the eventual result was that the Church is now in shambles with regards to this historical and Biblical teaching.
The degradation of motherhood was simply the Church succumbing to social, and moral change. It was the Church getting in step with the popular secular ideas of the day. What these Bishops at the Lambeth Conference did was effectively declare that the Church had been totally wrong for the last 1,900 years since Christ, and their resolution was correcting this error. This arrogance was without so much as one single scripture which supported man controlling birth or limiting Children. This not only undermined the historic Church teaching, but also the historic protestant principle that the scriptures alone are the ultimate authority on Church doctrine, and rule of faith (Sola Scriptura).
It is indeed disgraceful that Protestant, and even Reformed Protestant opposition to birth control, has largely become non-existent in our day. The opening of the pandora's box is just one of many steps which led to a weakening of Christian self-lessness, character, morality, and brought a degeneracy to the Christian family life. What followed was the dismissal of the doctrine of the sanctity of marriage, and then doctrines against divorce were weakened, and it wasn't long before the Christian family unit lay in ruins. And the response by the Church leaders who gave rise to these changes is (generally) to scratch their collective heads, denying having any part of this change of attitude.
The Biblical Ethics
What about the biblical ethics of ignoring over 1900 years of Church history, and arbitrarily deciding that we have the right to prevent the natural cycle of birth, without one single verse of scripture which clearly supports such a change.
Proverbs 22:28
- "Remove not the ancient landmark, which thy fathers have set."
If our fathers gleaned their doctrines from the word of God, and wouldn't go beyond the bounds of what was in scripture, why would we remove the marks of those bounds? The answer (unfortunately) is that modern man has developed a prideful contempt for the Lordship of Christ in all things. He wants control of this part and so won't surrender his crown that Christ be Lord in this area of his life. In essence, he surmises that God won't be vigilant or understanding of his wants, and so decides to seize control of the creation process for himself. But this is replacing the will of God, with the will of man. And when that happens, man is destined for a fall. Can we understand better than God what we are able and not able to handle in our lives? This seems to be the subconscious conclusions reached in the Churches today.
I'm sure I'll receive the typical letters protesting that this is an unfair way to put it. But truly it is not. It may be a brutally honest way to put it, but it is hardly unfair. The unadulterated truth is that our lives, our time, our money, our talents, our efforts, and indeed our very bodies belong to Christ. The problem is, many people today have begun to idolize themselves, or positionally place themselves on the throne to speak for God, and they simply will not accept Christian admonition. Let us not forget that we are bondservants, and God has 'promised' that He would both provide for us, and that He would not put on us more 'trial' than we are able to bear. People today just don't want to hear that anymore, and they start to murmur (as the children in the wilderness) the minute faithful Christians bring up any idea about returning to faithful precepts concerning birth control.
1st Corinthians 10:10-15
- "Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer.
- Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.
- Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
- There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
- Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry.
- I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say."
It is truly said, 'we learn from Church history, that we do not learn from Church history.' These things are written for our admonition, that we not serve man created gods, but serve the God of the Bible, trusting in Him, rather than ourselves for divine direction. For 1900 years the Church had no problem with bearing what God put on them, but modern Christianity has has a great problem with this historical truth, and have for all intents and purposes abandoned trust in God in this area.
Another protest is, 'Procreation is not the only reason for sexual relations.' To that I would agree, but it is the major reason. The sexual act clearly has two purposes. The first is for the creation of God fearing offspring, and the second is for emotional satisfaction in fulfillment of bonding in the marriage relationship. Birth control idolatrously abrogates the first, and it elevates the second to the position of the sole purpose. This is a deliberate perversion of what God from the beginning, intended. The sexual bonding is an expression of the God Blessed intimacy between two people, which marriage is the institution of. Two become one flesh, indivisible because they are no longer two. And this marriage bond, demonstrated in love of husband for wife, God uses as a symbol for the love of Christ for His Church. The two purposes in marriage of bonding, and procreation were both ordained to work together hand in hand, the fulfillment of the will of God. But now man has cheapened God's law by his desire for 'cheap intimacy.' In love of Himself, he (like Onan) wants pleasure without responsibility, or it's natural results. I remember when young men looked forward to responsibility, now they disdain it. Man has lost that commitment that 'in all things,' we do to the glory of God.
What couples in the Church are effectively saying is, 'we don't trust God with our lives, because He'll give us more kids than we can handle.' It's no more complicated than that. Sure, many rationalizing, try to complicate the issue with medical reasons, time constraints, financial reasons, etc., but you know as well as I do (if you are honest with yourself) that over 95 percent of 'birth control' in the Church has nothing to do with medical or finances. When God is not the head of the body, rationalizations follow and the body leaves the light. And without light, we get these types of perversions so that what God says is a good thing, is seen as something not good and not desired. When selfishness is the common denominator, Jesus Christ is not the center of our lives, nor the head of the body. We are in spiritual idolatry. We have love of self, wherein we surmise that our action of preventing God from working in us the normal act of creation, is a christian thing. We take our eyes off Christ, and put them on ourselves to ignore the scriptural declaration that children are an unmitigated blessing. We won't accept admonition, nor honestly consider the biblical invalidity, nor the bottom line purpose of birth control. The question is, can it be Biblically ethical to play God to decide when someone will be born, or not born, or is that decision meant to be in God's providence? It's a question which grates upon the nerves of those who 'don't like' the obvious answer. Where is it written that man should control time of creation? What chapter and verse is this teaching found? And if God didn't inspire it written as truth, what idol did?
It wasn't long ago we viewed children as an asset, and now because we have bought into society's managed Parenthood mentality, and modern disdain for responsibility, they are viewed as a liability, a hindrance, a nuisance, and a burden. Parents with large families are looked upon as if they are naive, gullible, or at least not very smart. This is how far we've fallen from the faith, that children are now inconveniences that interfere with our lifestyles, rather than the heritage we can't get enough of.
Psalms 127:3-5
- "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
- As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
- Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate."
Could God be wrong, or has man simply replaced Him in the temple with an image of himself? The question is, do we believe man, or God? Are Children a reward, a Heritage of God, or are they the curse and burden that modern society works so hard at promulgating? To the faithful, they are a gift from God, to the unfaithful, a dept. The faithful are happy to have their quiver full of them, while the unfaithful literally cringe at such a horrid thought. Today's mothers by rejecting this gift out of hand, in essence are saying to God, 'I don't want your gift, because I don't look at it as a gift.' And when we get right down to it, isn't that the real problem? They just don't want this heritage, they want convenience. Christians in greater numbers are falling in line with the reprobates, not only on this, but on other sticky issue and doctrines as well.
As said the preacher, there is nothing new under the sun. Man looks to his own understanding, and judges by what seems right in his own eyes, rather than what God has declared. He knows that we have limited resources, that there are too many people, and he surmises that God just somehow forgot to have written down that we should curb our procreation at this point.
If God be the giver of Children, then birth control is man making sure that God doesn't give us anymore. It is the determination of man to oppose the divine will. For God's will of blessing a relationship with children to be done, He will 'quite literally' have to work a miracle within the body, to override man's contraceptive measures. To be sure, God both can, and has done this, but are we to tempt God this way? Must God go to such lengths in order that His divine will in creating children within the Christian family can come to fruition? Is this what Christianity and service to God has come down to? Our putting road blocks to God's natural creation process, and hoping He doesn't break through? Sadly, this is exactly where we are today.
Many theologians even teach that God is not responsible for putting Children in the womb and claim this is an act done by the couples in question. But in order to believe this, they must ignore the myriad of scriptures which say He does, or privately interpret them to mean just the opposite of what they declare. For in the whole of scripture, God takes full responsibility for the fruit of the womb. The teaching against this is idea is popular, but it is neither Biblical, nor has it ever been the historical Church doctrine. But whether we receive what is written or not, depends upon who is sitting in the Temple as our Authority. The Word of God, or the modern image man has placed there.
Jeremiah 1:5
- "Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations."
Note the words of men that God does not put babies in the womb, and the diametrical words of the Living God that He indeed is the one who forms us in the Womb. Some say the greatest creation of God was the earth, the oceans, or the universe, but others say it is man, whom God put therein. Arrogance says God didn't create man in the womb, but wisdom says He did. He created both good and bad. He is Sovereign that He raises up kings and he puts down kings. Without His say so, not one child is born, nor one child die, nor a sparrow falls to the earth, for even the very hairs of our head are numbered. But that doesn't mean that man can tempt God by attempting to prevent Him from creating this child, and saying it's lawful because God can do it anyway if He wants to. That would be akin to saying, since no child dies except God allow it, we'll allow abortions, because if it's God's will, that child won't be aborted. It's ridiculous logic, tempting God. And likewise, so is the argument that God can circumvent birth control, if He wants.
God didn't only form Jeremiah in the womb, He formed us all. This truth of course is far less palatable in our day than it once was, nevertheless, it is truth. We can play god thinking it's our decision when to create a life, even thinking to thwart God's creation plans by circumventing the natural (God Ordained) blessings of life, or we can surrender to the Word of God that it is He, and not us, who creates in the womb.
Job 31:15
- "Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not One fashion us in the womb?
Job 33:4
- "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life."
Psalms 119:73
- "JOD. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments."
The choice seems clear. We can continue to rationalize and deny what is clearly in the scriptures, or we can abide by the Word of God and say, God forms us all in the womb, the same as He did Jeremiah. It always gets back to that one age old question. Who is our authority, and who are we going to believe? The Word of God, or the humanistic rationalizations of men?
Hath the child come forth and the Lord hath not done it? We do God a great disservice denying that it's His call, and He is the one with creation power. Sure, we want to wrest that power from God that our own will be done, but hath the Lord spoken and it be a lie?
Romans 9:20
- "Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?"
- Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"
Likewise, shall the man formed say to Him that formed him, You have not really done it? Shall couples attempting to thwart what God forms declare, He does not really do it? Is this language unfair? Only in the mind of man. Because he doesn't want to face this question honestly that God, and not couples, is the one who is to form or not form in the womb. That forms the good, and that forms the bad. From the beginning of time God had control of birth, until our day when man in his abstinent heart decided that it was better if he controlled birth. And after teaching this rebellion, he wipes his mouth saying, "..what evil hath we done?"
There is no command not to use birth Control
The declaration that there is no explicit command against it, therefore it is in the realm of Christian liberty, is another excuse that is without foundation. Because when God gave the very first command to man, it was a command that is 'antithetical to birth control.'
Genesis 1:28
- "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth."
You cannot have a command by God which is the exact opposite of birth control, while at the same time, profess that there is no command against birth control. It makes no sense.
Christians are commanded to fulfill one of the purposes of marriage, which is to beget children that serve the Lord. The command of God to man is to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth, and the reason is that we may have joy, teaching and rejoicing in our posterity. That very first command of God has 'never' been abrogated!
Some Christians have put forth the retort, '..yes, but this does not mean that man is to go on multiplying once the earth has been filled.' This of course presupposes that the earth is filled, and that God left it up to man not only to decide that for himself, but to decide how much he should limit the creation of children. ..as if man could ever decide righteously (being desperately wicked and having no good in Him). To be fruitful and multiply was not a suggestion, it was the first command, the Word from God. By virtue of this fact, God has indeed spoken against birth control.
There are those who accept this truth, yet distressfully reply 'yes, but this was a command to Adam and Eve, Noah and Israel, but not to us today.' The answer to that is simple, Adam and eve couldn't fill the earth, nor Noah. The command was to him and his progeny, the people who listen to the Word of God and abide by it. God knows this world is evil, but God's children are supposed to be Good. A world like this needs righteous families with lots of righteous children as a heritage, and God has instructed us to bring forth this righteous seed. If we don't do it, who will? It is the natural process of assimilation that the Godly will diminish, and the wicked increase, if we are not fruitful and multiplying. The Children of Israel didn't multiply in Egypt simply by coincidence, it was God breathed, and God also accelerated the birth of Children to Israel, to make a great nation, a figure of His true Children. God knows what He is doing even when we do not. As Godly children decrease, the ungodly increase. And birth control among Christians is just another brick in the wall separating God from man.
In short, there indeed is biblical mandate against birth control. Both in the definition of what it is (Preventing God from producing Godly seed), and in rebelling against God's first command to men to be fruitful and fill the earth. Birth control is antithetical to God's Word, it is the carnal demonstration of, 'do not be fruitful, and do not fill the earth, but limit the number of children of Israel.' When one cannot understand that, it is only because he doesn't want to understand it.
We can't afford them, so we shouldn't have them
This is simply self serving rhetoric, so let's not be coy about it. Let's get down to the real issue. It is not really a question of economics, it's a question of will. Despite our propensity for complaining, we are in by far the most affluent society in human history, and moreover, we have one of the lowest birth rates. So this 'can't afford them' line is quite obviously contrived. This worrying if God will provide is nothing new.
Psalms 78:19-20
- "Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
- Behold, he smote the rock, that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed; can he give bread also? can he provide flesh for his people?"
This murmuring about God providing is a convenient excuse, and is simply lack of trust in God. He has always provided. Sure, we can continue to kid ourselves, but it's not even close. When man doesn't want something, he will inevitably find an excuse which he can use to rationalize the actions taken for not receiving it. It's a tactic almost as old as dirt. God is not an impotent God, He has always provided for His own, and if He creates a child in the womb, He will provide us with both the time and the money necessary to care for it. He, from the beginning of time, has done so with 'much' poorer people than there are today.
Philippians 4:6
- "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
God has in all the years of the world never let His people down. The truth is, it's not really about providing, the real issue is how many kids we 'want.' Blow away all the smoke and that "is" the real issue. It permeates every aspect of this modern age. There has been, and continues to be a growing social pressure on couples not to have more than two children, and to look on many children as both undesirable and a sign of ignorance. There has been a stigma placed on those who have more than one or two.
The world complains, 'In this day and age, a large family is no a real asset for most families.' The idea being, why would anyone want a large family? Well, certainly not with the selfish attitude of the spoiled group of people who care only about their lifestyle on this earth, and their second car, and their new carpets, or their cable and new toys. The people we call modern Christians, and the things we (incredibly) call, necessities. Our children have way too much already, they don't have too little of the material things, they are generally spoiled rotten. One reason why large Christian families of old tended to be more responsible, tight-knit, and harder-working, is because they were not as spoiled, could relate to hardship, cooperation, responsibility, sacrifice and siblings, because they’ve been around it, and helped care for children. Why would modern society think this a bad thing? When you have to struggle to get something, you appreciate it all the more.
When we start having children based on how much they can do for us, or how much they will take away from us, then we've missed the boat. ..and I'm sorry to say, it appears in this country, in our Christian Churches, the boat has left, and there wasn't even one third occupancy.
One of the most ridiculous and indeed ludicrous rationalizations of all, is this whining about how we do not live in a world where it is possible to afford to take care of them. Americans never whine about affording anything until children are mentioned. ..isn't it amazing (at least to me) that we live in a world where it is impossible to take care of more than 2.3 children, but we can care for our cars, homes, vacations, air conditioners, new carpets, bank accounts, college funds, etc., ad-nauseum? Are these of more value than the Children of the Lord? Than bringing our children up in the fear and nurture of the Lord? Apparently, to most folks it is. This 'poor me' attitude is disingenuous. We are the richest country in the world, and even our poor would look like the blessed compared to the 'genuinely' poor of the world. And ironically, some try and use these poor of the rest of the world to justify their not having Children. They say that we cannot leave it up to God in this. And the same people who say this, talk about trusting God in the area of finances, in health, in jobs. But these same people recoil violently at the biblical teaching to trust God in the area of having Children. They simply will not submit to God's will in child bearing which is one of the most important aspect of their lives. Strangely enough, this one area of their lives they want to retain lordship over. God can be Lord of their lives in accepting a job, choosing a Church, in finances, in politics, but when it comes to children, it's, 'hands off God, I'll make my own decisions based not on scripture, but what I think is best for me.' The same selfish attitude people have in support of abortion. i.e., 'it's my body, I'll do what I want, because I don't believe it's wrong, as some Christians claim.'
1st Corinthians 6:19
- "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?"
A body with two heads is an abomination. A temple with two rulers is confusion. And to be sure, the Holy Ghost in this Holy Temple does not tell us that we need to prevent births because it will cramp our lifestyle, we tell ourselves this lie. Heaven forbid we should lay this at the feet of God.
Do we actually think people had it better 2000 years ago, and they could abide by God's Laws, but we're so poor now we can't afford to? As stated, when people don't want something, they can always find a rationalization why they shouldn't have it. e.g., abortion isn't selfishness and taking a life, it's now portrayed as actually having compassion for the unborn, and preserving the quality of life. And divorce is no longer a separating of what God has joined together, it's actually portrayed as a God ordained separating of what was never meant to be joined in the first place. They say God didn't really mean that men were to have headship over women, it was just Paul speaking because of the times he lived in. Black is now White, Hot is now Cold, and Up is now Down. Nevertheless, they can say a tree isn't wood, but it will still burn. Likewise, God is not mocked by perversion of truth, He discerns between soul and spirit, joint and marrow, and He knows the heart of man, better than man. Ultimately, man is not getting away with anything by his rationalizations.
Common sense and God given wisdom teaches us to family plan
There was a time when Christians believed there was no difference between common sense, and what the Bible said. They were deemed, one and the same! Likewise, wisdom was found in the Word of God. And last I looked, birth control was not only absent from it's pages (apart from God's controlling it), it was antithetical to it's collective teachings. This 'so called' common sense and wisdom to know birth control is good, is nothing but secular humanism. It's the same old fashioned 'will of man' which has always taken offense at God's precepts. We can try to hide the truth of this rebellion under the facade of words like, 'common sense, good intentions, and God given wisdom,' but God looks upon the heart, and He knows the true motives of men better than those men who are deceived thereby.
Isaiah 29:15-16
- "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the LORD, and their works are in the dark, and they say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?
- Surely your turning of things upside down shall be esteemed as the potter's clay: for shall the work say of him that made it, He made me not? or shall the thing framed say of him that framed it, He had no understanding?
Who sees us, who knows us, who can look beyond the rationalizations? God can, and does! We can say, 'right is wrong, and wrong is right, and we can say birth control is a blessing of the Lord,' but those are just words. We can claim that many Children are a hindrance to Godliness, when God says it's a heritage if we want, but surely this turning of things upside down, and shall be esteemed as the potter's clay. It's not God given wisdom, it is the spirit of disobedience working within man to pervert the truth of God given wisdom.
Wisdom teaches us to 'number our days,' not our Children, that we might apply our hearts unto wisdom. This life is just a way station, we are strangers and pilgrims here, just passing through. i.e., this is not our home, we are only working for God here, nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
And that is what many of today's Christians have forgotten as they treat this world 'as if' it's all there is, and that having many children will get in the way of their enjoying 'this life' to the fullest. Self centered, instead of God centered. We are here to serve God, not to serve ourselves. Numbering our days means to treat every day like it was the last, heaping up treasures which moth does not eat, nor rust corrupt. Children are an heritage of the lord, and God's children take that declaration to heart.
We are constantly bombarded with quaint little colloquialisms like, 'we shouldn't be pumping out babies just to fulfill religious doctrine,' but that should not be dissuasive to us. Even though we hear this, not from obvious reprobates, but from those professing serious Christianity. What is going through their minds, I would hate to even guess.
Will we be looked down upon by society as being religious fanatics, foolish, illiterate, or even animalistic? Yes, most likely. But it has always been the lot of the true Church to be reviled and looked down upon. If we can't handle that, we need to examine ourselves to see if we be really in the faith (2nd Cor. 13:5). Because as Jesus said, in the world, we 'shall' have tribulation, and 'woe are you when all men speak well of you.' If everyone started saying, '..you know, you are absolutely right,' that is when I would begin to worry. The world doesn't want to hear the truth, and that includes a good percentage of the corporate Church today.
We need to face the reality of secular humanism having crept up from the world into our Churches. But the real kicker is that it is professed Christians which were the ones holding the door open for it, rationalizing away God's precepts so that they become little more than friendly advice.
We keep hearing about how God gave us a mind to think, and what those who have the mind of Christ would do. As I was told by one, 'we have to use our own heads in this, and understand that God did not create fools or irrational people.' ..true, nevertheless, there are fools and irrational people. Most notably, those who do what is right in their own eyes, thinking that they are wiser than God, to know better than Him what is best for them.
Proverbs 12:15
- "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise".
No, God didn't create fools, but there are fools who grow from what God has created, none the less. They are by biblical definition, men and women who think that what seems right in their own eyes is prudent and wise, and that we should decide for ourselves, rather than follow what is written. On the other hand, the wise harken unto the counsel of the Lord.
Proverbs 10:8
- "The wise in heart will receive commandments: but a prating fool shall fall."
Proverbs 19:20
- "Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end."
Wise counsel is not my words, or some other theologian's words, it is the Word of the living God, received as the truth that it is. Anyone can (in a prideful and arrogant spirit) make an excuse for not harkening to the counsel of the Lord, but humility and meekness is the fruit of the Spirit. Again, it should not go unnoticed that all these excuses are the very same excuses and reasons that some Christians give for not condemning abortion. i.e., that God didn't make any fools, that He gave us brains to think it out and do what is best, that the world is overpopulated, that people can't afford more kids, for health reasons, it's their own body, etc. It's the same old game, under a different name, and both the motive and the rationalization is from the same heart of man. The heart that says Children are a unwanted burden, and we desire freedom from that burden. Carnal man searches himself for answers, Christians by Grace of God are more noble and search the Word of God, and obey what God says is right.
As for what those with the mind of Christ would do, the witness of what those who have the mind of Christ shouldn't do is make every rationalization for preventing birth. They shouldn't read God's Word saying He forms us in the womb, He creates all of us, and then retort He didn't form us in the womb. The man with the mind of Christ shouldn't say to Him that formed us, you hath not formed me thus, my parents formed me in the womb. He shouldn't read God's Word to go forth, be fruitful and multiply, as children are an heritage of the lord, and degrade it, calling it is pumping out babies just to fulfill religious doctrine. The mind of Christ is not antithetical to itself.
1st Corinthians 2:14-16
- "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
- For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
How do we know we have the mind of Christ? When we Keep His word, and when we receive the things of God, which seem as foolishness to most others. Is our allowing God to control birth, foolish? Man's foolishness is God's Wisdom. Is this allowing God to control birth, animalistic as charged? God Forbid! The truth is, what animals really do, is 'whatever they want to do.' If they want to procreate, they do that by instinct. If they don't, then they won't. Rabbits do as much as they want, a Panda will do as much as he want, and to vastly different degrees than a rabbit. Animals do whatever they want when they want. Likewise, the beast called man does the 'exact' same thing. Which is why He's called a beast. He's carnal. However, a Christian is not a brute beast, and doesn't do what he wants, when he wants. He does 'what God says.' He doesn't do whatever is right in his own eyes, He does what is commanded in the law. This is called foolishness by man, but that's what separates this new creature from the two footed clothes wearing beasts of the earth. The beasts who want to wrest control from God, that they have all the pleasures of marriage, and none of the responsibilities. Even an animal is generally better than that.
Someone once told me, 'if those who are married and are servants of God should inquire of God as to how many children they should have and afford, then let God deal with them on an individual basis.' But God is not speaking from the mountains in a smoke today, God speaks through His Holy Word. We inquire of God by reading His Word and abiding by what it says in guidance of our lives. God could have very easily said to the Church, 'if you cannot afford many Children, curb your activity or use your own judgment of what seems right in your own eyes,' but He didn't. On the contrary, all throughout scripture (and I do mean all throughout) we see children a blessing, and the larger number of children, the more of a blessing from the Lord it is seen as. The women of the Bible were overjoyed when they had many Children. It was a source of Godly pride, not for ridicule and disdain as it is today. It's not the Bible which has changed, it's man's attitude towards the Bible. Shall we practice 'situation ethics' and declare how things have changed? No, for God's Word is immutable and doesn't change in accord with the times.
Moreover, we don't ask the Lord how many Children we should have (an untenable idea), God will give us the number of Children he wants. He always has. He always will, even in the midst of total rebellion against His sovereignty. This whole idea of, 'I'll ask God,' as if Gods is going to speak from the mountain in a smoke, is self serving.
1st Chronicles 25:5
- "All these were the sons of Heman the king's seer in the words of God, to lift up the horn. And God gave to Heman fourteen sons and three daughters."
Today's Christians would deny God gave him these children, and self righteously call Heman irresponsible for having so many. Did God give him these children to financially or physically burden him? No, God did it as a blessing, and the historical Church received these blessings with joy. Yet it amazes me how many professed Christians today will actually vehemently deny God is the giver of Children. Even when they read all the scriptures which declare it. The question then is, what does that say about them and the condition of the heart? It's not a issue of God putting on us more than we can handle, because the faithful have always handled it. They believe God, and He has already said he wouldn't put more on us than we can handle.
1st Corinthians 10:13
- "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Modern Christianity says, 'wrong God, you've put on me more than I can handle!' It's like the old story of a man going in a room full of crosses to select up. Do we go select the smallest one we can find? Well, yes, that is what we would do NATURALLY, but is that the cross God wants us to bear? ..that is the question. Shall we be the natural man and do what the natural man would do, or are we a different creation from the natural man. Do we have a King, or are we without a King where everyone does what is right in their own eyes? Are we our own kings, sitting to rule in God's Temple, or are we ruled over by God? Do we go our way, or do we go as God provides? All these questions basically asks, are we Children of God, or are we just like the world?
Some women protest that it's easy for me to say these things, because I'm a man. First of all, no it's not easy for me to say these things, nor am I unsympathetic to those with the greater part of rearing children. Nevertheless, we take our eyes off ourselves, put them on Christ, and He will see us through. Nor is having more children easy for the man (as some charge). Particularly not in our day. Parenting is a shared responsibility, and the truth be known, it is probably more likely that men are as adamant against more children as women. Many even more so. And for some of the same reasons. Selfishness. It's a lot of trouble, a lot of extra time, care, and a lot of extra money going out which they'd rather use elsewhere. Many Christians would rather spend an hour watching a drama or three hours watching a football game, than one half hour rearing their children. No, men don't generally want more children today anymore than women do. This truly has become 'The age of selfishness.' Men or women, black or white, jew or gentile, it's all about self, and gender has nothing to do with it.
The Onan episode was not judgement for birth control?
The story of Tamar and Onan (Genesis 38) is an example often used to show that God's wrath is poured upon those who would dare practice birth control. Tamar, who was married to Er, had no children when Er died. But there is a law illustrated in Deuteronomy which commands his brother to raise up seed.
Deuteronomy 25:5-6
- "If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband's brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband's brother unto her.
- And it shall be, that the firstborn which she beareth shall succeed in the name of his brother which is dead, that his name be not put out of Israel."
Therefore according to law, Er's brother Onan is commanded by Judah (their father) to have intercourse with Tamar to raise up children for his brother's house.
Genesis 38:8-10
- "And Judah said unto Onan, Go in unto thy brother's wife, and marry her, and raise up seed to thy brother.
- And Onan knew that the seed should not be his; and it came to pass, when he went in unto his brother's wife, that he spilled it on the ground, lest that he should give seed to his brother.
- "And the thing which he did displeased the LORD: wherefore he slew him also."
The first recorded act of birth control, and God took drastic mortal action to let us all know that this act was abhorrent to Him. In the historic Church for over 1900 years, there has never been controversy over what this meant, but in modern times there are those seeking to rationalize this away. Those who choose to ignore the obvious, and make the claim that God didn't actually kill Onan because of the birth control action, but because He disobeyed.
First of all, He didn't disobey the command to go into her, the disobedience came in that 'after He did this,' He practiced contraception (birth Control). Second, the penalty for not doing as commanded (taking this woman), was not death, but that he should have his shoe loosed from his foot, and the woman spit in his face, and thereafter he be known as The house of him that hath his shoe loosed, as is illustrated in Deuteronomy.
Deuteronomy 25:7-10
- "And if the man like not to take his brother's wife, then let his brother's wife go up to the gate unto the elders, and say, My husband's brother refuseth to raise up unto his brother a name in Israel, he will not perform the duty of my husband's brother.
- Then the elders of his city shall call him, and speak unto him: and if he stand to it, and say, I like not to take her;
- Then shall his brother's wife come unto him in the presence of the elders, and loose his shoe from off his foot, and spit in his face, and shall answer and say, So shall it be done unto that man that will not build up his brother's house.
- And his name shall be called in Israel, The house of him that hath his shoe loosed."
And so clearly, he was not struck down because He disobeyed taking the woman, but because He took her and then practiced birth control because he didn't want to raise up seed to his brother. Onan, just as those today, enjoyed the pleasure of sexual relations, but did not 'want' any of the responsibility for it. Does that sound familiar? And God wants us to know that this brought His wrath upon Him. To try to confuse the issue of this episode by saying it was because He disobeyed God, is spurious. If He hadn't gone into her at all, he would have still disobeyed God, but as inspired to be written, it wasn't an offense which called for this action. The penalty was to be called the loosed shoe. Obviously, the death penalty was because after he went in unto her, He practiced birth control. It was not because He didn't obey Judah or God's law, there was measured response for that, it was because after he did, He spilled it on the ground (controlled birth). and the 'proof' of this is that if he had went in unto her, and not practiced birth control, there would be no law broken. I don't see how anyone can justly or logically argue that. Many people disobeyed God, including the Elect, but God didn't strike them down dead on the spot. Such actions are reserved as 'illustrations' for special cases (as with the oxen stumbling). i.e., there is a special lesson there, as there is a special lesson here. And let he who hath a ear, hear it.
The Holy Spirit leads us to do this, to better serve the Lord?
The last rationalization (or is that lowest) is the excuse that it is the Holy Spirit which leads women to limit births, so they can better serve the Lord without all the distractions. First of all, who is to decide how we can better serve the Lord? The Lord, or us? Is it the Spirit of the Lord who leads women to think that rearing many children in the fear and nurture of the Lord is not a great Godly act, or is it the spirit of self? Is it the will of God, or the will of man? Is this God's view of service, or is this modernism?
I was asked (with a straight face) how was a woman to even have time to serve God better, or have time grow in the Lord with so many Children. I know in our day raising many Children is put on a par with being a garbage collector, but this is a great Godly vocation, not to be disparaged. When I hear people complaining, it's almost as if they are saying, 'Shame on God for selecting women to have more than two Children, knowing it is such a hardship.' Two words for this type thinking. ..Secular Humanism. It has crept up into our Churches and rules the day. And now it comes in cloaked in a facade of 'serving God better.' Just how do we serve God? I would venture to say the Woman of fifty years ago with eight kids 'in general,' served God better than the one today with one or two. It had nothing to do with how much money she made, how many children she had, but with upbringing, outlook, stewardship, sense of motherhood and responsibility, and Godly morality.
The historic Church condemned all methods of birth control as immoral because they got their precepts from the scriptures and thus understood these were perversions of the natural order of things, and a violation of God's moral law. The holy Spirit didn't lead anyone to think against this, and if I were these modern theologians, I would be carefully before laying that unrighteous act to His charge.
I only want two children, and besides,
If it be God's will, then we'll have them anyway
What we want does not enter into the question in true Christianity. We say, 'not my will, but thine be done O' Lord.' As in the example of Paul. He sought God three times that his thorn in the flesh be removed (2nd Cor. 12:8). But after three times God said, My grace is sufficient for you. Thus Paul went on in the understanding that it was not His will, but God's will that is to be done.
Likewise, what we want is not the issue. It's what is the will of God which should be the determining factor, and all through His word God has made His will known on this issue. Be fruitful and multiply, Children are a Blessing, Children are a heritage of the lord, etc.
Again, it is self-serving to attempt to turn this upside down with the argument that, 'if God wills, there is nothing (including a vasectomy) that will stop God from causing the conception of a child in the womb of anyone.' And to add hypocrisy and insult to rationalization, they add, '..because God is sovereign.'
First of all, God is sovereign, but that doesn't mean that we cross the street without looking both ways because we won't die unless it's our time to die. That is not acknowledging sovereignty, that is 'tempting the Lord.' That's like saying, we'll go ahead and sin because God works within the Christian to help keep him from sinning. ..the whole premise is wicked and logically flawed.
Moreover, the idea that if we don't use birth control we'll have fifteen kids is more myth and scare tactic than truth. The birth of children will not be unlimited (it never has been), God will give a certain number as He chooses. And even if there is a large family, no one has many children all at once. The older children brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord will help with the younger children, and child bearing will 'naturally' cease after a certain God ordained point. It is not the end of the world, despite today's harbingers of doom. I'm assuming I'm talking to a Christian audience here, who will raise up Godly Children. Jonathan Edwards was the eleventh child in his family. Praise the Lord that in His day their parents were not as (so called) enlightened by modern society, to practice birth control.
While social and humanistic ideologies along with secular arguments against having many Children have been used for a long time to persuade Christians that birth control, and even abortions, are sometimes the best thing for them to do, they offend God. Particularly when they make the claim that such action is Godly and in the best interest of the family. This is the deception of Satan, that great deceiver who is the father of lies. When we declare we only want this many or that many kids, we are saying we don't want God's great Blessing. And to say Children are not a blessing, is to blasphemy in declaring that we know much more than God about what would bless our lives.
Psalms 127:3
- "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward".
Dare man today retort, wrong God, children are a burden not a reward, a drain on my money which takes away from my wife serving you as seems right in her own eyes. Sadly, the carnal minded man thinks, 'if children are a heritage, then I am too rational to want much of God's heritage.' It's all about what people want, not about what God wants for people. Yes, God could turn stones into Children, if that was His plan, but it is not. The Godly family takes responsibility given them, and God blesses them, as He defines blessings, and as He sees fit.
Alright, but what about the natural or Rhythm Method
I must admit, the rhythm method of birth control is a tricky and much more complicated question. Nevertheless, it doesn't appear to be consistent with the anti-birth control view. Do we believe that the real sin is in the act of controlling birth, or that the sin is in the method of controlling birth? There is indeed a difference. In the case of birth control by use of artificial contraception, it is clear that the people are participating in an intrinsically evil act. They are taking pills, or using a prophylactic or barrier designed to not allow the natural sexual act itself to run it's course. On the other hand, in practicing the rhythm method (sometimes also called 'natural family planning' or NFP), they are simply periodically abstaining from sex. The idea being, abstention for short periods of time is not intrinsically evil. Which I certainly agree with, but the real question is, for what purpose?
Many who use artificial birth control counter proponents of the rhythm method by saying that ultimately, it is no different from the artificial means. While I won't say that this has absolutely no merit, it's not entirely true. There is one obvious difference. The rhythm method puts up no man-made barriers, physical or chemical, to conception. It runs it's natural course, and it is true that conception can actually occur anyway. However, I will agree that it appears to me to be biblically inconsistent, and does not glorify God. For it violates the spirit of the law if not the letter of the law in that there is still the mindset to thwart the birth process, which is the real sin. Therefore, I cannot in good conscience condone it.
I'm sure many will disagree, and as I said, I wouldn't give an absolute answer in this case, as it is no sin in selecting times, though neither can I condone it. I believe that the sin is in the reasoning, and the reasoning being the same I would have to say I am against it. For we are still trying to stop God from creating a Child in the womb, and that (I believe), makes it unlawful.
Conclusion
Yes, having children can be a hardship, it's always been. Anything worth having is worth going through hardship to get it (a lesson which the kids today who have everything handed to them on a silver platter will never learn). But we take up our cross and follow Him, because for those with the mind of Christ, the will of God is stronger than our own will (the will of Man). The will of man (otherwise known as humanism and carnality) says, two children is more than enough because we don't need anything that would mean we'd have to actually put forth some effort. It pains me to know that man thinks, '..I go to Church on sundays, I say my prayers, what more does God want?' God wants everything! It belongs to Him. If we suffer in the flesh, so be it. It's His Will be done, not our own. And we keep His word and do His will by receiving and being obedient to what He says. Not a hearer only, but a doer.
1st Peter 4:1
- "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
- That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God".
Comfort and convenience is not the goal, and we don't run the race with our selfishness strapped to our backs, we run it with the cross by denying ourselves, that God's will be done. What so many Christians today have lost sight of is that our reward is in Heaven, not the comforts of this life. This world is only a way station. We are the 'called out' for the purpose of spreading the gospel message. This is not our home, but too many Christians have made it such and are comfortable in it. This is what leads to liberalization of Church doctrines, and thinking of Children in terms of burdens, rather than a blessing. The exact opposite of what the will of God is.
A healthy Christian couple's relationship is founded upon the precepts of Christ-like love, scripture, intimacy, and obedience, which includes and transcends sexual intercourse. God given Children are a heritage and a healthy part of any Christian family.
Let's face facts honestly, practicing birth control is in essence an attempt to lock Sovereign God out of one of the most important areas of our lives. Do not think that it is insignificant, for all things we do are significant, an evidence of the condition of our hearts. Reformed Christians, Biblical Christians above all should know that we must address this question straight forward and honestly, and have the contrite spirit to surrender to the authority of scripture over our own will. We are not Lord of our lives, Christ is. Therefore, our prayers are not in insistence, but in child-like humility:
Matthew 26:39
- "nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."
Amen.
Peace,
Copyright 2000 Tony Warren
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It is GOD Who opens and shuts the womb: Genesis 20:17-18; 29:31-33; 30:1-2,6,17-18, 20, 22, 23; I Samuel 1:6, 11, 19, 20;